Job Title: Director of Merchandising Company: Hunter Bell Inc. Job Location: Houston, TX
Position Summary The Director will report directly to the founder Hunter Bell and play a key role in creating the brand’s product buy strategy, developing appropriate assortments ensuring brand goals and objectives are met through historical analysis, trends, and the specific needs of our E-commerce and Wholesale. This role will partner closely with the design team, founder, buying, sales, and e-commerce to ensure product offerings align with the brand vision while meeting financial and customer demand goals.
As a merchandising team of one, this position requires a highly strategic and hands-on leader who is equally product-driven and analytically focused. The Director of Merchandising will be responsible for translating creative vision into a commercially successful assortment through thoughtful product planning, data-driven insights, and cross-functional collaboration.
Responsibilities - Develop and execute merchandising strategy across all product categories - Collaborate closely with the design team to translate the creative vision into a balanced, market-driven assortment - Collaborate closely with Planning Director to align on buying, planning, forecasting, pricing and inventory strategies - Lead assortment planning, including category architecture, SKU productivity, pricing strategy, and seasonal product mix - Work cross-functionally with buying and E- commerce team to ensure alignment on product launches, inventory flow, and sales performance - Strategize key items, promotions and mark downs with planning and retail team - Build a 360 strategy around the product and ensure both short- and long-term vision are in place - Analyze sales, customer behavior, and market trends to inform product decisions and optimize assortment performance - Monitor and report on key performance metrics, identifying opportunities to drive revenue, margin, and sell-through. - Provide insights and recommendations that support product development, including best sellers, gaps in the assortment, and growth opportunities - Prepare regular reporting, analysis, hind sighting, and resulting action plans leveraging financial data and qualitative product feedback gathered from stores to support sales Qualifications - 5+ years of merchandising experience in fashion or contemporary apparel - Proven success buying and managing assortments for a branded retail organization - Strong product sensibility with deep understanding of the fashion market and consumer trends - Highly analytical with the ability to interpret sales data and translate insights into actionable merchandising strategies - Proven ability to work cross-functionally with design, buying, and digital teams - Comfortable operating in a lean environment and managing the merchandising function independently - Strong communication, organizational, and strategic planning skills