Merchandising Manager/Buyer
About Our Client Our client is building a best-in-class cannabis retail experience on the East Coast, one that puts customer experience at the center of everything we do. They are a fast-growing, founder-led business with an entrepreneurial mindset and high expectations. Their team thrives on ownership, collaboration, and momentum. They celebrate wins, learn fast from misses, and believe the best ideas can come from anywhere in the organization. This is a place for builders, people who are excited to create structure where none exists yet, and then scale it. The Role Reporting directly to the COO, the Merchandising Manager / Buyer will own assortment strategy, purchasing, pricing, promotions, and inventory performance across all categories and channels. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who blends strong product instincts with rigorous, data-driven decision-making. You will be responsible for building the merchandising engine that drives sales, margin, and inventory health, while partnering closely with Marketing, Digital, and Operations to ensure execution at retail and online. You’ll be both a strategist and an operator: setting the vision, building the process, and executing day to day. What You’ll Do · Own end-to-end merchandising strategy across categories, including assortment planning, buying, pricing, promotions, and inventory management · Build and scale merchandising processes, tools, and reporting to support growth and profitability · Partner with third-party brands and vendors to curate a compelling, differentiated assortment aligned with customer demand and market trends · Develop and manage merchandise planning, balancing sales growth, gross margin, and inventory productivity · Negotiate with key third party brands to reduce costs and drive margin · Lead reporting and analysis by category, SKU, attribute, and channel to identify opportunities, risks, and actionable insights · Drive pricing optimization initiatives, including price testing, regular reviews, and markdown strategies · Collaborate with Marketing and Digital teams to optimize product storytelling, launches, and sell-through across DTC and in-store channels · Hire, coach, and develop merchandising talent as the function scales · Foster a collaborative, high-accountability, results-oriented team culture What They Are Looking For · Bachelor’s degree required · 5+ years of experience in merchandising, buying, or category management for a high-performing retailer or consumer brand · Strong product intuition with a customer-first mindset; experience with premium brands and/or cannabis is a plus · Deep understanding of assortment planning, inventory management, pricing strategy, and merchandising KPIs · Proven ability to operate in fast-paced, high-growth environments where processes are built and refined in real time · Highly analytical and data-driven, with advanced Excel skills · Strategic thinker with strong execution discipline · Demonstrated ability to attract, develop, and lead talent · Strong cross-functional partner who can influence without authority · Experience with e-commerce and omnichannel merchandising metrics · Clear, concise communicator with strong problem-solving skills · Commitment to inclusion, respect, and building healthy team dynamics Why This Role Is Exciting · Direct access to executive leadership and real ownership over outcomes · Opportunity to build a merchandising function from the ground up · Ability to shape assortment strategy in one of the fastest-growing retail categories
- · A seat at the table as our client scales its footprint and brand
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