Job Type
Full-time
Description
POSITION SUMMARY
The Chief Merchant is the senior executive accountable for the merchandising strategy, assortment, and profitability of the CAL Ranch and Coastal brands. This role owns the end-to-end merchandising life cycle - planning, buying, pricing, vendor relationships, and in-store presentation - and partners closely with Marketing, Store Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance to ensure Country Supplier stores are stocked with the right products, at the right price, at the right time. The Chief Merchant is a member of the executive leadership team and reports directly to the President/CEO.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Set and own the overall merchandising strategy and multi-year category plans for both the CAL Ranch and Coastal brands, ensuring assortments reflect each banner's customer base and regional needs.
- Lead, mentor, and develop the merchandising organization, including Category Directors, Buyers, and Planning/Allocation teams.
- Drive sales, margin, inventory turn, and gross margin return on investment (GMROI) targets across all merchandise categories.
- Negotiate vendor agreements, pricing, terms, and promotional funding; build and maintain strategic supplier partnerships.
- Direct open-to-buy planning and inventory management in partnership with the Planning & Allocation team to balance in-stock levels with working capital goals.
- Oversee private label and exclusive-brand development to differentiate Country Supplier assortments from national competitors.
- Partner with Marketing to align promotional calendars, seasonal resets, and pricing strategy with merchandising priorities.
- Analyze market trends, competitor assortments, and customer data to identify new categories, product opportunities, and exit strategies for underperforming lines.
- Collaborate with Store Operations and Visual Merchandising to ensure consistent, on-brand product presentation across all store locations.
- Present merchandising performance, strategy, and category reviews to the President/CEO and Board as needed.
- Champion the Country Supplier brand promise, ensuring product decisions reflect the trust and heritage customers associate with CAL Ranch and Coastal.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Merchandising, Retail Management, or related field; MBA preferred.
- 10+ years of progressive merchandising or buying leadership experience, including at least 5 years in an executive or VP-level role.
- Experience in farm/ranch, hardware, agricultural, outdoor, or specialty rural retail strongly preferred.
- Proven track record building profitable assortments and managing multi-million-dollar merchandise budgets.
- Strong vendor negotiation skills and experience managing national and regional supplier relationships.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and scale a merchandising organization across multiple banners or regions.
- Data-driven decision maker, fluent in retail math, open-to-buy planning, and merchandise financial planning tools.
- Willingness to travel regularly to stores, vendor showrooms, and trade shows.
WHAT COUNTRY SUPPLIER OFFERS
- Competitive executive base salary plus performance-based incentive bonus.
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits.
- 401(k) with company match.
- Generous employee discount across CAL Ranch and Coastal stores.
- A leadership role shaping the future of two beloved, growing regional brands.
