Director, Retail

Gordon Brothers

$120K — $150K *
Retail & Consumer Goods
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree preferred
  • 10+ years in retail merchandising, wholesale, distribution, consulting, or related roles
  • Deep understanding of retail operations and consumer behavior
  • Strong knowledge of inventory valuation in liquidation
  • Advanced Excel and Microsoft Office skills
  • Strong analytical ability with practical retail judgment
  • Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders
  • Proven project management in fast-paced environments
  • Willingness to travel frequently on short notice

Responsibilities

  • Lead on-site due diligence at client locations to assess inventory and store conditions
  • Partner with deal teams to build financial and operational models for bidding decisions
  • Translate inventory analysis into liquidation strategies for pricing and product mix
  • Develop marketing and advertising strategies for retail disposition
  • Assess client businesses focusing on industry positioning and operational efficiency
  • Produce structured reports summarizing findings and execution strategies
  • Serve as the merchant voice in cross-functional deal discussions
  • Source and procure additional inventory to support closing events
  • Coordinate logistics for inventory to reduce freight costs
  • Support field teams during active sales events with real-time guidance
  • Maintain relationships with clients, vendors, and stakeholders
  • Identify potential deal opportunities or risks across the platform

Benefits

  • Competitive compensation package
  • Health insurance
  • Dental benefits
  • Generous 401(k) match
  • Time off benefits
  • Opportunity for frequently varied travel
Full Job Description
Description

This role leads the merchant execution work across retail disposition projects, including store closing sales, inventory monetization, and merchandise assortment strategy. The merchant is responsible for translating due diligence and valuation work into actionable liquidation and sales strategies that maximize recovery value.

This role is based in the Boston office (or similar) and requires significant travel to client sites and stores, often on short notice.

 

What You Will Do

 

You will act as the on-the-ground merchandising and inventory execution lead across live retail disposition projects. This includes:

  • Leading on-site due diligence at client locations to assess inventory, store conditions, and merchandising opportunities
  • Partnering with deal teams to build and review financial and operational models that drive bidding and valuation decisions
  • Translating inventory analysis into clear liquidation strategies, including:
    • Assortment planning and product mix optimization
    • Pricing, discounting, and markdown strategy
    • Sales velocity and sell-through assumptions
    • Expense and margin impact of execution plans
  • Marketing and advertising strategies
  • Assessing client businesses, including:
    • Industry positioning and competitive dynamics
    • Inventory composition, quality, and liquidity
    • Operational efficiency and profitability drivers
  • Producing clear, structured reports summarizing findings, valuation assumptions, and recommended execution strategies
  • Acting as the merchant voice in cross-functional deal discussions, ensuring valuation models reflect real-world retail execution dynamics
  • Sourcing and procuring incremental or “augment” inventory to support store closing events by:
    • Building and managing vendor relationships
    • Negotiating terms and pricing
    • Selecting merchandise to improve sales performance and customer traffic
  • Coordinating logistics for augmentation inventory, including working with carriers and brokers to reduce freight costs and ensure timely delivery
  • Supporting field teams during active sales events, providing real-time merchandising, pricing, advertising, and execution guidance
  • Maintaining relationships with external clients, vendors, and internal stakeholders across varying seniority levels
  • Identifying and communicating potential deal opportunities or risks across Gordon Brothers’ broader platform

 

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree preferred
  • 10+ years of experience in retail merchandising, wholesale, distribution, consulting, or related commercial roles
  • Deep understanding of retail operations, inventory dynamics, and consumer behavior
  • Strong knowledge of inventory valuation concepts and how merchandise performs in liquidation environments
  • Advanced Excel and Microsoft Office skills
  • Strong analytical ability paired with practical retail judgment
  • Excellent communication skills, including the ability to influence senior stakeholders and clients
  • Proven ability to manage multiple complex projects in fast-paced, high-pressure environments
  • Willingness and ability to travel frequently, often on short notice

 

Gordon Brothers offers a very competitive total compensation package, including base salary and bonus plan, health insurance, dental benefits, a generous 401(k) match, time off benefits, and more.

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