Merchant - Knits & Sweaters - Men's

J Crew

$86K — $111K *
Retail & Consumer Goods
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 6+ years in a merchant or buying role in apparel or fashion retail
  • Strong analytical skills for actionable strategy development
  • Proficient understanding of retail financial metrics and buying principles
  • Self-driven and organized to manage multiple priorities
  • A high taste level with a passion for fashion and commercially viable products
  • Proven ability to influence and collaborate cross-functionally with design, planning, and marketing teams

Responsibilities

  • Analyze trends and develop compelling strategic product ideas
  • Present pre-season strategies to cross-functional teams
  • Collaborate with planning to optimize budget and departmental opportunities
  • Approve garment fit and ensure quality standards are met
  • Monitor sales and styles in partnership with Planning and Allocation
  • Evaluate competitive landscape to inform business decisions
  • Implement product strategies for merchandise buying aligned with budget goals

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health benefits including medical, dental, vision, and family planning support
  • Generous employee discount across J.Crew brands
  • Flexible summer hours with early office closure on Fridays
  • Opportunities to engage in community service through J.Crew Cares Program
  • Dedicated winter break at year's end for full-time associates at the Home Office
Full Job Description

The Role + Purpose:

The Merchant, Men's Knits & Sweaters is a key merchant role on the J.Crew Factory men's team, responsible for owning the end-to-end product strategy for one of our most important knit categories. This role blends creative vision with analytical rigor, partnering closely with Design, Planning, Marketing, and Visual to bring compelling assortments to life that resonate with the J.Crew Factory customer. We welcome candidates from diverse professional backgrounds who bring curiosity, a strong point of view, and a passion for product.

Pre-Season

  • Understand trend analysis and translate trend to commercial big ideas, identifying the next big thing
  • Present pre-season strategy to the cross-functional team
  • Partner with Planning to strategize budget and departmental opportunities
  • Analyze seasonal and hindsight information, trends, product assortment, and competition to develop the strategy
  • Participate in Design Board Reviews and provide feedback on silhouette, fabric, and color based on hindsight and strategy
  • Build the Roadmap for Design articulating newness needs by month with AUC targets, as well as clear direction on carry-forward products

In Season

  • Approve garment fit on key products and buys, ensuring product execution meets the design aesthetic and commercially acceptable quality standards
  • Drive partnership with Planning and Allocation on reviewing sales, receipts, markdown cadence, and style-color counts
  • Analyze the competitive environment and use that knowledge to positively impact results, making recommendations to leadership
  • Utilize product strategies and analytical results to plan all merchandise buys in accordance with budget for each quarter; present the line at assortment and investment reviews
  • Evaluate financial and business indicators, assess reports, and translate data into actionable information to drive results
  • Partner with Marketing, Styling, and Visual to ensure key items and big bets are elevated and supported by the cross-functional team

Qualifications:

Required:

  • 6+ years of experience in a merchant or buying role within apparel or fashion retail
  • Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data into clear, actionable strategies
  • Strong business acumen with a demonstrated understanding of retail financial metrics and buying principles
  • Self-motivated, highly organized, and comfortable managing multiple priorities simultaneously
  • High taste level with a genuine passion for fashion and an eye for trend-right, commercially viable product
  • Proven cross-functional collaboration skills with the ability to influence and partner across design, planning, and marketing teams

Preferred:

  • Experience in men's knits, sweaters, or similar knit categories, with knowledge of yarn weights, gauges, and seasonal fabrications
  • Bachelor's degree in Fashion Merchandising, Business, or a related field is a plus, but not required

We welcome you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes. Our passion is scouting life-long learners who are driven by curiosity, and who feel connected to our brands and share our desire to make an impact. We’re always seeking bright new talent who leverage their unique experiences to discover, grow and evolve with our teams.

Benefits + Perks

  • Health & Well-being - Eligible associates and family members receive medical, dental, prescription and vision insurance, family planning (fertility, adoption & surrogacy support), fitness discounts, medical travel and more.

  • Associate Discount - We love our products just as much as you do! That’s why we offer a great associate discount across all of our brands (J.Crew, J.Crew Factory, and Madewell).

  • Summer Fridays - In addition to our hybrid work model, we also close our office at 1:00 PM every Friday during the Summer months.

  • Community Impact - We support the communities where we live and work through our philanthropic efforts and the J.Crew Cares Program.

  • Winter Break - In addition to our PTO package, J.Crew Group offers a winter break at the end of December to eligible full-time associates at the Home Office to provide time to refresh and recharge.

Note: Availability of these benefits and perks may be subject to work location & employment type and may have certain eligibility requirements.

Salary Range: $86,400.00 - $111,700.00

At J.Crew Group (JCG) we aim to pay competitively for our company’s size and industry. The base salary offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region of work premises, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors.  The base salary is just one component of J.Crew Group’s competitive total rewards strategy that also includes the opportunity for bonus, competitive benefits and perks.

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