Job Title: Director/Senior Director, Merchandising Department: Merchandising Reports To: VP, Merchandising & Marketing Exemption Status: Exempt (Salaried) General Job Summary Ace Retail Group is seeking a strategic merchandising leader who is ready to operate at the center of the business-owning category performance, driving growth, and shaping the customer value proposition across 250+ stores nationwide. The Company is in an acceleration phase-expanding stores, modernizing assortments, and strengthening competitive positioning. This role offers high visibility, executive exposure, and direct influence on company performance. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Merchandising Strategy & Category leadership • Develop and execute merchandising strategies that support company sales, gross margin, inventory turn, and profitability objectives. • Lead category management efforts, including assortment optimization, product lifecycle management, and category growth initiatives. • Analyze market trends, consumer insights, competitive activity, and emerging product opportunities. Vendor & Supplier Management • Build and maintain strategic relationships with key vendors and suppliers. • Negotiate product costs, rebates, promotional funding, and other financial agreements. • Lead vendor review meetings and annual line reviews. Pricing, Promotions & Inventory Management • Oversee pricing strategies to ensure competitive positioning while maximizing margin performance. • Direct promotional planning and execution in partnership with Marketing and Operations teams. • Monitor inventory productivity and replenishment effectiveness. Financial Performance & Reporting • Develop annual sales, margin, inventory, and promotional plans. • Monitor category performance against budget and forecast targets. • Present business reviews and strategic recommendations to executive leadership. Team Leadership & Development • Recruit, develop, coach, and retain high-performing merchandising professionals. • Establish clear performance expectations and accountability measures. • Support succession planning and professional development initiatives. Cross-Functional Collaboration • Partner with Operations, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Finance teams to ensure successful execution of merchandising initiatives. Minimum Skills, Requirements and Qualifications • Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising, Retail Management, or related field required; MBA preferred. • 8-12+ years of progressive merchandising experience. • 5+ years of leadership experience managing merchandising teams. • Strong analytical, negotiation, communication, and leadership skills. • Ability to apply commonsense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations. • Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, customers, and the general public. • Proficiency in MS Office: Word, PowerPoint and Outlook. • Standing, walking, lifting (up to 25lbs.) and climbing. Compensation Details $160000 - $225000 per year For a full list of benefits and open positions, please visit us at: https://acehardware.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/ARG_External Want to be notified when new jobs are posted? Follow the link below to create an account and set up custom job alerts: Create Job Alert