Lead Merchant, Global Nike Stores Merchandising 

For Nike merchants, everything begins and ends with the consumer! We are looking for a consumerist with an affinity for product who enjoys the energy of moving at the pace of retail and our consumer. A successful Lead Merchant will contribute to an inclusive, positive, and progressive team dynamic. At Nike, it’s about each person bringing skills and passion to a challenging and constantly evolving game.  

WHO YOU WILL WORK WITH  

You will work closely with fellow merchants and cross-functional teams within global Consumer Merchandising, Nike Direct, Planning, Visual Merchandising, and Brand Marketing. We also work with Finance, Operations and the Insights & Analytics teams; relying on business reporting for your area which includes quantitative and qualitative metrics on sales, inventory and consumer behaviors.  

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR  

This candidate should possess an understanding of the Nike consumer and marketplace landscapes. The candidate should possess solid retail acumen and analytical skills, and an understanding of retail environments.  

At times working autonomously, agile, and solution-oriented, this role is responsible for driving the consumer product offering across the different merchandising dimensions. This role will bring the Kids seasonal assortment to life in Nike Stores. They will also influence the product offering End to End (from insights to adoption) as well as focusing on multi-season management of Nike’s most innovative franchises! We are looking for consumerists with an affinity for product that enjoys the energy of moving at the pace of retail and the consumer. A successful Lead Merchant will thrive and contribute to a positive and progressive team dynamic, as well as lead in a way that elevates the total team. This role is responsible for adapting & curating consumer right assortments with end in mind for the Nike Direct Inline Store business by using historical data, analytics and cross functional partner insights.  

• Bachelor's degree or higher, or combination of relevant education, experience, and training 

• 5+ years’ experience in merchandising, product creation and/or retail, in a vertical or wholesale environment. 

• Strong command of common retail metrics such as sell-through, margin, full price realization, weeks of supply, etc. 

• Footwear, Apparel, Equipment or relevant consumer product buying and/or merchandising experience 

• Proven ability to translate consumer, sales, trend, and marketplace insights into in-season and long-term breakthrough strategies 

• Strong strategy building skills that shape the future of the business 

• Preparing seasonal tools to equip your geo partners with an understanding of seasonal priorities. 

• Experience developing strong working relationships with teammates and cross-functional partners 

• Great teammate and contributor, with an attitude and excitement to learn new things 

• Strong communication skills and comfort navigating a cross-functional matrix with an emphasis on influencing skills 

• Attention to detail, understanding the importance of consistency 

• Strong strategy building skills that shape the future of the business 

• Provides direction and mentorship to teammates 

• Values differences and builds strong relationships with high cultural awareness 

• Proven balance of art and science in decision-making 

• Self-directed, independent, and dedicated 

• Cultivates innovation while also ensuring accountability 

• Communicates vision and purpose and able to lead effectively in complex situations 

• Solves problems using limited information and implements solutions with the ability to foresee most future implications 

• Advises others on complex matters requiring in-depth knowledge or conceptual thinking 

• Responds with speed and agility, curiosity, and motivation 

WHAT YOU WILL WORK ON  

As a Lead Merchant, you will own bringing the Kids seasonal assortment to life in Nike Stores. You will understand related aspects of the business and marketplace in making your plans, including coordinating between genders, brands (Nike & Jordan) and how individual products or collections impact each other. You will collaborate cross functionally to ensure assortment plans meet consumer demand and strategies execute.   

You will hone consumer-centric assortment plans across multiple seasons with an understanding of Nike Direct’s position in the market & competitive landscape to blend fact-based and intuitive inputs. You will participate in seasonal assortment reviews and influence actions to optimize future season plans and adoption by supporting Gender Merchandising Leadership and upstream partnership within Global Merchandising.  

A consistent part of your day-to-day responsibilities will be the detailed management, maintenance and communication of all seasonal tools and assortments. Enabling this effort will be the development of key relationships among cross-functional teammates, comfort with research and analysis, along with a genuine curiosity and commitment to learn and evolve.