Director of Digital Merchandising

This position may be based remotely or in Fort Wayne Indiana or New York City with up to 20% travel to Fort Wayne for remote associates.

FUNCTION
The Director Digital Merchandising is a critical leadership role responsible for translating enterprise merchandising strategy into compelling channel-specific assortments and digital experiences that drive profitable growth.

Reporting to the Head of Digital Commerce this leader will serve as the voice of digital across product strategy line planning assortment inventory launch calendars promotions and product storytelling. The role will partner deeply with Merchandising and Planning to shape offerings and commercial decisions for Marketplaces TikTok Shop and other current and emerging digital channels.

The ideal candidate brings strong merchant instincts and a track record across product strategy assortment architecture product ideation and briefing collaborations and licensed activations planning inventory and promotions - combined with expertise in e-commerce site merchandising customer experience UX testing and conversion optimization. Marketplace experience is also important including an understanding of how assortment content pricing promotions and inventory strategies must flex by channel.

This leader will create greater clarity speed and accountability across the digital product lifecycle from identifying customer and assortment opportunities to launching stories optimizing in-season performance and closing the feedback loop into future line plans. They will establish a reliable real-time source of truth for calendar product and inventory information so digital teams can execute accurately and independently across channels.

To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Drive the digital merchandising strategy across Vera Bradleys full digital commerce portfolio including Marketplaces TikTok Shop and other digital channels.
• Translate enterprise merchandising strategies into channel-specific assortment launch inventory pricing promotional and storytelling plans that reflect each channels customer economics and role in the portfolio.
• Identify and support hero products product priorities and rankings collection stories key differentiators features and benefits and other selling points required for strong digital execution.
• Serve as the senior digital merchandising subject-matter expert and advocate in cross-functional commercial decisions ensuring digital customer needs and growth opportunities are represented.
• Build and lead a high-performing digital merchandising capability including clear operating rhythms decision rights standards and performance expectations.

• Own digital inputs into line planning buying and assortment architecture in close partnership with Merchandising and Planning.
• Use customer behavior search demand reviews returns conversion marketplace signals trend data and channel performance to identify product opportunities attribute needs assortment gaps and underperforming categories.
• Develop clear product briefs and business cases for digital-first or digital-exclusive products bundles sets colorways sizes and price points.
• Partner on ideation and commercialization of collaborations licensed activations limited drops and culturally relevant moments with assortments and launch mechanics tailored by digital channel.
• Close the feedback loop by translating digital results and customer insights into actionable recommendations for future line plans buys product development and lifecycle decisions.

• Lead site merchandising across and including navigation taxonomy collection and category architecture product sequencing search filters recommendations cross-sells and onsite storytelling.
• Develop seasonal and weekly merchandising plans that connect commercial priorities inventory positions customer missions brand stories and marketing moments across the full customer journey.
• Partner with Creative Brand Marketing CRM and Performance Marketing to translate product stories into compelling landing pages product detail pages campaign destinations and personalized experiences.
• Build and prioritize a continuous test-and-learn roadmap for navigation search sorting product discovery presentation content and promotional experiences.
• Use digital analytics qualitative insights and testing results to improve conversion engagement average order value units per transaction attachment and product sell-through.

• Shape marketplace and social commerce assortment strategies based on channel-specific customers demand economics operational requirements and brand positioning.
• Partner with Marketplace Merchandising and Planning teams on item setup launch readiness content pricing inventory depth replenishment and promotional participation.
• Identify marketplace-exclusive early-access bundle and test opportunities that expand reach without creating unnecessary channel conflict or eroding brand equity.
• Apply learnings from Marketplaces and TikTok Shop to enterprise product and assortment decisions while maintaining a differentiated role for each channel.

• Partner closely with Planning to establish channel-level sales margin inventory demand and sell-through plans and translate them into actionable weekly trading priorities.
• Inform allocation replenishment and inventory deployment decisions across digital channels including optimization of distributed order management and omnichannel fulfillment capabilities.
• Provide feedback on promotional strategies and calendars that balance revenue margin inventory productivity customer expectations and channel differentiation.
• Lead recurring digital trading reviews identify risks and opportunities and drive timely actions across merchandising marketing content pricing promotion and inventory.
• Partner with Planning and Finance to forecast the impact of key launches collaborations promotions markdowns and assortment changes.

• Establish and maintain a single reliable source of truth for digital product priorities and execution including real-time inventory launch dates collection and campaign associations channel availability pricing promotional eligibility content readiness and lifecycle status.
• Own the consolidated digital merchandising calendar and ensure launch dates product stories inventory content site experiences marketing and marketplace execution remain aligned.
• Create scalable product education and handoff processes so channel teams understand the customer need material story use occasion features benefits and reasons to believe behind priority products.
• Improve workflows tools governance and cross-functional operating rhythms to increase speed accuracy visibility and accountability from line planning through in-season optimization.

• Serve as the connective tissue between Digital Commerce Merchandising Planning and Brand Marketing.
• Build trusted relationships and influence decisions through customer insight commercial judgment data and a clear point of view.
• Clarify recommendations tradeoffs decisions owners and timing across complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Operate with urgency curiosity accountability and a strong bias toward action and continuous improvement.

• Bachelors degree in Merchandising Business Marketing Retail or a related field preferred.
• 8 years of progressive experience in merchandising buying product strategy digital merchandising e-commerce or omnichannel retail including meaningful leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated success driving assortment strategy line planning inputs product lifecycle decisions inventory promotions and in-season trading for a consumer brand or retailer in ecommerce.
• Strong e-commerce merchandising expertise across site navigation taxonomy search sorting category and collection pages product detail pages onsite storytelling personalization and conversion optimization.
• Experience developing or briefing new products exclusives bundles collaborations licensed activations or limited-edition assortments.
• Experience partnering closely with merchandise planning and allocation teams on forecasts buys inventory productivity replenishment markdowns and promotional strategy.
• Experience with Amazon and at least one additional marketplace or social commerce platform; familiarity with platform-specific assortment content pricing inventory and promotional requirements.
• Experience in fashion accessories bags lifestyle footwear consumer products or another high-SKU seasonally driven omnichannel environment strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen including fluency in sales margin conversion AOV UPT sell-through weeks of supply inventory turns markdown rate and forecast accuracy.
• Experience with Shopify or a comparable commerce platform product information and merchandising tools digital analytics site search personalization experimentation and marketplace platforms preferred.

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge skills and/or abilities required to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Experienced merchant with strong product taste customer empathy and commercial instincts.
• Able to move fluidly between enterprise product strategy channel planning and detailed digital execution.
• Strong strategic thinking paired with a hands-on action-oriented operating style.
• Excellent analytical problem-solving and financial decision-making capabilities.
• Exceptional communication storytelling influencing and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Comfortable challenging assumptions and making clear recommendations in a matrixed organization.
• Highly organized detail-oriented and capable of managing multiple seasonal and in-season priorities.
• Curious adaptable and energized by transformation innovation and building new capabilities.

The physical demands described here are representative of those an individual must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Remote eligible or based in Fort Wayne Indiana or New York City.
• Up to 20% travel to Fort Wayne and other business locations as needed.

We are proud of the competitive and comprehensive compensation and benefit package provided to our associates and their families. Our compensation package is designed to meet our associates today and help them plan for the future.

Health Benefits

Vera Bradley offers a variety of medical dental and vision programs to meet your familys health care needs.

• Medical plan options including both a HDHP/HSA plan and a PPO plan

• Dental

• Vision

• Flexible spending accounts

Survivor Benefits

Life insurance provides peace of mind for your family should the unexpected happen.

• Employer provided 2X your salary in life insurance

• Accidental Death and Disability insurance

• Voluntary life insurance for you your spouse and your children

Income Protection

If you are unable to work due to illness or injury Vera Bradley provides several programs to protect your income at no cost to you.

• Short-term disability

• Long-term disability

Retirement Plan

The Vera Bradley 401k plan helps you accumulate savings for retirement

• 401k with generous company match immediate vesting (age and service requirement)

• Strong line up of professionally managed funds

• Safe-harbor plan design

Paid Time Off

Enjoy generous time off programs.

• Earn up to 3 weeks of paid time off in your first year of employment with opportunity to earn more

• 9 paid holidays a year

• Paid bereavement leave

Give Back Opportunities

Vera Bradley offers the opportunity to serve your community.

• Voluntary Time Off

Holistic Wellness

• Access to a variety of financial physical and mental wellness experts

• Employee Assistance Program with access to work/life wellness support including no cost unlimited telephonic counseling services

• Opportunities for leadership development skill development and career advancement

Product Discount

• Generous employee discount on Vera Bradley products

Ancillary Benefits and Programs

• Bonus opportunity identity protection legal services pet insurance cell phone discount employee referral bonus annual birthday gift DailyPay corporate fitness facility and individual policies through Aflac

Equal Opportunity Employer/Vets/Disabled

Vera Bradley is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Affirmative Action Employer.

Vera Bradley provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race color religion age sex national origin disability status genetics protected veteran status sexual orientation gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment including recruiting hiring placement promotion termination layoff recall transfer leaves of absence compensation and training.

For more information please click the following links:

Vera Bradleys Equal Employment and Affirmative Action Policy

Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal (in English)

Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal (in Spanish)

Pay Transparency (in English)

Pay Transparency (in Spanish)

E-Verify Participation Poster

Right to Work Poster (English)

Right to Work Poster (Spanish)

California Privacy Notice

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment application process please send an e-mail to . Please include the accommodation you are requesting and your contact information. Reasonable accommodations are considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation and other EEO/Affirmative Action issues will be responded to from this e-mail address.

Our intention is to fill this opening within 30 days of the original posting date and applications will be accepted on an on-going basis until the position is filled.

Base Pay Range:

$140400.00

to

$193050.00

Vera Bradleys compensation ranges are based on market data and comply with all local state and federal regulations. Individual pay within the listed range depends on work location skills experience and relevant education. The posted salary reflects base pay only and excludes bonuses equity or other incentives if applicable.