Director of Merchandising and Planning - Brilliant Earth, Denver

Brilliant Earth is one of the fastest growing ecommerce jewelers in the world, and the leader in ethical origin fine jewelry. Founded in 2005, we have been featured in Newsweek, Glamour, the Today Show, and Martha Stewart among many other media outlets. We are a team of dedicated individuals with a common goal of creating a more sustainable, transparent, and compassionate jewelry industry.

We are searching for bright and passionate people who are excited to make an impact from day one and grow with the company to take on greater responsibility over time. We are hard-working team players that welcome challenges and rise to any occasion. Our community of collaboration, respect and encouragement is fostered by frequent team events, cross-departmental meetings and celebrating our wins, big and small. Brilliant Earth team members bring a top-notch attitude and a willingness to help each other grow.  Everyone at Brilliant Earth has a voice – we want to hear yours! If you are interested in growing with Brilliant Earth, send us a resume and cover letter letting us know why you are interested in joining our mission and our team. Please include a sentence about your favorite shape of diamond.

About the role:  

As the Director of Merchandising and Planning, you will aid in the creation and execution of Brilliant Earth’s merchandising and inventory planning strategy and partner across the organization to bring it to life while delivering against financial targets. You will lead and manage the merchandising and inventory planning team.

The ideal candidate will have a background in merchandising, buying and/or category management, with knowledge of jewelry or ecommerce, and/or innovative retail experience. Passionate about people, product and leveraging data to make decisions, this strategic thinker with a strong analytical background must align with Brilliant Earth’s core values and be adept at leading high performing teams.

This role is based in Denver, CO and will report to the SVP of Merchandising & Retail Expansion. 

What you’ll do:

• Build and lead Brilliant Earth’s merchandising and inventory planning functions ensuring the right people, processes, and tools are in place to support business growth and profitability and data driven decision making.
• Manage all aspects of the merchandising function including product assortment, pricing and promotional strategy/execution, reporting and analysis, etc.
• Oversee the development, execution and communication of merchandising plans and strategies. Manage the financial success of each category by meeting sales, gross margin and inventory productivity goals. 
• Continually research and explore new trends in the market to develop innovative merchandising strategies and assortment opportunities.  Conduct store visits and online comp shopping and study the competition in terms of product offering, pricing, distribution and in-store/online presentation to identify opportunities for improvement. 
• Partner with Product Development/Design team to ensure Brilliant Earth offers a compelling assortment of products that meets customer needs, demonstrates design leadership and optimizes productivity.
• Oversee the reporting and analysis of historical data and current trends by category, sub-category, SKU and attribute to identify opportunities and risks within each category, and partner with team to implement actions to address. 
• Oversee price optimization initiatives, including recurring price reviews, price testing and markdowns.  Support in implementing new tools and models to make data-driven decisions around pricing. 
• Responsible for overseeing the forecasting process for all categories.  Partner with Inventory Planner and Inventory and Buying teams to set assortment targets, optimize inventory levels, and re-forecast on a recurring basis to meet financial goals. 
• Oversee visual merchandising to determine the most effective placement of key product categories.
• Partner with Marketing team to ensure products are represented in optimal manner on website and other marketing channels to highlight trend, showcase design leadership and optimize sell-through.   
• Hire, train and mentor direct reports to develop skills and support their career aspirations. 
• Create and foster a collaborative, innovative, and results-oriented team culture.

You’re a great fit if you have:

• Bachelor’s degree; MBA is a plus
• 10+ years of experience in a merchandising, buying, or category management capacity working for an innovative retailer or ecommerce company
• Working knowledge of demand forecasting, retail merchandise planning, inventory management best practices and inventory systems
• Experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment requiring new process creation, process improvement, task prioritization, and strategic project management 
• Experience leading or building a merchandising team and function
• Track record of driving business insights, actions, and accountability across organizations
• Proven ability to develop effective working relationships with cross functional partners and influence and drive results cross functionally in a way that enriches the company's culture and overall team performance
• Robust strategic and analytical abilities
• Passion for data driven decision making
• Knowledge of jewelry is a plus
• Excellent written and verbal communication, presentation and problem-solving skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel

Please note that the recruiting and onboarding process may be delayed for this position. We appreciate your flexibility and understanding as we continue to evaluate the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation. View our most recent COVID-19 related updates here. 

Brilliant Earth offers a competitive, robust benefits package. As a full-time Brilliant Earth employee, you can choose to enroll in medical, dental and vision insurance plans, 401(k) plan with matching contribution, and commuter benefits. We offer paid parental leave, an open PTO policy, and an employee discount on our products. Employees of Brilliant Earth have access to an Employee Assistance Program which includes mental health counseling, and can participate in regular wellness events led by the culture team.

Brilliant Earth recognizes the value of diversity and inclusion on our team, as we work together to reinvent fine jewelry in a thoughtful and modern way. At Brilliant Earth, we celebrate each other – our successes, the lessons along the way, and the unique perspectives each individual brings to our team. It is our intent to maintain a work environment and hiring process which is free of harassment or discrimination because of sex, race, religion, color, national origin, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, military service, veteran status, or any other status protected by Federal, State or local laws. We are committed to complying with all Federal, State and local laws providing Equal Employment Opportunities, and all other employment laws and regulations.