Merchant

Summary of Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Reporting to the Director of Merchandising, the Merchant position will drive the merchandising and planning strategy for Gurney’s Seed and Nursery brand through all channels including print, e-commerce, social and search maximizing sales and profit. This will be done through line/new product development and pricing strategy, as well as synergistic partnering with demand planning, purchasing and inventory partners as it relates to merchandising for the Gurney’s Seed and Nursery.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and execute a five-year assortment plan utilizing SKU rationalization to maintain optimum number of SKU’s per category.
• Develop and communicate a line plan by variety and marketing channel synergized with five -year plan and forecasts.
• Identify new product and category opportunities through customer surveys/research, competitive analysis, competitive shopping as well as relationships with universities, industry leaders, vendors, and internal R&D with a particular focus on exclusive varieties/items.
• Provide a yearly product competitive and pricing analysis including margin forecast with an eye toward maximizing profits and year over year margin growth.
• A SME (Subject Matter Expert) for vegetables, fruits, trees/shrubs (seed and state of dormancy) for categories ensuring all content offered in all channels is up-to-date and accurate and assisting customer service with horticulture direction as needed.
• Synergize with purchasing to ensure a smooth, seamless buying experience for customers.
• Synergize with Demand Planning to ensure initial forecasts and in-season inventory is balanced, maximizing sales, and minimizing write-offs.
• An advocate for the customer; keeping up to date on and resolving quality issues though refund reports and customer reviews. As well as working with customer service to resolve product challenges.

Qualifications

· Bachelor’s degree in a related field or relevant experience

· Willingness to take initiative and exercise independent judgement

· Aptitude for critical thinking

· Strong communication skills, both written and verbal

· Excellent computer skills; proficient in MS Office

· Exemplary interpersonal skills and ability to work well within a team environment

· Comprehensive knowledge of horticultural products with an emphasis on quality

· Previous buying experience strongly preferred, or ability to demonstrate comparable knowledge and skill

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

COVID-19 considerations:
Continue to maintain CDC guidelines including personal protective equipment & social distancing guidelines. Sanitizing, disinfecting and cleaning procedures in place.

Application Question(s):

• Please describe your Horticulture background and or knowledge.

Education:

• Bachelor's (Preferred)

Experience:

• Merchandising: 2 years (Preferred)

Work Location:

• One location

Work Remotely:

• Temporarily due to COVID-19

Work Location: One location