Divisional Merchandising Manager - Women's Apparel

Role overview

REI is hiring a Divisional Merchandising Manager for Women’s Apparel to shape and lead the merchandising function for a business generating between $500M and more than $1B in annual company sales. In this role, you will partner with the Vice President / General Merchandise Manager to define multi-season product direction and specialty shop business plans that support enterprise priorities. You will also work closely with the Director of Planning to guide specialty shop operations and keep business plans on track.

The position calls for strong vendor partnerships, with a focus on shared goals around customer growth, sales performance, profitability, and brand positioning. You will also set the seasonal merchandising vision and help influence go-to-market planning by collaborating across divisions so that product stories are presented in a unified and compelling way to customers.

Key responsibilities

• Own annual strategic planning to deliver membership, financial, impact, and customer objectives, including specialty shop and new category plans.
• Bring cross-divisional teams and vendor strategies into alignment with merchandising, marketing, and customer goals across the business.
• Define and steer assortment strategy so it supports profit, sales growth, and the broader merchandising direction.
• Review business performance and market movements, then adapt plans to improve immediate results and long-term direction.
• Lead seasonal hindsight analysis and trend spotting to shape future product and activity decisions.
• Work with Planning and Replenishment teams to establish financial targets and maintain control over planning, margin, and inventory results.
• Improve merchandising processes to increase operational efficiency and strengthen cross-team execution.
• Coordinate with Marketing, Digital, Visual Merchandising, Retail, and Co-op Brands to ensure consistent omni-channel product planning and execution.
• As part of the Leadership Forum, understand company strategies deeply, communicate them clearly, and help build broad alignment around the product vision.
• Clarify team priorities and working practices so the organization stays confident, collaborative, and focused on results.
• Motivate teams to stretch toward stronger business outcomes.
• Lead development, coaching, and staffing decisions for both direct and indirect reports.

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of merchandising management experience, including general management, assortment planning, financial planning, inventory management, and product development.
• At least 3 years of experience managing multi-million-dollar merchandising plans in an organization with annual sales above $500M.
• At least 5 years of people management experience.
• Strong track record in building and executing annual merchandising strategies and business plans across national and regional markets.
• Working knowledge of retail, manufacturing, and distribution processes, with experience in multi-channel retail.
• Ability to apply business principles from multiple disciplines to drive change and outcomes in cross-functional work.
• Solid negotiation skills and the ability to build lasting relationships.
• Progressive responsibility in managing business operations for large multi-unit organizations.
• Ability to develop people and teams through communication, supervision, and active involvement.
• Ability to foster a collaborative, high-trust work environment where people can do their best work.
• Sound judgment in organization and people decisions aligned with REI’s values and ethics.

Additional information

REI states that the outdoors is for everyone and that the company is working toward becoming a fully inclusive, anti-racist, multicultural organization. Employees are expected to help drive positive change, encourage respect, and contribute to a workplace where different perspectives are valued and active listening is part of the culture.

Pay transparency

Compensation is determined in accordance with applicable pay transparency laws and may vary based on skills, experience, geographic location, and other relevant factors. The posted pay range for this role is $140,300 to $238,600 per year.

Benefits

Regular employees are eligible for a generous employee discount, health benefits, a retirement savings plan, and accrued time off. A detailed overview of benefits is available by employee profile.