Merchandising Operations Manager

About Grove Collaborative

Grove Collaborative is dedicated to sustainability, crafting household and personal care essentials that blend effectiveness, elegant design, and health benefits for both people and the environment. As a certified B Corp and plastic-neutral enterprise, Grove aims to revolutionize the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector for the better.

Role Overview

The Merchandising Operations Manager will play a crucial role in transforming Grove's merchandising workflow by replacing labor-intensive manual processes with innovative automation solutions. This role emphasizes hands-on creation and implementation of automation tools, especially leveraging AI technology, to streamline and improve merchandising operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyze and document the current merchandising workflows based on real practices rather than organizational charts.
• Redesign essential merchandising processes for improved speed, accuracy, and margin protection, covering assortment planning, item setup, pricing, markdowns, vendor and purchase order management, allocation, and replenishment.
• Manage the calendar coordinating marketing campaigns with inventory to ensure product availability aligns with promotional launches.
• Convert marketing activations into actionable purchasing, allocation, and replenishment directives, proactively identifying stock risks.
• Oversee vendor commitments related to campaigns, including fill rates, lead times, and launch quantities.
• Create self-service tools and proactive notifications to optimize buyer-vendor relationships and enhance visibility into vendor performance.
• Personally develop automation systems utilizing AI tools like Claude, low-code/no-code platforms, and lightweight automation from concept through deployment.
• Lead pilot projects by defining scope, building solutions, testing accuracy, validating suitability, and scaling implementations while maintaining human oversight on critical margin and inventory decisions.
• Maintain thorough records of approved tools and active automations to ensure transparency and clarity about existing systems.
• Manage change adoption efforts including training, AI literacy for non-technical users, support sessions, and developing a network of power users.
• Generate reports on process efficiency and automation outcomes to guide ongoing prioritization of development efforts.

Candidate Profile

• Strong expertise in retail merchandising operations with hands-on experience.
• Proven ability to identify and redesign flawed processes rather than merely diagnosing issues.
• Basic technical skills coupled with a proactive approach to building automation solutions; engineering background not required.
• Adept at collaborating with specialized teams as mentors while taking ownership of building solutions.
• Experience managing pilot projects from ideation through to user adoption and operational use.
• Commitment to foundational practices including documentation, standard operating procedures, registries, and training to establish lasting systems.
• Analytical thinker focused on workflow optimizations and root cause analyses over addressing individual support tickets.
• Discerns which processes merit automation versus those better handled manually.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing tools with AI platforms like Claude that are actively utilized by non-technical teams.
• Familiarity with integrating marketing or demand planning processes with inventory management and allocations.
• Track record of creating self-service solutions that significantly reduce manual interactions between buyers and vendors.
• Background in retail, CPG, or commerce sectors with deep knowledge of vendor and marketplace dynamics.

Compensation and Benefits

• This permanent, full-time role is remote, available to candidates residing in specified states including Texas and several others.
• Competitive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Equity opportunities reflecting shared success.
• Flexible paid time off focused on results rather than hours.
• Free VIP membership and a 50% employee discount on products.
• Employment with a mission-driven company committed to environmental impact and sustainable production.

Additional Details

The salary band ranges between 135000 and 165000 USD per year, calibrated according to geographic cost of living and experience level. The role also includes eligibility for annual incentives and equity awards.

Grove Collaborative Holdings, Inc. is publicly traded and recognized for offering eco-friendly products that meet high health, sustainability, and performance standards, reinforcing its commitment as a B Corp and Public Benefit Corporation.

Grove is an equal opportunity employer promoting diversity and inclusion. Reasonable accommodations are provided throughout the hiring process upon request.