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Job Shift: Day (1st shift)

Job Identification: 53254

Job Category: Merchandising

Job Schedule: Full time

Hybrid

The Director of Growth Initiatives, Merchandising Retail is a senior retail leader responsible for driving profitable sales growth, market differentiation, and exceptional in-store experiences across a defined portfolio of strategic growth initiatives. This role combines deep merchandising expertise with program management leadership to deliver results across a multi-unit retail environment.

The Director manages and scales innovative in-store partnership programs including strategy development, partner selection, relationship management, operational integration, and rollout across the chain. They must exhibit creativity, strategic thinking, and flexibility in developing market-leading selling strategies, and be able to inspire and coach others to deliver outstanding business results.

In addition, this leader must possess expert-level buying, merchandising, and negotiation skills to ensure product-based growth initiatives meet the company’s Sales and EBITDA goals

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Key Responsibilities

Program Management

• Lead the development and execution of strategic in-store partnership programs, including identifying partners, negotiating agreements, and managing ongoing relationships.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, Store Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance to ensure flawless launch and execution of partner initiatives.

• Establish performance metrics, KPIs, and dashboards to measure program impact and inform strategic decisions.

• Help design operational playbooks and scaling strategies to roll out partnership concepts across the retail network.

• Serve as a visible leader and advocate for partner programs across the enterprise, ensuring alignment with corporate priorities and customer needs.

Merchandising Management

• Develop and execute customer-centric merchandising strategies that drive sales, margin, and inventory productivity across assigned product lines.

• Lead assortment planning, vendor selection, negotiation, pricing, and promotional strategies.

• Oversee financial planning, demand forecasting, and supply chain optimization to achieve inventory turnover and profitability targets.

• Inspire, mentor, and develop a team of merchants, planners, and specialists to achieve business objectives and build organizational capability.

• Monitor market trends, customer behaviors, and competitive activity to inform proactive adjustments to strategy.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Champion a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and accountability.

• Provide strategic insight and communicate effectively with senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.

• Lead change management efforts related to new merchandising or partnership initiatives, ensuring alignment and adoption across the organization.

• Uphold and model ethical vendor and partner practices in all negotiations.

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Required Skills & Competencies

• Strategic Merchandising Expertise – Demonstrated ability to develop and execute assortment, pricing, and promotional strategies that deliver measurable results.

• Program/Project Management – Proven success in designing, launching, and scaling complex cross-functional initiatives.

• Vendor & Partner Negotiation – Advanced negotiation and relationship management skills with a track record of driving favorable commercial outcomes.

• Financial Acumen – Strong command of P&L management, forecasting, and financial modeling to evaluate trade-offs and investment decisions.

• Leadership & Talent Development – Ability to build, inspire, and develop diverse teams, cultivating high performance and future leaders.

• Analytical & Data-Driven Decision Making – Skilled in leveraging analytics, dashboards, and KPIs to assess performance and guide strategy.

• Change Management & Communication – Exceptional ability to influence and communicate across all levels of the organization to drive alignment and execution.

• Customer & Market Insight – Adept at interpreting customer behavior, market trends, and competitive landscapes to inform proactive strategies.

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Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Merchandising, Marketing, or related field; MBA preferred.

• 8–10+ years of progressive experience in retail merchandising, category management, or related roles, with at least 3 years in a senior leadership capacity.

• Proven track record of scaling partnership programs or multi-site initiatives in a retail environment.

• Strong financial, analytical, and project management skills.

• Excellent interpersonal, leadership, and presentation skills.

Staples is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law