Merchandising Director

Directors of Merchandising (DM) are responsible for managing their groups to maximize sales and profits. They are the first level manager for the Category Managers (CM) and second level to Assistant Category Managers (ACM). The DMs are responsible for developing and building their group. They provide feedback and coaching to both the CMs and ACMs. The DMs set the overall direction for their group. They are responsible for building and executing the Strategic and Tactical plans for their categories.

Position Responsibilities

• Lead Category Managers to increase Sales and Profits and manage Inventory. Organize CMs to focus on business priorities. Follow-up with CMs to insure agreed goals are met. Facilitate communication to and from CMs to cascade information.
• Lead the Business planning process. Provide structure to develop strategic and tactical plans to maximize Sales and Profits. Work with CM to develop Sales, Profit and Inventory Budgets. Track business results. Adjust plans and activities to correct deficiencies and maximize opportunities. Manage Business Analysts to provide group with needed analysis and recommendations.
• Develop the Category Managers. Provide formal and informal feedback to increase CM’s skills. Conduct Annual and Mid-Year Appraisals for the CMs. Work with the CMs to develop Assistant Category Managers. Insure ACMs receive needed feedback and are developed to be future CMs.
• Work with Category Managers to select vendors. Provide leadership for negotiation of programs. Insure vendors participate with AutoZone initiatives and support company’s direction.
• Take on Special Projects as needed, examples: respond to Senior Management inquiries, solve business problems, execute new initiatives.

Education & Experience

• Level of Formal Education: A Bachelor’s degree (BA, BS) or equivalent.
• Area of Study: In business or engineering.
• Years of Experience: Five to seven years.
• Type of Experience: Experience in retail / merchandising, purchasing or manufacturing. Basic understanding of: Accounting, Manufacturing, Supply Chain. Proven Management of group or team
• Special Certifications or Technical Skills: Basic computer skills; experience with Microsoft Office and Lotus Notes preferred.
• Other/Preferred: Strong oral and written communication skills. Good interpersonal skills. The ability to work with and contribute to a team. Excellent leader, problem-solver, and priority-setter.