Company Introduction The La Jolla Group is a worldwide leader in the action sports apparel business segment with a fast paced, high-energy environment that is continually on the move. With prominent brands such as O’Neill, PSD Underwear, Mountain Khakis, Sol Angeles, and Hang Ten, La Jolla Group has proved to be a builder of great brands, a creator of innovative products, and a master of operational excellence. Our team enjoys flexibility with a hybrid schedule of in-office and remote work. We offer awesome discounts on our clothing brands, early release Fridays (2:00pm), occasional employer provided lunches, year-round fun events as well as a full benefits package! We believe our employees are our strongest asset and invest in their growth by focusing on developing their strengths. General Summary The Director of E-Commerce Buying, Merchandising & Marketplaces will lead the "Plan" Center of Excellence (CoE), and is responsible for leading the strategic planning, buying, and merchandising across the La Jolla Group's portfolio of e-commerce businesses and marketplace channels. This role ensures that each brand is supported with an optimal product assortment, data-driven inventory management, and best-in-class site merchandising to maximize conversion rates, sales, and profitability across owned e-commerce sites and third-party marketplaces. The Director combines analytical expertise with a deep understanding of consumer behavior, trend forecasting, digital merchandising best practices, and marketplace optimization strategies. Essential Job Functions Demand Forecasting & Inventory Management • Accurately forecast demand using historical data, market trends, and sales analytics to maintain optimal inventory levels across all channels including owned sites and marketplaces. • Partner closely with the Demand Planning team to ensure alignment with brand needs and avoid stockouts or overstock situations across all selling channels. • Develop channel-specific inventory allocation strategies that optimize performance across direct-to-consumer sites and marketplace platforms. Product Assortment Planning • Develop and execute data-driven product assortment strategies that reflect each brand's unique positioning and customer base across all channels. • Ensure a balanced mix of core, seasonal, and trend-driven products to drive revenue and customer engagement on owned sites and marketplaces. • Partner with the Product and Brand teams to support key seasonal launches with the right inventory depth and strategic channel placement. • Create channel-specific assortment strategies that account for marketplace requirements, audience differences, and competitive positioning. Site Merchandising Optimization • Optimize product placement, categorization, and visual merchandising on e-commerce sites to improve customer experience and conversion rates. • Work cross-functionally with UX and web development teams to enhance site navigation, search functionality, and overall usability. • Align digital merchandising strategies with seasonal trends, marketing campaigns, and consumer behavior insights. Marketplace Management & Optimization • Develop and execute comprehensive marketplace strategies across key platforms (Amazon, Target+, etc.) to expand brand reach and acquire new customers. • Optimize product listings, pricing strategies, and promotional activities specific to each marketplace platform's algorithms and best practices. • Manage marketplace-specific inventory allocation, ensuring optimal stock levels while minimizing fees and maximizing profitability. • Monitor marketplace performance metrics including search ranking, conversion rates, customer reviews, and competitive positioning. • Coordinate with marketplace account managers and utilize platform-specific advertising tools to drive visibility and sales. • Ensure brand compliance and maintain brand integrity across all marketplace touchpoints. Data-Driven Merchandising & Promotional Strategy • Leverage sales data, A/B testing, and customer insights to refine merchandising decisions and inventory allocation across all channels. • Collaborate with the Marketing and Retain teams to execute promotional strategies, including cross-sell and upsell opportunities to increase AOV and retention. • Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as sell-through rates, conversion rates, and inventory turnover across owned sites and marketplaces to make agile merchandising adjustments. • Develop channel-specific promotional calendars that optimize for each platform's promotional events and peak selling periods. New Product Launches & Seasonal Strategies • Oversee the merchandising and inventory planning for new product launches across all channels, ensuring alignment with e-commerce and marketplace promotional strategies. • Implement seasonal and trend-based merchandising strategies to drive urgency and enhance customer engagement across multiple touchpoints. • Coordinate synchronized launch strategies that leverage both owned channels and marketplace platforms for maximum impact. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Leadership • Partner with the various digital functions to access consumer insights and data that inform merchandising decisions across all channels. • Collaborate with the "Retain" team to optimize product recommendations and customer retention strategies. Work with the "Operate" team to ensure technical and UX enhancements support merchandising objectives across owned sites and marketplace integrations. • Provide leadership to the Buying, Merchandising, and Marketplace teams, fostering a high-performance culture centered on data-driven decision-making. • Manage relationships with key marketplace partners and stakeholders to ensure optimal platform performance and strategic alignment. Required Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities Knowledge: • E-commerce merchandising best practices, including product assortment planning, site merchandising, and inventory management. • Marketplace operations and optimization strategies across major platforms (Amazon, Target+, Outdoor Prolink, etc.), including platform-specific algorithms, advertising tools, and performance metrics. • Direct-to-consumer (DTC) and multi-channel retail strategies, including online, marketplace, and brick-and-mortar integrations. • Consumer behavior trends and data-driven merchandising strategies to optimize conversion and engagement across multiple channels. • Digital merchandising tools, including A/B testing, personalization, and search optimization for both owned sites and marketplaces. • Financial planning related to open-to-buy (OTB), margin optimization, and inventory forecasting across multiple selling channels. Skills: • Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret sales, inventory, and consumer data from multiple channels to inform decision-making. • Proficiency with merchandising and analytics platforms such as Shopify, Google Analytics, Lexer CDP, inventory planning tools, and marketplace management platforms (Seller Central, ExpertVoice, etc.). • Strong leadership and team development skills, with experience managing and mentoring high-performing merchandising and marketplace teams. • Excellent communication and collaboration skills to work effectively across e-commerce, product, planning, marketing, and marketplace partner teams. • Ability to forecast demand, manage inventory levels, and maximize sell-through while minimizing excess stock across multiple channels. • Strong analytical skills with experience in interpreting sales data, forecasting demand, and optimizing inventory across multiple channels. • Proficiency in A/B testing, conversion rate analysis, and digital merchandising best practices for both owned sites and marketplaces. • Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present insights, influence stakeholders, negotiate with marketplace partners, and align teams around key merchandising initiatives. Abilities: • Ability to develop and execute merchandising strategies that drive sales, optimize inventory, and enhance customer experience across owned sites and marketplaces. • Ability to think strategically while executing tactically in a fast-paced, multi-channel e-commerce environment. Ability to balance data-driven decision-making with creative merchandising and brand storytelling across diverse platform requirements. • Adaptability to evolving consumer trends, market conditions, digital innovations, and marketplace algorithm changes. • Creative problem-solving and ability to drive innovative merchandising initiatives across multiple channels. Ability to manage multiple priorities and execute tight deadlines across complex channel strategies. • Ability to partner effectively with e-commerce, demand planning, product, marketing, and marketplace partner teams to align merchandising strategies with business objectives. • Demonstrated ability to lead and develop high-performing merchandising and marketplace teams, fostering collaboration, innovation, and data-driven decision-making. • Experience working cross-functionally with planning, product, digital marketing, and marketplace partner teams. Required Education And Experience • Bachelor’s degree in related field • Minimum of 8 years’ experience in related field • Extensive experience in e-commerce buying, merchandising, and inventory planning within the apparel industry, with demonstrated success managing marketplace channels. Strong track record of driving revenue, sell-through, and optimized product assortments across multiple digital channels. • Deep understanding of e-commerce platforms (Shopify), analytics tools (Google Analytics, Lexer CDP), merchandising software, and marketplace management systems. Experience leveraging data to optimize site merchandising, product placement, promotional strategies, and marketplace performance. • Experience managing open-to-buy (OTB) budgets, margin planning, and inventory investment strategies to drive profitability across multiple selling channels, including marketplace fee structures and profitability models. • Passion for leveraging consumer insights, trend forecasting, and digital merchandising innovations to enhance the shopping experience and drive growth across all customer touchpoints. Physical Requirements Seeing: Must be able to see well enough to read reports. Hearing: Must be able to hear well enough to communicate with customers, vendors and employees. Climbing/Stooping/Kneeling: Must be able to stoop or kneel to pick up products. Lifting/Pulling/Pushing: Must be able to lift up to 10 pounds. Fingering/Grasping/Feeling: Must be able to type and use technical sources. La Jolla Group provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected classification. Equal employment opportunity includes, but is not limited to, hiring, training, promotion, demotion, transfer, leaves of absence, and termination. La Jolla Group takes allegations of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation seriously and will promptly investigate when such behavior is reported. Note: The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed, but are not to be seen as a complete list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Also, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer.