Find & Apply For Merchandiser Jobs in Avon, Massachusetts

Director of Online Merchandising OliveNation — Avon, MA Position Summary The Director of Online Merchandising owns what OliveNation sells, what it sells it for, and how it is presented across every channel — carrying full accountability for assortment strategy, product costs, selling prices, margins, and the on-site merchandising that converts traffic into orders. The role combines the sourcing and negotiation discipline of a traditional merchant with the analytics and site-optimization skills of an e-commerce category leader.

Read this carefully before applying:

this is a hands-on, build-the-function role, not one managing an existing team. In Year One you personally source vendors, negotiate costs, brief the copywriter and designer, set prices, and push products live — a Director-level individual contributor who owns the strategy and executes it.

Reporting Relationships Reports to:

Chief Executive Officer Direct reports: None Partners closely with: Inventory Management, Purchasing, Marketing, Finance, Customer Service, Food Safety and Product Specifications Potential future team: subject to results and company finances, a Product Development Specialist role would be evaluated around the twelve-month mark and, if approved, report to this position. Headcount additions must follow demonstrated growth in sales and gross margin. Key Responsibilities 1. Assortment and Category Strategy Own the assortment - decide which categories OliveNation competes in, how deep each goes, and which channels each product is offered on. Build category plans around customer clusters and applications, not SKU velocity alone.

Every addition must answer:

which customer, which use case, which gap in the line, and does it cannibalize what we already carry? Launch 5 new products per month at a steady, predictable cadence — deliberately modest because you also carry pricing, margin, and site merchandising. Own the full product lifecycle from concept through maturity to phase-out — including repackaging, re-positioning, and clean discontinuation with sell-through plans that avoid write-offs and stranded inventory. Maintain the category taxonomy, navigation structure, and collections so the catalog stays shoppable as it grows. 2. Pricing, Cost and Margin Ownership Own price architecture by channel olivenation.com, Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and wholesale/commercial accounts. Set and defend gross margin targets by category. Review price, margin, and sales trend by SKU monthly and act on what the data shows. Build and maintain a working cost-and-price calculator so landed cost, freight, fees, and target margin are visible on every decision. Monitor competitor pricing continuously; price the products that set OliveNation's price perception deliberately, not formulaically. Re-negotiate costs on existing products on a regular cycle — focused on the poorest and strongest performers — and switch vendors where a better cost, quality, or lead-time outcome is available. Keep product and inbound shipping costs in the ERP accurate at all times — margin reporting is only as good as this data. Approve promotions, coupons, and discount strategies and quantify their margin impact before and after. 3. Site Merchandising and Conversion Own the on-site shopping experience — category and collection pages, on-site search relevance, filters, sort order, badging, and the seasonal/holiday merchandising calendar. Set and enforce product detail page standards: titles, imagery, copy, specifications, pack sizes, allergen and nutritional information, and review coverage. Build and maintain cross-sells, upsells, bundles, kits, and recipe/tag associations that raise average order value. Partner with Marketing on keyword strategy, product positioning, and paid and organic traffic priorities. Track and improve conversion rate, average order value, revenue per session, on-site search exit rate, and PDP-level performance. 4. Marketplace and Channel Management Own assortment, content, pricing, and listing health across marketplaces — including buy-box competitiveness and suppression — and decide which products belong on which channels and which are held back. Understand and manage channel-level economics — referral fees, fulfillment costs, advertising, and returns — so channel decisions are made on contribution, not top-line revenue. 5. Sourcing, Negotiation, Communication and Supplier Development (hands-on) Personally source new domestic and international vendors; evaluate direct import opportunities and private-label programs. Negotiate cost, payment terms, minimum order quantities, freight allowances, and exclusivity where it creates advantage. Provide rolling three-month forecasts on time, and make sure Finance pays suppliers on time. Communicate proactively so suppliers see OliveNation as a partner, not a transaction — they should never be surprised by us, nor we by them. Maintain vendor scorecards covering cost, quality, fill rate, lead time, and responsiveness. Work with the Food Safety and Product Specifications teams on documentation, labeling, and regulatory compliance for every item brought in. 6. Launch Execution (hands-on) Run each launch yourself, end to end including item setup in the ERP and on the site, costs, pack sizes, weights and dimensions, channel flags. Brief and coordinate the Copywriter, Graphic Designer, Photographer, and Marketing Analyst so content and imagery are accurate, attractive, and on time. Publish to all applicable channels with channel-appropriate titles, content, and pricing. Track each launch's first 90 and 180 days and report the success rate accurately. 7. Inventory and Availability (shared with Inventory Control) Hold out-of-stocks below 2% of active items and keep system inventory accurate within roughly 2% variance. Maintain 6-8 weeks of inventory coverage; directly imported items are the exception. Own inventory turns and return on inventory investment as merchandising metrics, not just operational ones. 8. Reporting and Building the Function Own the merchandising scorecard: net sales, gross margin ($ and %), turns, ROI, customer lifetime value, out-of-stock rate, launch count, and new-product success rate. Present a monthly business review to the CEO — what is working, what is not, and proposed changes for the following month. Document the process as you build it — sourcing criteria, launch checklist, pricing rules — so the function is transferable when headcount is added. If a Product Development Specialist is added, hire, train, and develop someone who can operate without close supervision. First Six Months — Success Metrics A documented, defensible assortment strategy with clear add/keep/kill criteria. A functioning cost-and-price calculator, and accurate landed costs in the ERP. A steady 5 per month launch cadence with no missed committed dates. Measurable movement in gross margin percent on at least two categories. A written launch process good enough to hand to a new hire.

Qualifications Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising, or a related field. MBA a plus, not required.

Experience:

7+ years in merchandising, category management, buying, or e-commerce product management. Food, specialty grocery, or CPG background strongly preferred. Prior people management is a plus, but the first year of this role is an individual-contributor role. Required skills Demonstrated ownership and success in a category P&L or margin line — not just execution against someone else's plan. Proven sourcing and negotiation track record with domestic and overseas suppliers. Excel expertise (advanced): pivot tables, lookups, cost and margin modeling, large data sets. Hands-on with an e-commerce platform (Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, or similar) and an ERP/inventory system; marketplace experience (Amazon Seller or Vendor Central, Walmart).

Analytics fluency:

GA4 or equivalent, and comfort building or reading BI dashboards (Power BI, Looker, Tableau). Superior professional written and verbal communication with vendors and internal teams. Attributes We Care About Self-starter and genuinely independent — willing to do the work personally, not just direct it; we dislike micro-managing. Aggressive and comfortable owning sales and margin growth targets. Strong attention to detail and trusted to hit deadlines — makes few mistakes and catches the ones that happen. Great collaborator across marketing, finance, inventory, and customer service; manages up well and keeps the CEO informed without being asked. Friendly, can-do attitude; learns new skills and takes on more responsibility every year.

Working Conditions Location:

Avon, MA offices. Flexible hybrid schedule available after the initial six-month ramp period.

Schedule:

Full-time, Monday through

Friday Travel:

Occasional — vendor/manufacturer visits, trade shows (Fancy Food Show, IFT), and customer research Compensation and Benefits Base salary: $110,000 plus performance incentive tied to sales and gross margin growth. Target total annual compensation is expected to be approx. $125,000-$135,000.

Retirement:

Contributions to Simple IRA after 6 months of employment

Medical:

Health Insurance expense reimbursement up to $10,000 per year Paid leave: Vacation, medical/sick days, and personal days per company policy

Probationary Period:

First 90 days of employment

Pay:

$110,000.00 - $135,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Health insurance Retirement plan Application Question(s): Are you a US citizen and authorized to work in MA?

Work Location:

In person