International Merchant - Hardware

Company: Ace Hardware
Location: Oak Brook
Posted on: May 16, 2022

Job Description:

The Job

The International Merchant - Hardware is responsible for all aspects of International assortment strategy development and execution and Private Brand Imports for assigned categories. The position collaborates with their Domestic Merchant counterparts to drive cost out savings for private brand imports and leverages volume and scale to build assortments for International. They provide leadership within the organization via a thorough understanding of our global retailers and marketplace, opportunities for Ace International retailers to grow via differentiated assortment and ability to articulate and drive an action plan to execute.

The International Merchant role is the core of driving the company's promise of delivering consumer relevant, high quality, differentiated, localized assortments to Ace and Ace International retailers at the lowest cost.

What you'll do

Strategy and International Assortment Planning
Identify opportunities to grow responsible categories in terms of sales and margin
Present plan to leadership for support and revisit throughout the year to report progress and shifts in execution
Manage category growth plan while optimizing SKU productivity
Manage highly complex categories and execution requiring cross-functional support

Category Reviews
Collaborate with domestic merchants and AGD Sourcing team to deliver cost out savings and leverage volume and scale for international
Determine category selection and goals for International assortments
Determine vendor selection and lead all negotiation and program syncs
Lead wholesale and retail assortment with Category Management
Lead merchandising and marketing aide's development
Understand and drive regional needs of category and build into category deliverables on an ongoing basis

Import Budgets and Departmental Plans
Create annual budgets for travel, defectives, show expenses, gross profit
Work with finance and risk management to analyze and lower defective rate
Support the merchants in finding items to advertise including running landed costs estimates that coincide with gross margin budgets
Work closely with AGD Sourcing team to manage above

Promotional Planning
Plan and negotiate all promotional offers to drive awareness and increase sales
Identify items, negotiate special pricing and terms, and present items to the promotions team for selection
Oversee all promotional item submission forms, target pricing

Retailer Communication
Attend retailer group meetings and targeted retail store visits
Utilize ACENET to communicate new programs, changes or issues

Convention Planning
Plan private label area theme and execution for respective category
Select vendors to attend semi-annual convention
Plan and execute all vendor programs
Plan merchant area theme and execution for respective category

Inventory/Supply Chain Support
Assist in diagnosing and resolving vendor service issues
Assist in inventory planning for promotional items

Financial Management
Manage and grow wholesale product gross profit rate
Negotiate and maintain funding or manage through gross profit based on domestic merchants' objectives

International Ace Merchant Competencies
Product Passion - Natural and fanatical curiosity around product and retail marketplace, demonstrated and put into action. Convertible to multiple categories based on changes in responsibilities.
Strategic Thinking - Ability to envision, create and present strategy to drive disruptive wholesale and/or retail growth in category sales and profit
Results-Oriented - Ability to drive results to and above plan with full accountability, proactively shifting efforts as trends and business variables change
Leadership - Demonstrated and active leadership across the organization, vendors and retailers as authority in respective category. Superior problem-solving skills.
Negotiation Skills - Superior negotiation skills with proven results leveraging company scale, business drivers and strategies
Presentation Skills - Ability to plan, assemble and present with excellence strategy, execution and updates to leadership, across the organization, vendors and retailers

What you need to succeed

Experience and Technical Requirements
International experience and/or foreign language skills are a strong plus
Regional and global brand awareness in the home maintenance industry strong plus
Sourcing experience is a plus
7+ years of business experience
3+ years managing product categories
Interest and ability to build strong working relationships across cultures
Demonstrated negotiation skills and success in growing the business
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
Excellent interpersonal skills
Strong financial and business acumen
Demonstrated strong decision-making skills
High degree of initiative, adaptability and ability to operate independently
Versatility to shift category responsibility as needed
Proven ability to multi-task projects and meet deadlines
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Proficient in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, Power Point,
Ability to travel 10-20%

We want to hear from you!
When most people think of career opportunities with Ace Hardware, they often think of the helpful cashiers and sales associates at their local store. However, have you also considered the people behind the scenes who select, promote, ship and process the invoices for more than 75,000 products? Maybe you haven't, but we'd like you to. Because together we help our customers take care of their homes. Come find out why a career with the Ace Hardware Corporation is one of America's best kept secrets.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Ace Hardware Corporation and its subsidiaries are committed to a policy of promoting equal employment opportunities. The company recognizes the importance of diversity and leveraging the skills and talents of all people to the mutual advantage of each individual and the organization. The company is committed to the prevention of employment discrimination related to race, religion, color, sex (including sexual harassment), gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, disability and military or veteran status, sexual orientation or any other action covered by federal or applicable state/local laws.

Keywords: Ace Hardware, Chicago , International Merchant - Hardware, Other , Oak Brook, Illinois