Senior Director, Merchandising

From Aisle to Algorithm and for All Life’s Moments, at David’s Bridal, we empower our customers and our employees to stay true to their dreams and find the one, whether that means the event or the wedding dress that matches a personal style—or the career that is a perfect fit. Join a company that dominates the products in their category – 1 out of 3 being sold by them and taking care of them with one of the highest customer service scores in retail!

If you are passionately enthusiastic, endlessly curious, and customer obsessed, say “I do” and apply today!

The Senior Director, Merchandising sets and owns the total merchandising vision, strategy and financial performance for the Bridal, Dress and Accessories divisions. Leading a team of four Buyers and their teams, the Senior Director translates enterprise growth objectives into a differentiated, profitable, omni-channel assortment strategy — accountable for sales, margin, inventory productivity, market share and EBITDA growth. This is a leader-of-leaders role that combines trend and brand vision, deep retail and financial acumen, and organizational leadership: building benchmark-strength teams, forging cross-functional alignment, and representing the business to senior and executive leadership.

Channel Scope: Full omni-channel accountability across six key routes to market — Bricks, Ecom, Consignment/Shop-in-Shop, Store-in-Store, Marketplace and Wholesale — with divisional strategies, assortments and economics optimized for each channel's role.

STRATEGY & GROWTH LEADERSHIP

• Set the merchandising vision. Create, own and execute the long-range plan and business strategy for Merchandising in partnership with SVP, translating enterprise growth objectives into category and channel roadmaps.
• Drive profitable growth. Develop innovative solutions to drive sales, grow market share and deliver EBITDA growth; identify white-space opportunities and build the plans to capture them.
• Own the omni-channel strategy. Define and evolve the strategy across all six channels, ensuring product, price, presentation and economics are optimized for each channel's role and margin structure.
• Read the business. Continually analyze the business to surface opportunities to increase sales and mitigate risk, pivoting strategy and investment as trend dictates.

ASSORTMENT, LINE & PRODUCT LEADERSHIP

• Direct the assortment architecture. Define and oversee a assortment architecture that achieves the target mix of fashion, quality and price and meets the varying needs and preferences of the David's Bridal customer.
• Shape the line & product. Partner with Merchants, Design and Product Development on line framework, fabrics, silhouettes and design direction; guide the sample procurement, review and selection process.
• Optimize by channel. Set assortment strategy by channel — including channel-specific and capsule offers for Marketplace, Wholesale and Shop-in-Shop partners.
• Align creative & go-to-market. Champion the seasonal creative vision with Visual, Marketing and Digital, aligning merchandise presentation, campaign messaging and go-to-market execution.

FINANCIAL OWNERSHIP & ANALYSIS

• Own the P&L. Own divisional sales, margin and EBITDA performance; partner with Planning to develop seasonal financial goals and manage in-season to meet or exceed plan.
• Partner for planning excellence. Build a strong, collaborative partnership with the VP, Planning, Demand Planning and Merch Analytics to align on financial targets, forecasts, assortment plans and inventory strategy — leveraging shared analytics and a single source of truth to drive faster, better-informed decisions.
• Direct financial strategy. Set open-to-buy, pricing and promotional strategy with Planning, pivoting as needed on business trend to protect margin and full-price sell-through.
• Scale eCommerce. Grow eCommerce sales and margin as a core divisional priority, holding teams accountable to conversion, penetration and profitability targets.
• Drive inventory productivity. In close partnership with VP, Planning, Demand Planning and Merch Analytics, ensure adherence to turn and GMROI$ benchmarks through disciplined Pareto analysis, demand-driven inventory flow, in-stock optimization, and proactive life-cycle and liquidation management across all six channels.

TEAM LEADERSHIP & DEVELOPMENT

• Build benchmark-strength teams. Lead, supervise and develop Buyers and their teams; make decisions on hiring, performance, counseling, promotion and retention.
• Develop talent. Coach and grow the next generation of merchant leaders, creating career pathways and a culture of accountability, urgency and constructive feedback.
• Forge cross-functional alignment. Build and maintain productive cross-functional partnerships with Design, Product Development, Planning, Finance, Marketing, Visual, eCommerce, Stores, the DC and external vendors.
• Represent the division. Lead buying, milestone and cross-functional meetings; provide weekly updates to Executive Leadership on business status, risks and opportunities.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Divisional sales and margin to plan; EBITDA and market-share growth; eCommerce sales, margin and penetration; GMROI$ and inventory turn; in-stock and sell-through; and team engagement, performance and retention.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's Degree required, or 10+ years of related experience and/or training, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 10+ years of increasingly responsible merchandising experience, including prior Divisional Merchandise Manager (DMM) or equivalent leadership experience.
• Demonstrated P&L ownership of a business - delivering sales, margin and EBITDA results.
• Multi-category / multi-division leadership experience across differing product and buying models.
• Experience directly managing and developing a team of Buyers, including hiring, performance management and succession.
• Omni-channel merchandising experience spanning bricks, eCommerce, marketplace and wholesale, with product development / private-label experience strongly preferred.
• Proven track record developing and executing business strategy, leading teams to results, and managing the performance and career development of leaders.
• Strong retail math, analytical and financial acumen; proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel and PowerPoint) and adept at leveraging AI tools to drive efficiency, accelerate analysis and elevate decision-making.
• Strong fashion sense and taste level, strategic and critical thinking, executive communication, and the ability to lead constructively with urgency, integrity and a relentless commitment to results.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

• Regular store visits as needed.
• Travel to domestic and international markets as needed.

Now that we’ve popped the question, please say “I do”.

Full Time Opportunity – A comprehensive benefits package is available.

• Rewarding Environment and Competitive Pay
• Generous Dream Maker Discount After First Pay Period
• Referral Incentive Program
• Dayforce Wallet – Get Paid Early!
• Health/Dental/Vision Insurance
• 401K Program
• Paid Vacation, Wellness Days & Holidays, including your Birthday off!
• Pet Benefits

Love wins when love is for Everyone!

Our mission at David’s Bridal is to embrace the ideas of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It is our goal to build a workforce that is as representative as the customers we serve. We vow to create a culture where all forms of diversity are celebrated and seen as valuable.

David’s Bridal encourages applications from all qualified candidates. David’s Bridal has a great record of accommodating persons with disabilities. Contact Human Resources at [email protected] or 610.943.5048 if you need accommodation at any stage of the application process or want more information on our accommodation policies.

Policy: Candidate Use of AI in Live Interviews

We conduct interviews to evaluate each candidate’s own knowledge, judgment, and communication. During any live interview (virtual or in-person), candidates must not use real-time generative AI tools to compose or feed their answers. Candidates may use assistive technologies (e.g., screen readers, live captions) and may request reasonable accommodation in advance.

Disclaimer: The preceding job description has been designed to highlight the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive description of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. Actual duties and responsibilities will vary. The standard base pay range for this role is posted at a minimum and maximum rate.

The starting rate of pay offered will vary based on factors including, but not limited to, position offered, location, training, and/or experience, and internal equity. This base pay range is specific to the state this role is posted in and may not be applicable to other locations. At David’s Bridal, it is rare for an individual to be hired at the high end of the range in their role, and compensation decisions are dependent upon the details and circumstances of each position and candidate.