Vp, Merchandising, Skincare

Job ID: 258603
Location Name: CA-FSC SF Off (0174)
Address: 350 Mission St, 20th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105, United States (US)
Job Type: Full Time
Position Type (Regular/Temporary): Regular
Job Function: Merchandising
Is This Position Eligible for Remote? : Hybrid Schedule

Our Skincare Merchandising team is constantly building brands, starting trends, and developing entirely new product categories. These experts roll up their sleeves and advise our brands on the best way to bring our clients what they crave—and what they will be craving soon. Our product pipeline is so robust and exciting that many of the items that will be most in-demand in our stores next year don’t even exist yet. And our merchants don’t stop at selection—they bring the assortment to life through breakthrough curation and storytelling across our stores and digital properties. The VP, Skincare Merchandising is responsible for 160 Global Brands, 150 Clinical brands as well as the Sephora at Kohl’s Skincare Merchandising business. Direct reports for this role include:

• Director, Skincare Merchandising
• Senior Merchant Skincare Merchandising
• Senior Merchant, Skincare for Kohl’s (dotted line)
• Merchant, Skincare

Responsibilities:

• Serve as a strategic partner to our Skincare Brands - drive the Skincare Business
  • Lead the team in sourcing and developing new brands that fill an important need gap within the skincare category
  • Incubate new brands and provide guidance on brand positioning, strategy, marketing, and product pipeline
  • Develop and execute overall strategy for growth including activations, launches, animations, etc. with internal partners
  • Develop and maintain strong brand relationships and manage terms negotiations inclusive of margin, testers/damages, training support, co-op, RTVs, samples, etc.

• Drive the business by meeting and exceeding financial targets
  • Set and communicate financial goals to merchants and planners
  • Partner with them in devising seasonal and yearly strategies to attain said goals
  • Review and adjust financial plans with merchants and planners on a weekly, monthly and seasonal basis to meet required corporate results

• Serve a leader on the U.S. Merchandising Team
  • Be a critical member of the Leadership team executing elements of the Merchandising three-year strategic plan including priorities beyond the category

• Drive Innovation and Ignite New Thinking
  • Be an advocate with the brand community to drive change that will drive improved sales for Sephora. For example, improved sustainability practices, give backs, or speed to market.
  • Be a critical partner to the Global Merchandising team as they deploy and grow the category in regions beyond the US

• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional partners in our Store Organization, Marketing & Digital Teams
  • Demonstrate strong communication skills and effectively cascade direction to team members to efficiently & effectively execute initiatives
  • Communicate brand and business opportunities to stores
  • Create instore strategies to maximize client experience and sales productivity
  • Communicate brand training needs to brands and education team

Requirements

• Proven Leader
  • Strong leadership experience with ability to identify, hire, & retain world class talent.
  • Strong partnership & collaboration skills, including communicating strong vision and operating with integrity & respect with all internal & external business partners.
• Merchandising Experience
  • At least 10 years of buying experience, including 5 years at a management level in a retail environment.
  • Strong business acumen with an ability to run a profitable business in a growth environment with an understanding, not just what is in demand now, but what’s next
  • Track record for identifying and incubating brands
  • Proven expertise in driving long-term success by being a student of the business, market, and client and how to optimize through dotcom and instore channels.
• Skincare Expertise
  • Expertise in beauty, specifically the skincare category, is a plus.
• Brand Partnership
  • Prior brand management /GM experience is a plus
  • Passion for establishing and nurturing brand relationships
• Demonstrates the following competencies: Helps Others Grow, Drives Results, Client Focus, Agility and Manages Ambiguity, Collaborates, Strategic Vision, Engages & Inspires
• Ability to travel

You’ll love working here because:

• The people. You will be surrounded by some of the most talented, supportive, smart, and kind leaders and teams – people you can be proud to work with.
• The product. Employees enjoy a product discount and receive free product (“gratis”) various times throughout the year. (Think your friends and family love you now? Just wait until you work at Sephora!)
• The business. It feels good to win – and Sephora is a leader in the retail industry, defining experiential retail with a digital focus and creating the most loved beauty community in the world…with the awards and accolades to back it up.
• The perks. Sephora offers comprehensive medical benefits, generous vacation/holiday time off, commuter benefits, and “Summer Fridays” (half-days every Friday between Memorial and Labor Day)…and so much more.
• The LVMH family. Sephora’s parent company, LVMH, is one of the largest luxury groups in the world, providing support to over 70 brands such as Louis Vuitton, Celine, Marc Jacobs, and Dior.

Working at Sephora’s Field Support Center (FSC)

Our North American operations are based in the heart of San Francisco’s Financial District, but you won’t hear us call it a headquarters – it’s the Field Support Center (FSC). At the FSC, we support our stores in providing the best possible experience for every client. Dedicated teams cater to our client’s every need by creating covetable assortments, curated content, compelling storytelling, thoughtful strategy, resourceful analysis, expert training, and more. It takes a lot of curious and confident individuals, disrupting the status quo and taking chances. The pace is fast, the fun is furious, and the passion is real. We never rest on our laurels. Our motto? If it’s not broken, fix it.

Sephora is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, military/veteran status, or disability status. Sephora is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with physical and mental disabilities.