Job Details

Sr. Manager, Merchandising & Vendor Strategy

Position Number: 7059207
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Position Type: Business - Marketing and Sales

Sr. Manager, Merchandising & Vendor Strategy

Job Summary

The Sr. Manager, Merchandising & Vendor Strategy leads category planning for the buying team, overseeing vendor coordination and assortment governance across retail product categories. This role translates strategic priorities into structured category plans, ensures consistency across product assortments, and drives cross-functional collaboration with merchandising, inventory planning, marketing, and eCommerce teams. The position reports to the Associate Director of Brand Merchandising & Integrated Commerce.

This role is focused on strategic planning, coordination, and governance, rather than transactional buying or independent purchasing authority.

Why Work at the University Campus Store?
Employees at the University of Utah Campus Store enjoy a wide range of benefits that support both personal and professional well-being. These include:
Employee discounts on Campus Store merchandise
Opportunities for career growth and advancement within the store
Flexible scheduling opportunities.

The Campus Store is consistently ranked among the top 15 institutionally run stores in the nation and proudly serves over 40,000 students, faculty and staff, along with millions of visitors each year. Learn more about our mission and values here www.store.utah.edu

Learn more about the great benefits of working for University of Utah: benefits.utah.edu

Responsibilities
Lead category planning across all product areas, ensuring all categories have documented seasonal and annual plans aligned with institutional priorities and financial targets
Own assortment governance and SKU strategy, including SKU rationalization, optimized assortment structure, and consistent lifecycle management (new, active, clearance, discontinued)
Establish and manage category frameworks, including pricing guidelines, margin targets (for leadership approval), assortment architecture, and product mix strategies
Oversee vendor and licensing coordination, ensuring vendor performance meets expectations and all licensing and trademark requirements are enforced
Lead cross-functional alignment to ensure merchandising, inventory planning, marketing, and eCommerce teams operate from unified category plans and timelines
Partner with the Manager, Inventory Planning & Analytics to align assortment plans with forecasting and open-to-buy constraints, proactively addressing inventory risks
Direct product development and launch timelines, ensuring cross-functional readiness and early identification and mitigation of risks or delays
Monitor category performance at a portfolio level, reviewing sales, sell-through, and inventory health while identifying trends and recommending adjustments
Lead and develop Category Buyers by setting priorities, coaching on analysis and decision-making, and ensuring consistent use of tools and metrics
Own merchandising process governance by maintaining documented standard operating procedures and ensuring adherence to approved frameworks and workflows

Minimum Qualifications
EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT: 1 year of higher education can be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience (Example: bachelor's degree = 4 years of directly related work experience).
Manager, Inventory Control Management: Requires a bachelor's (or equivalency) + 6 years or a master's (or equivalency) + 4 years of directly related work experience.

Preferences
Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience in merchandising strategy, vendor coordination, or category planning.
Strong organizational, analytical, and communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple categories and cross-functional priorities.
Experience working within institutional, regulated, or policy-driven environments preferred.
Familiarity with ERP systems and merchandising tools (NetSuite preferred).

Special Instructions

Requisition Number: PRN44661B
Full Time or Part Time? Full Time
Work Schedule Summary: M-F, 8a-5p, some weekends, holidays and late nights.
Department: 00435 - University Campus Store
Location: Campus
Pay Rate Range: $80,000 - $90,000 DOE
Close Date: 7/6/2026
Open Until Filled:

To apply, visit https://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/199681