Product Merchandiser - Opportunity to Make a Difference

Product Merchandiser - Footwear Category

Full Time, On-Site

St. Charles, MO

What can Propper offer you?

We are offering a full time, on-site Product Merchandiser position with a reasonably flexible schedule, located at our Corporate Office in St. Charles, MO. This position's salary range is determined upon education and experience. In addition to competitive wages, Propper also offers a fully comprehensive benefits package to include Health and Wellness (medical, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, etc); Paid Time Off Program with no waiting period and 8 paid Holidays; and Financial Security Benefits (401K, Life Insurance, Short/Long Term Disability (Employer paid and supplemental). Propper also offers opportunities for career advancement. It takes many departments working together to be successful.

Our focus is on our employees first. After all, without the employees, Propper would not exist. We strive for a healthy work-life balance and professional personal growth. The positive team based, down to earth culture makes Propper a place you want to come in and do great things with.

Who is Propper?

We got our start in 1967 with a contract for the U.S. Navy, manufacturing the iconic "Dixie Cup" hat worn by U.S. sailors. Over the decades, we've supplied more than 120 million garments to the U.S. Department of Defense, law enforcement agencies, and the public safety community.

You may not have heard of us, but you've seen our work.

Our heritage informs how we operate. We are a retail brand, but we still think like a contract manufacturer. Contracts aren't won by selling a particular lifestyle, telling unique stories, or appealing to emotion. They are won with features, quality, and demonstrable value. Contracts are won on the concrete.

This mentality drives every aspect of our production. Make it Work. Make it Last. Make it Real. Or don't make it at all.

How does a Propper Product Merchandiser spend their day?

The Product Merchandiser is responsible for building cohesive apparel, accessory, and bag product lines that align with top-level business strategy and offer solutions to customer's needs and wants. They will practice strong analytical and creative skills to identify white space opportunities that drive brand direction. They will exercise strong cross-functional skills among Sourcing, Product Development, Marketing, Customer Service and Sales departments in order to meet budgets, timelines, and brand mission.

This position will start with focusing on our footwear category. Analyzing our offering in terms of positioning, pricing, features and design as a collection and against our competitors, finding areas to improve our current items as well as opportunities to fill gaps with new styles. Management of the product lifecycle on all footwear styles as well as assisting sourcing and development with fit, bill of materials, and logistics insights.

Responsibilities

• Plan strategic line vision/direction through analytics, competitive research, and evolving trends
• Determine product launch timing, pricing, and marketing initiatives for new development
• Responsible for setting pricing strategy, including approval of product margin, through product life cycle
• Drive and maintain product training for key customers, sales, marketing, and customer service
• Department P&L responsibility to include budget, pricing, and product movement
• Collaborate with Marketing to ensure the product vision is executed in catalogs, content, video support, blog images and content, and provide any other backend marketing support needed.
• Identify needs for new product or updates to current product. Research market trends and propose product with level of definition to hand off to Sourcing and Product Development.
• Be the product champion from concept to PO to INDC including design, fit, branding, fabric, color, product compliance, and quality decisions while maintaining brand integrity and adhering to launch timeline.
• Continually work to research trends in fit, especially in men's and women's bottoms.
• Lead customer specific development opportunities outside of the Propper assortment to include: needs/wants, pricing restrictions, and desired timelines of customer
• Support development of new marketing materials for products including labels, hangtags, hangers, packaging, and product trim components
• Represent company for direct and indirect industry trade shows, vendor meetings, and customer appointments
• Build relationships to push brand forward

Qualifications and Education

• Bachelor degree in Business Management; or equivalent of course work and professional experience
• Minimum of 4 years consumer product merchandising/development
• Possess excellent design, analytical and planning skills
• Intermediate level of Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PPT, Word)
• Strong Organization and Time Management skills required
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• The ability to work self-sufficiently on assigned tasks
• Spirited to be use creativity to convey and try out new ideas

Equal Opportunity Employer