Director of Merchandising, Women's Apparel

Our Heritage:
An American Original Since 1977

Founded on the Upper East Side of New York City by brothers Jay and Kevin McLaughlin, J.McLaughlin was built on a simple idea: great style feels personal. From a single neighborhood shop to nearly 200 stores nationwide, we have always believed in being local and loyal—to our customers, our communities, and one another. Today, nearly 1,000 employees bring the brand to life across the country, from Maine to Maui.

For over 20 years, our corporate home has been in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where creativity, craftsmanship, and collaboration continue to shape our next chapter

Giving back is part of who we are. We support the communities we serve through local partnerships, charitable initiatives, and a belief that businesses should leave places better than they found them.

We are seeking a Director of Merchandising, Women’s Apparel to join our Merchandising Team, reporting to the Head of Merchandising. This role is responsible for defining and executing merchandising strategies across multiple apparel product categories, driving profitable growth while preserving the integrity of the J.McLaughlin brand.

This position is primarily based in our Greenpoint, Brooklyn office and follows a hybrid schedule, dependent on role and business needs.

• Develop and execute merchandising strategies across women’s apparel categories to achieve sales, margin, inventory, and market share objectives.
• Define seasonal assortment architecture, including category roles, SKU productivity targets, pricing strategies, and inventory investments.
• Establish product category strategies across core, seasonal, and fashion classifications.
• Identify market whitespace opportunities, emerging customer trends, and competitive opportunities to drive growth.
• Evaluate customer needs and buying behaviors to inform future product investments.
• Lead assortment planning decisions that balance customer demand, financial objectives, and brand positioning.
• Maintain deep understanding of the competitive landscape across premium apparel, lifestyle, and specialty retail sectors.
• Conduct regular store visits, customer observations, and competitive shopping.
• Analyze customer feedback, industry trends, and performance data to guide strategic decisions.

• Own category performance and accountability for:
  Net Sales, Gross Margin Dollars, Gross Margin %, Initial Markup (IMU), Inventory Turn, Sell-Through, Inventory Productivity
• Partner with Planning to establish seasonal sales forecasts and inventory strategies.
• Drive disciplined open-to-buy management and investment decisions.
• Monitor business performance and proactively identify risks and opportunities.
• Recommend pricing, promotional, markdown, and inventory actions to maximize profitability.

• Partner with Design to align product development against category strategies and customer demand.
• Collaborate with Sourcing to balance quality, cost, margin, and speed-to-market objectives.
• Drive lifecycle decisions including:
  • Product introduction
  • Replenishment strategy
  • Chase opportunities
  • Markdown optimization
  • Exit strategies
• Lead seasonal hindsight reviews to improve future assortment decisions.

• Partner with Stores, E-Commerce, Marketing, and Visual Merchandising to optimize product performance across channels.
• Ensure assortments support both digital and brick-and-mortar growth objectives.
• Evaluate regional, climate, store volume, and customer segmentation opportunities.
• Guide presentation strategies that maximize productivity across varied store footprints and formats.
• Partner with Marketing to develop clear and compelling product stories and seasonal campaigns.

• Lead alignment across Design, Product Development, Planning, Sourcing, Marketing, Visual Merchandising, and Retail Operations.
• Drive clarity around priorities and business objectives.
• Facilitate productive and decisive milestone meetings throughout the product development cycle.
• Resolve competing priorities while maintaining focus on the highest return opportunities.
• Provide strategic recommendations and influence executive-level decision making.
• Serve as a customer advocate within all assortment and investment discussions.

• Lead, coach, and develop merchandising managers and individual contributors.
• Build organizational capabilities and succession…