Associate Merchant, Sports Licensing

Overview

The Associate Merchant, Sports Licensing is responsible for supporting the merchandising strategy and execution of vineyard vines' sports licensed product businesses. Reporting to the Director, Men’s & Retail Custom, this role will help drive product assortment planning, partnership execution, and business performance across sports licensed collections and strategic relationships.

Working cross-functionally with Merchandising, Design, Product Development, Planning, Sales, Marketing, and external licensing partners, the Associate Merchant will support the development of compelling assortments that reflect the vineyard vines brand while meeting the needs of sports licensing partners. This position requires a detail-oriented merchant with strong analytical skills, product passion, and the ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced retail environment.

Sports Licensing Merchandising

• Support the development and execution of merchandising strategies for the sports licensed business.
• Assist in building seasonal assortments across apparel, accessories, and licensed product categories.
• Partner with Design and Product Development to ensure assortments align with brand standards, licensing requirements, and consumer demand.
• Manage product information, assortment tools, and merchandising documentation throughout the product lifecycle.
• Monitor market trends, competitive activity, and consumer insights to identify product opportunities and assortment enhancements.
• Support SKU productivity analysis and recommend actions to improve category performance.

Assortment Planning & Business Management

• Partner with Planning and Allocation teams to support forecasting, inventory management, and business performance objectives.
• Analyze sales, inventory, and margin performance to identify risks and opportunities.
• Prepare weekly, monthly, and seasonal business recaps and reporting.
• Support assortment reviews, hindsight analyses, and product recommendations.
• Assist in developing seasonal line plans and category strategies.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Merchandising, Design, Product Development, Marketing, E-commerce, and Sales teams to bring sports licensed assortments to market.
• Collaborate and communicate with cross-functional teams, specifically within the licensing division.
• Support milestone meetings and maintain project timelines across multiple product launches.
• Collaborate with Marketing teams to ensure product stories and launch plans are effectively communicated.
• Partner with Operations and Legal teams to ensure compliance with licensing requirements and approval processes.
• Assist with special projects, product launches, events, and partnership activations as needed.

Business Performance & Analytics

• Track and report on key business metrics including sales, inventory, margin, and assortment productivity.
• Identify trends and insights to support future merchandising decisions.
• Monitor performance by school, category, and product classification.
• Develop recommendations to improve product assortments and drive business growth.
• Support presentations and reporting for leadership reviews.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Merchandising, Marketing, Fashion Merchandising, or a related field.
• 2–4 years of merchandising, buying, planning, product management, or licensing experience, preferably within apparel, retail, or consumer products.
• Strong interest in collegiate licensing, sports-related merchandise, and brand partnerships.
• Analytical mindset with experience working with sales, inventory, and assortment data.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and merchandising systems.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Detail-oriented with strong follow-through and project management capabilities.
• Collaborative team player who thrives in a cross-functional environment.
• Passion for the Vineyard Vines brand, lifestyle, and customer.

• Experience working with sports licensing programs, CLC, Learfield, or similar licensing organizations.
• Knowledge of apparel merchandising…