Associate Manager, Merchandising Data Operations

Job Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day merchandising data operations covering item setup and maintenance, vendor onboarding and changes, invoicing support and exception resolution, regular and promotional pricing, and promotion or deal setup and validation.
• Plan, prioritize, and allocate work to meet service-level agreements, business calendars, cut-off times, and production and quality key performance indicators.
• Establish and monitor data-quality controls for completeness, accuracy, consistency, timeliness, and compliance across merchandising systems and downstream integrations.
• Oversee invoice-related operational support, including vendor and item validation, cost discrepancies, matching exceptions, root-cause analysis, and coordination with Merchandising, Accounts Payable, Finance, and vendors for resolution.
• Ensure promotions are configured accurately and on time, including offer details, dates, pricing, item and location eligibility, funding or allowances, and validation of downstream execution.
• Own operational reporting and dashboards for volume, productivity, accuracy, aging, backlog, SLA performance, recurring defects, and business impact; translate insights into corrective and preventive actions.
• Manage escalations and high-impact issues, communicate risks and recovery plans, and ensure timely closure with clear ownership and documentation.
• Partner with Category Management, Merchandising, Finance, Accounts Payable, Supply Chain, Digital, Stores, vendors, and technology teams to align data requirements and improve end-to-end execution.
• Drive standard operating procedures, governance, audit readiness, access controls, and adherence to company policies for sensitive business and vendor data.
• Identify automation and process-improvement opportunities, define business requirements, support testing and implementation, and measure realized benefits.
• Support ERP and merchandising-platform transitions through process design, data validation, user acceptance testing, training, change management, and post-implementation stabilization.
• Coach and develop team members through regular feedback, performance management, cross-training, succession planning, engagement, and capability building.
• Support workforce planning, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and training while fostering a culture of accountability, inclusion, continuous learning, and customer focus.
• Strong knowledge of retail merchandising processes, master data governance, pricing, promotions, vendor administration, and invoice exception workflows.
• Demonstrated people leadership, operational planning, coaching, and performance-management capability.
• Analytical problem-solving, attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to manage competing priorities in a time-sensitive environment.
• Clear written and verbal communication with the ability to influence partners, present operational insights, and manage escalations.

Key Skills and Competencies

Qualifications

• Required: 5 to 7 years of experience in retail merchandising operations, master data, shared services, or a related operations environment, including 2 or more years of people leadership or team-lead experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Desired: Experience with item and vendor master data, invoice exception management, pricing and promotion setup, data governance, ERP or merchandising systems, service-level management, root-cause analysis, process improvement, and cross-functional stakeholder management. Advanced Microsoft Excel and reporting/dashboard experience preferred; exposure to workflow automation, Power BI, SQL, or data-quality tools is an advantage. Education Desired: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Commerce, Finance, Supply Chain, Retail Management, Information Systems, or a related field. Equivalent relevant experience may be considered.