Hello Inner Circle readers!

I recently heard about a great job opportunity, so I thought I would share it with you here!

Talbots, a leading specialty retailer of  women’s clothing, shoes and accessories, is in search of a vice president of merchandising. Could that be you?

Specifically, Talbots is looking for an established executive and leader in the industry to drive the vision and strategy for the company’s merchandising team. The primary focus of the position is to ensure the continued growth and success of Talbots through an execution of the company’s merchandising strategy.  Talbots’ ideal candidate “is a strategic thinker with the ability to embrace change and foster new opportunities to grow the business. As a visionary leader, he/she will inspire and mentor a high-performing team to drive impactful product strategies and set the course for growth with our existing brand.”

The position includes a variety of responsibilities, including the following:

  • Serve as the merchandising leader for key categories with accountability to lead and develop a team of merchants and ensure strong collaboration with cross-functional partners.
  • Develop short- and long-term merchandising strategies, and drive business decisions with both an eye for fashion and a data analytical approach.
  • Research and monitor fashion trends and maintain a pulse on the competition to ensure Talbots relevance in the marketplace and to identify key areas of opportunity.
  • Develop relationships and in-depth knowledge of the customer, anticipating her demands and determining what’s “next” by closely following behavior patterns and aspirations, influences and relationship to the brand.
  • Ability to shop the market and identify brand-right trends, then work closely with design on executing against them, either by designing in-house or when necessary buying through third-party brands.
  • Manage the merchandising calendar in adherence to product development and merchandising process and catalog production cycles.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional business partners to develop strategies to enhance the Talbots brand and result in increased store sales and online growth, ensuring product strategies marry up to how the customer wants to shop today in an omnichannel setting.

Is this the right position for you? If so, please reach out to John Patterson, senior vice president of human resources at Talbots, at john.patterson@talbots.com.