Merchant, DotCA (Contract)

Job Type: Full Time
Function: Merchandising
Address: 160 Bloor Street East, 11th Floor, Toronto, ON
Working Model: Hybrid

At Sephora Canada, we’re passionate about finding and sharing beauty in the world. Our constant innovation, our ability to see and lead trends, and our focus on providing an outstanding customer experience make us the most-loved beauty community and top of mind for every Canadian. We find beauty in our communities, in our differences, our experiences, and in the spirit of our employees.

ABOUT THE TEAM:

We partner with luxury brands who create the products our clients crave, sometimes even before they know it. Merchandising at Sephora is all about defining what beauty means for Canadians today… and tomorrow. Our team of trendsetters and brand builders constantly creates original brands, develops new product categories and starts trends. Some of next season’s most in-demand items may not even exist yet, but you’ll see them here first! Supporting our in-store offerings is a strong online presence. There, our Digital Dot.CA Merchandising team ensures that, however our clients connect with Sephora, they always find the newest and most exciting products.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

As the Merchant, DotCA, you will partner cross-functionally to drive categories online, including brand and product merchandising strategies that serve as the basis for achieving financial sales objectives across sephora.ca and the total Sephora Canada business. Key responsibilities include:

Product Assortment & Brand Strategy

• Develop online product assortment strategy for assigned worlds, collaborating with brands to build strong short- and long-term growth plans and source what is needed to differentiate the online business
• Drive marketing strategies via website and email for key new product launches and focuses, and company product initiatives
• Analyze the online business via online reporting tools (Omniture), providing insights to direct partners, Canada brick & mortar (B&M) merchandising & brands
• Make timely adjustments to online merchandising to optimize sales
• Responsible for delivering weekly & monthly performance recaps, and ad hoc analysis as needed
• Proactively contribute to key strategic digital initiatives to drive the business
• Stay current with trends and competition; develop expertise in online merchandising and related standard processes
• Identify, develop and implement plans to test new brands, new functionality and expanded assortments for potential expansion on Sephora .CA, Canada B&M, and US .COM
• Accountable for briefing and prioritizing brand page updates and overhauls of key/priority brands, ensuring optimal articulation/messaging, visual presentation and navigation of the brand story
• Maintain collaborative and proactive relationships with brands, B&M merchandising, and inventory planning counterparts to drive cross-channel alignment and sales optimization for the categories and brands
• Partner closely with the inventory team pre-season to help forecast newness, online exclusives, limited edition and seasonal buys
• Key partner to Canada B&M merchandising; understand and support their strategies via online channel

Site & E-Mail Merchandising

• Determine category, brand and product placements for email, homepage, category pages, including messaging and product presentation in partnership with the online marketing team
• Drive content needs (including category trends and educational content) that will increase traffic, conversion and sales for the site – both desktop and mobile
• Brief online creative and content production team on needs – content, visual presentation, navigation, and features/functionalities
• Work closely with analytics team to pull and interpret site analytics data to help make informed decisions
• Optimize how to bring products to life to best meet client needs
• Mentor and develop Associate Merchant and Merchandise Coordinator and supervise on key product page presentation (including copy/messaging, video & images) and attribution/refinements

WHAT YOU’LL BRING:

• You are a creative problem solver who is willing to take calculated risks with an ability to source and foster new opportunities to grow the business
• You love product (beauty is your jam), understand consumer trends and behaviour, and inspire fearlessness in everything that you do
• You have a Bachelor’s degree or college diploma in retail management (or a related field) – an MBA is considered a plus
• You’re an experienced buyer/merchandiser/planner with at least 5 years’ in the retail space; ecommerce experience is strongly preferred
• You’re curious, a go-getter, and take ownership and responsibility for your work
• You love solving problems and using your analytical skills to find solutions
• You have an entrepreneurial spirit, thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, and relish in working collaboratively with cross-functional partners
• You’ve mastered the art of negotiation
• You’re technically savvy and have experience using merchant systems
• You’re game for traveling; up to 25% travel required
• You understand the Canadian marketplace and corresponding vendor organization
• You have some knowledge of the Canadian cosmetic industry and corresponding Health Canada regulations and requirements for product compliance in Canada
• Fluent in French (written and spoken) is considered an asset

WHY YOU’LL LOVE WORKING HERE:

• You’ll be part of a unique culture and family of passionate and inspiring individuals.
• You’ll work alongside the best talent in the industry – people you’ll be proud to work with.
• You’ll have access to the global community of luxury group LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) for endless career opportunities.
• You’ll have the opportunity to support causes through our Gift of Giving Program (matched donations through Benevity), donations of funds for volunteer time and offering and much more.
• Benefits you can mix and match, depending on your needs.
• Employee Assistance Program services for those times you need extra support.
• Access to our Well-Being@Sephora program to support your mental, financial, physical, and social well-being
• Holidays, time off, functional Friday hours and flexibility to support work-life balance.
• And of course, there’s our incredible swag – free product gifts throughout the year and tons of discounts with our brand partners.

Sephora Canada strongly believes in equal opportunity when it comes to employment and advancement. Our goal is to be inclusive, diverse, and representative of the communities where we work while creating an environment where every person can belong, grow, and build a beautiful career. This commitment applies to all candidates and employees regardless of race, ethnicity, citizenship, creed, place of origin, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, family status, marital status, disability, age, and/or any other diversity dimensions. Requests for accommodation due to a disability (visible or otherwise), other protected characteristics or other reasonable circumstances can be made at any stage of the recruitment process and during employment by contacting our People team.