Merchandising & Commercial Strategy Manager

Position Overview:

The Merchandising & Commercial Strategy Manager will lean into cross-functional collaboration to execute a holistic marketplace management strategy that will include a consumer first mindset, clear segmentation, product franchise management and an omni channel approach.

The Merchandising & Commercial Strategy Manager work closely with Director, Merchandising & Commercial Strategy to responsible for three key deliverables: 1) Product segmentation plans 2) channel differentiation strategy and 3) deliver profitable growth in APAC. (I.e., driving revenue growth, expanding market share, and enhancing profitability across the APAC region.)

This role will require a broader strategic vision, strong leadership capabilities, and a deep understanding of the diverse markets and retail landscape within APAC. This role reports to Director, Merchandising & Commercial Strategy 

Key Responsibilities:

Merchandising & Commercial Strategy 
•    Market Strategy: Lead end-to-end regional merchandising and commercial execution across assigned APAC markets (China, Japan, Korea, SEA, and Australia).
•    Marketplace Authority: Serve as the regional product and commercial expert, delivering data- backed recommendations to regional sales teams.
•    Segmentation & Differentiation: Own category portfolio planning, establishing SKU assortment priorities, product segmentation, and channel differentiation across key retail accounts.
•    Lifecycle & GTM Execution: Oversee total product franchise lifecycles—including GTM strategy, seasonal merchandising plans, launch sequencing, and product flow—to maximize market penetration.
•    Financial Guidelines: Lead commercial business planning, aligning pricing architectures, margin targets (including distributor margins), and markdown strategies with overall growth goals.
•    Growth Insights: Synthesize consumer, competitor, and channel intelligence into actionable strategies that capture category growth opportunities and shape global product pipelines.
•    Matrix Alignment: Partner seamlessly across Sales, Marketing, Operations, Finance, Demand Planning, and Global Product teams to align strategy, demand forecasting, and retail execution.
GTM & Product Launch Execution
•    GTM Leadership: Drive regional GTM milestone planning and execution, translating global product direction into commercially viable regional plans.
•    Cross-Functional Alignment: Partner with Global Merchandising, Global Product Development, Demand Planning, Sales, and Marketing to ensure customer readiness, accurate forecasting, and impactful launch campaigns to drive business growth.
•    Commercial Tooling: Develop targeted customer and category selling solutions alongside sales team to optimize shelf presence and retail sell-through.
Commercial Intelligence & Business Analysis
•    Market Insights: Gather and analyze consumer, competitor, and channel trends to shape regional strategies, identify new growth opportunities and influence global product pipelines.
•    Performance & Sell-Through: Establish sell-through tracking mechanisms in collaboration with Operations and Data Analytics to establish consistent cadence to monitor business and market health.
•    Actionable Growth Plans: Translate commercial data and sales analytics into concrete strategies to support revenue growth, expand market share, and improve regional profitability.
Who You Are:

•    You are skilled in channel management, merchandising planning, and sales.
•    You work seamlessly across functions and geographies.
•    You are a great communicator and navigate cultural nuances effortlessly, bringing diverse teams together across borders with clarity and empathy.
•    You thrive in a fast-paced and collaborative environment. 
•    You are consumer obsessed.
•    You are passionate about the brands you work for and are constantly looking for new possibilities.
•    You see the big picture - you solve today’s commercial challenges while building smart, scalable plans for the future.
•    You leverage best practices while reinventing the spaces you work in so that they can grow and evolve with the business.

Experience and Education

•    10+ Years of Industry Experience: Proven track record in merchandising or commercial strategy across diverse retail channels. (APAC markets experience is a plus)
•    Strong experience in assortment planning, channel segmentation, franchise lifecycle management, and merchandising excellence.
•    Solid understanding of pricing, FOBs, margin drivers, inventory management, markdown strategy, and sell-in process.
•    Proven ability to work with global HQ to help them understand marketplace dynamics.
•    Strong analytical mindset, with experience partnering with Operations and Data teams to inform business decisions.
•    Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with Marketing, Sales, Operations, and Global Product/Merchandising teams to execute GTM plans across markets.
•    People-first, hands-on team player with the ability to coach junior teammates and thrive in a small team.
•    APAC experience is a plus; Japan and Korea market exposure preferred.
•    Fluency in English is required; Mandarin, Korean and/or Japanese language capability is a plus.
•    University or four-year college degree in Business, Merchandising, Marketing, Commercial Strategy, or related field; equivalent experience will also be considered.
•    Ability to travel 20% of the time.