Buyer/Category Manager, Registry 

Zola is looking for a smart, driven, & detail-oriented Category Manager to join our merchandising team who wants to build on their existing experience to help drive success for the business. This person is responsible for developing & implementing a strategy to drive their category of business, oversee & develop a direct report, & execute tasks such as business analytics, assortment strategy, sourcing new vendors, product development, assortment set up, & margin optimization in a timely & accurate fashion to maximize sales & help achieve financial objectives.  

This role will report into the VP of Merchandising, lead their area of business within Zola Registry, & will manage 1 direct report. He/she will provide rigorous & thoughtful analyses & partner with internal business functions to drive short-term & long-term business decisions. This role is ideal for someone with solid Buying & Merchandising experience, looking for broad & challenging responsibilities. Our team offers a fast-paced, high-growth environment that values leadership, adaptability, & communication.  

RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Create a clear strategic vision for your product categories that supports the overall objectives of Zola Registry
• Manage & grow your business against company sales & margin plan; identify & execute on profit maximizing opportunities
• Partner with Planning to inform goals/targets; actively manage business against the Open To Buy forecast
• Discover & manage pipeline of new brands to add to Zola
• Forge relationships with new vendors (including outreach, pitches, etc.) & maintain strong relationships with existing vendors
• Negotiate agreements with vendors in partnership with Planning team, ensuring all agreements are in line with company goals
• Plan assortments & conduct a regular cadence of assortment & brand reviews
• Collaborate with Zola Marketing team to develop & improve vendor co-marketing programs; pitch & secure vendor funding
• Develop & serve as a mentor to other Merch Team members
• Partner closely with Operations & Planning to manage vendor operations & orders, inventory & fulfillment
• Contribute new ideas for the growth of the business & work with the product & engineering team to implement improvements to the shopping experience
• Perform ongoing vendor development via market meetings, trade shows & market research
• Participate in or lead cross functional initiatives to support & execute company-wide goals

QUALIFICATIONS

• 4+ years of experience in buying (e-commerce specific and/or non-ready-to-wear-experience a plus)
• Strong product sensibility & demonstrated ability to identify emerging trends
• Exceptional track record of presentation, negotiation, & relationship management skills
• Ability to perform data analysis to identify actionable insights for both assortment strategy & site merchandising
• Deep understanding of or passion for new technologies & familiarity with competitive e-commerce landscape
• Demonstrated talent for product assortment strategy & driving margin growth
• Deep understanding of & experience with retail financials & goal setting
• Strong team orientation, collaborative, cooperative work style
• Strong adaptability, flexibility & willingness to change strategies as business needs dictate
• Strong written & verbal communication skills & attention to detail

The salary range for this position is $95,000-115,000.

Cover Letters are optional- please address to Lauren McNamee.

ABOUT ZOLA

We're Zola, the wedding company that will do anything for love. We're reinventing the wedding planning & registry experience to make the happiest moment in our couples lives even happier. From engagement to wedding & decorating your first home, Zola is there, combining compassionate customer service with modern tools & technology all in the service of love. 

We built our entire platform from the ground-up in 2013, & quickly became the fastest-growing wedding company in the country. Our team has deep experience creating award-winning online & mobile products that are helpful, intuitive, & simply magical. Were proud to have investor partners including Female Founders Fund, Comcast Ventures, Goldman Sachs, Canvas Ventures, Thrive Capital & Lightspeed Venture Partners, among others. 

We are passionate about supporting all forms of love, & were proud of our thriving community of over 2 million couples. We strive to hire a team that is as beautifully diverse as the couples getting married today, & we encourage individuals from every race, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, marital status, religion & perspective to apply. Zola will always be a place where every employee, couple, wedding guest, wedding vendor, & partner will be respected & accepted & valued. 

Our headquarters are in NYC, & we have offices in Charlottesville & Montreal. Come work with us!