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View Harry Joiner’s profile

HARRY’S COMMENTS: We are working with Academy Sports + Outdoors in their search for a Sr Merchandiser, Omnichannel based in truly affordable Katy, Texas, just 30 minutes from downtown Houston (where it almost never snows) and 90 minutes to Galveston beach.

See for yourself …

About the Company

The concept behind Academy Sports + Outdoors is dead simple: The company makes it easy for everyone to enjoy more sports and outdoors. Period. A typical Academy store carries a wide range of hunting, fishing and camping equipment, patio sets and barbecue grills, along with sports and recreation products, at everyday low prices.

Ever been to one of Academy’s 250+ stores? A 20-minute visit might cost you two hours because you’ll simply lose track of the time.

In a good way.

This spring I wandered into my local Academy for a slingshot. An hour later, slingshot in tow, I’d also grabbed a $10 jump rope for the same reason people climb Mount Everest: Because it was there. Within two hours I had firmly secured bragging rights for the summer by shellacking my 13-year-old daughter in a jump roping contest. #AWESOMESAUCE

Honestly, what’s not to like about Academy Sports?

Anyway. We have recruited for Academy before and it’s a hoot. These folks are always looking for resourceful, business-oriented problem solvers who will try new things and lead by example. Academy’s customer-centric culture is all about teamwork and inclusivity, and going the extra mile for the customer will ensure that you go far in your career.

You won’t believe how much we know about this search …

We spent nearly an hour on the phone with Academy’s Senior Director of Omnichannel Merchandising teasing out exactly what you’ll need to KNOW and DO to hit the ground running in this role. Some of the things I can share with highly qualified candidates include …

1. The “real” background requirements for this position, along with the top five things all resumes MUST have to be considered for the role.
2. The top five problems that exist due to this position being open. These are the little brush fires you will be expected to put out during your first month on the job. Every job has these — and this one’s no different.
3. What your average day / week will look like in this role. There’s what you read in the standard job posting … then there’s reality. We’ve got the reality.
4. The leading and lagging KPI’s that will determine your success in this role. In a nutshell: How you keep score in this role.
5. The major projects you’ll need to complete by Day 100 to be considered a home-run in this position. We’ve got the lowdown on how you can plug-and-play and drive REAL value in this job.

We have a massive amount of proprietary intel to share with qualified candidates. Our industry research for this assignment exceeds 50 pages! Be sure to TEXT Harry Joiner at (404) 281-2025 for this info. Or simply use the email link when you apply for the role below.

View Harry Joiner’s profile

Responsibilities:

• Partner with DMM and buying groups to influence assortment for Omnichannel to achieve sales, merchandising margin and gross profit goals
• Coordinate with marketing and merchandising for messaging and cross-promotional opportunities, events and deals
• Partner with Product Management as key business stakeholder to influence capability and enhancement roadmap
• Key contributor to product management process and acts as key business stakeholder for customer-facing website
• Create, manage and execute against a marketing calendar to support enterprise initiatives as well as web specific promotional opportunities including site real estate merchandising campaigns throughout the customer journey
• Understand and subsequently optimize the site experience based on customer signals including customer intent, competitive insights, customer feedback, stock position, pricing, and key initiatives
• Leverage web analytics to understand customer interactions with categories marketing, featured placement’s and general online shopping behavior to identify business opportunities and risks
• Collaborate with and inform the Merchandising and Marketing Teams to ensure assortments, promotional activity and customer facing marketing lead to desired business results
• Utilizes historical data to create and execute action based GTM business growth strategies for assigned division and executes with minimal management guidance
• Own site improvement projects from concept to implementation, understanding necessary stakeholders, company-wide implications, and company-wide benefits
• Grows internal talent through mentoring peers, onboarding new team members and conducting “teach-outs” for their matter of expertise
• Makes business decisions with the total company strategy in mind. Understands and optimize how business decisions impact not only their own area, but other areas of the company
• Actively participates in building “best in class” company culture through mastery of relationship building, influencing, and partnering with cross-functional partners on a daily basis.
• Manage regular reporting on site performance and communicate to partners in Marketing, Merchandising and Omnichannel support teams
• Drive improvement in the performance of the site and help drive projects and initiatives to further enhance the shopping experience
• Collaborate with Digital Marketing to support strategies for traffic-generating channels to ensure the best possible customer experience
• Conduct competitive research to understand competitor trends; synthesize trends and provide recommendations based on findings to cross-functional groups
• Develop a thorough understanding of Academy’s policies, procedures and safety rules
• Duties may change; team members may be required to perform other duties as assigned

Education:

• High School diploma or equivalent required
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising or relevant field of study preferred
• 3+ years of work experience within the Omnichannel and merchandising / buying verticals
• Capable of evaluating, testing, modifying, and managing a best in class, intuitive, and comprehensive navigation structure to deliver a great customer experience while searching and navigating Academy.com

Skills:

• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interface effectively with individuals at various levels, both internal and external
• Analytical, with strong problem-solving abilities and creative resolution skills
• Self-motivated, with the ability to work on multiple projects in a fast-paced environment
• Proven ability to recognize and adapt to company culture
• Ability to analyze, organize and integrate large amounts of complex information into clear, concise presentations
• Leads by example and models a passion for the business as well as demonstrates a proactive and solution orientated style
• Ability to remain organized, pay strict attention to detail, and meet critical deadlines within a high volume, fast-paced environment
• Excellent analytic skills with the ability to use key tools to dive deep and provide analysis consistently on performance metrics
• Strong Excel capabilities preferred and capability to use Web Analytics platforms