Strategic Merchandiser, Promotional Products

Staples is business to business. You're what binds us together.

While you may know Staples as the world's leading office supply company, Staples Promotional Products – a division of Staples – is a national leader in the promotional products industry. At Staples Promotional Products, we help customers build love for their brands with customized merchandise solutions. Whatever story they want to tell, connection they want to make, or goal they need to deliver, Staples Promo makes it easy to design promo experiences that create lasting impact. Join our winning team

Join a dynamic merchandising team at Staples Promotional Products, where you'll play a pivotal role in developing and executing innovative, customer-focused merchandising strategies that drive sales and margin. As a Strategic Merchandiser, you will collaborate closely with marketing, digital, and cross-functional teams to translate market insights into impactful product assortments and brand materials. You'll lead vendor partnerships, manage complex sourcing projects, and ensure our offerings remain competitive by researching industry trends. Strong communication, project management, and training skills are essential, as you'll align merchandising plans with business objectives and educate internal teams on product trends. Success in this position demands deep merchandising expertise, analytical decision-making, and the ability to prioritize and lead multiple initiatives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

What you'll be doing: 

• Develop and execute strategic merchandising plans to achieve sales and margin goals for and brand marketing materials.
• Lead efforts to introduce new product ideas and trends, partnering with marketing and digital teams to optimize category penetration and solve everyday challenges.
• Drive KPIs through analysis and strategic decision-making, ensuring product assortments are customer-focused and data-driven.
• Build and maintain strong vendor relationships, acquiring the latest product assortments and negotiating favorable terms for marketing programs.
• Research customer, market, and industry trends to identify gaps and opportunities, ensuring our offerings remain competitive and relevant.
• Manage large merchandising sourcing projects and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative solutions and enhance the customer experience.
• Communicate merchandising strategies to all levels of the company, aligning plans with overall business objectives.
• Assist with training and education of internal teams on product trends, reports, and merchandising collateral.
• May lead, mentor, and develop up to 2 direct reports as the role expands.

What you bring to the table: 

• Strong "business" communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to effectively communicate with all levels of internal and external stakeholders and support functions.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize projects based on business need and timelines.
• Requires a self-motivated and energetic personality.
• Solid PC skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Demonstrated project management and collaboration skills. Teamwork and flexibility are essential.
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize under pressure. Must demonstrate good judgment in all aspects.
• Demonstrated ability to provide product recommendations that support the overarching strategy of a business.
• Strong knowledge of product merchandising, industry trends and regulations.
• Knowledge and ability to leverage internal resources and relationships in order to independently move projects to completion.

What's needed- Basic Qualifications: 

• 3+ years of experience in product marketing, merchandising, or a related field, planning and executing successful product strategies that drive business goals.

What's needed- Preferred Qualifications: 

• Problem-solving skills and social media knowledge are a plus.
• Bachelor's Degree preferred, ideally in Merchandising or related field.
• Knowledge and ability to leverage internal resources and relationships in order to independently move projects to completion.
• Reviews data and makes determination on how to move forward using company resources.

We Offer:

• Inclusive culture with associate-led Business Resource Groups
• Vacation Allotment and Holiday Schedule
• Online and Retail Discounts, Company Match RRSP, Physical and Mental Health Wellness programs, and more