Overview
Merchant – Footwear & Accessories – Men’s Jobs in New York City Metropolitan Area at J.Crew
Title: Merchant – Footwear & Accessories – Men’s
Company: J.Crew
Location: New York City Metropolitan Area
The Role + Purpose:
The Merchant, Footwear & Accessories (3rd Party Collaborations) is a key merchant role on the J.Crew men’s team, responsible for owning the end-to-end product strategy for our footwear and accessories categories. This role blends creative vision with analytical rigor, partnering closely with Design, Planning, Marketing, Visual, and our third-party buying team to bring compelling assortments to life both in-house and through strategic brand collaborations that resonate with the J.Crew customer. We welcome candidates from diverse professional backgrounds who bring curiosity, a strong point of view, and a passion for product.
Pre-Season
- Understand trend analysis and translate trends to commercial big ideas, identifying the next big thing across footwear and accessories
- Present pre-season strategy to the cross-functional team
- Partner with Planning to strategize budget and departmental opportunities
- Analyze seasonal and hindsight information, trends, product assortment, and competition to develop the strategy
- Participate in Design Board Reviews and provide feedback on silhouette, materials, and color based on hindsight and strategy
- Build the Roadmap for Design articulating newness needs by month with AUC targets, as well as clear direction on carry-forward products
- Partner with the third-party buying team on identifying and evaluating brand collaborations, attending buying appointments, trade shows, and vendor meetings to inform assortment strategy
In Season
- Approve product fit on key styles and buys, ensuring product execution meets the design aesthetic and commercially acceptable quality standards
- Drive partnership with Planning and Allocation on reviewing sales, receipts, markdown cadence, and style-color counts
- Analyze the competitive environment and use that knowledge to positively impact results, making recommendations to leadership
- Utilize product strategies and analytical results to plan all merchandise buys in accordance with budget for each quarter; present the line at assortment and investment reviews
- Evaluate financial and business indicators, assess reports, and translate data into actionable information to drive results
- Partner with Marketing, Styling, and Visual to ensure key items and big bets are elevated and supported by the cross-functional team
- Manage vendor communication and PO placement for third-party partnerships, driving the merchandising strategy behind why we bring in specific brands and how they fit into the broader assortment
Qualifications:
Required
- 6+ years of experience in a merchant or buying role within Men’s apparel, footwear, accessories, or fashion retail
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data into clear, actionable strategies
- Strong business acumen with a demonstrated understanding of retail financial metrics and buying principles
- Self-motivated, highly organized, and comfortable managing multiple priorities simultaneously
- High taste level with a genuine passion for fashion and an eye for trend-right, commercially viable product
- Proven cross-functional collaboration skills with the ability to influence and partner across design, planning, and marketing teams
Preferred
- Experience in Men’s footwear, accessories, or third-party buying, with familiarity across brand partnerships and collaboration strategy
- Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising, Business, or a related field is a plus, but not required
