Merchant - Ace Hardware Corporation

TheMerchantis responsible for all aspects of Ace and Emery Jensen Distribution (EJD) assortment strategy, development and execution through to retail for a respective category.  This responsibility spans both B2C and B2B customer types.  The position provides leadership within the organization via a thorough understanding of the competitive marketplace and trends, opportunities for Ace retailers and EJD customers to grow via differentiated assortment and ability to articulate and drive an action plan to execute. 

The Merchant – role is the core of driving the company’s promise of delivering consumer relevant, high quality, differentiated, localized assortments to Ace retailers and wholesale customers at the lowest cost.

What you’ll do

Strategy and Business Planning

• Identify opportunities within strategic planning process to grow respective category in terms of sales and gross profit

• Present plan to leadership for support and revisit throughout the year to report progress and shifts in execution

• Manage category growth plan for Ace and EJD while achieving SKU productivity and ACENET Direct goals.

• Manage highly complex categories and execution (Level 3 POG) requiring cross-functional support

Category Reviews

• Determine category selection and goals for assortments (both B2B and B2C)

• Determine vendor selection and lead all negotiation and program syncs on behalf of Ace and EJD

• Lead wholesale and retail assortment and merchandising aides with category management and store development

• Understand and drive regional needs of category and build into category deliverables on an ongoing basis

• Develop execution plan via incentives and marketing to drive adoption at retail

• Negotiate Price and Program for all vendors in the department

Promotional Planning

• Plan and negotiate all vendor marketing assessments

• Develop monthly promotional schedule of advertised categories/items across all mediums to drive awareness and increased transactions at retail 

• Identify items, negotiate special pricing and terms, develop a retail placement and execution strategy, and present items to the promotions team for selection

• Oversee all promotional item submission forms, target pricing, correction notices and AD proofing

Retailer Communication

• Attend retailer group meetings and targeted retail store visits

• Utilize ACENET to communicate new programs, changes or issues

• Coordinate with Merch CARE to prep Ace Care Center for calls and e-mails related to respective category

Convention Planning

• Select vendors to attend semi-annual convention

• Plan and execute all vendor programs including drop ship forms, Power Buys, Saving Showcase and New Arrivals

• Plan merchant area theme and execution for respective category

Inventory/Supply Chain Support

• Assist in diagnosing and resolving vendor service issues

• Assist in inventory planning for promotional items

Financial Management

• Manage and grow wholesale product gross profit rate via vendor extraneous income and SAP conditions

• Negotiate and maintain New Store Allowance agreements

• Manage liability fund to fund category growth initiatives

• Develop and present annual sales and liability budgets

What you will need:

Knowledge, Experience, and Competencies:

Ace Merchant Competencies

• Product passion– Natural and fanatical curiosity around product and retail marketplace, demonstrated and put into action.  Convertible to multiple categories based on changes in responsibilities.

• Strategic thinking– Ability to envision, create and present strategy to drive disruptive wholesale and/or retail growth in category sales and profit

• Results-oriented– Ability to drive results to and above plan with full accountability, proactively shifting efforts as trends and business variables change

• Leadership– Demonstrated and active leadership across the organization, vendors and retailers as authority in respective category.  Superior problem-solving skills.

• Negotiation skills– Superior negotiation skills with proven results leveraging company scale, business drivers and strategies

• Presentation skills– Ability to plan, assemble and present with excellence strategy, execution and updates to leadership, across the organization, vendors and retailers

Experience and Technical Requirements:

• 4+ years of business experience

• 2+ years managing product categories

• Strong problem-solving skills required

• Strong interpersonal skills required

• Understand financial measures that impacts corporation

• Demonstrate strong decision-making skills

• Highly creative, flexible and adaptable with good follow-through

• Versatility to shift category responsibility every 1-2 years

• Proven ability to multi-task projects and meet deadlines

• Strong verbal and written communication skills 

• Proficient in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, Power Point,

• Knowledge of PCM, SAP and guided Ad-hoc reporting tools

• Ability to travel 25%

Compensation Details:

$96000 - $120000 Per Year

Why should you join our team?

We live our values - W.E.L.I.G.H.T (Winning, Excellence, Love, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility, and Teamwork). Gratitude. Humility. Love. You don’t often see values like these in most corporate statements, but Ace is different. These things are important to us. They represent our commitment to the company, our employees, to Ace retailers and to the Ace brand.

In addition to providing our employees a great culture, Ace also offers competitive benefits* that address life’s necessities and perks, many of which expand and improve year after year, including:

• Incentive opportunities, based on role/grade level (rapid company growth over the past 5 years resulted in incentives being paid out at an average of 126% of your target opportunity!)
• Generous 401(k) retirement savings plan with company contributions, averaging 9.6% per year of eligible earnings over the past 5 years
• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision and disability – up to 26 weeks short-term disability and long-term disability) & life insurance benefits for you and your dependents
• 21 days of vacation immediately available (prorated in the first year) and up to 6 paid holidaysdepending on the month of hire
• Company Car, phone and fuel card are provided for field-based positions
• Your career at Ace is more than just a job. It’s a chance to be part of something meaningful. We help locally-owned businesses thrive and make an impact in their communities – and we support our employees in doing the same by offering an annual Ace Cares Week, 20 hours off work per year to volunteer at an organization of your choice, opportunities to help Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the Ace Helpful Fund through the Ace Foundation
• Ace invests in every employee we hire, with a key focus on development and coaching. We offer on-site classes, facilitator-led courses, and a generous tuition assistance program, plus a performance management approach that goes beyond the typical annual review
• We know the work environment matters. That’s why Ace holds frequent campus events like Employee Appreciation Week, vendor demos, cookouts, and merchandise sales
• We bring them to you! Services such as mobile spas, auto maintenance, car wash and detailing, dry cleaning, dentists, eye doctors, flu shots, recycling and more!
• Employee discounts on Ace merchandise (including top brands like Weber, Traeger, Yeti, Craftsman, DeWalt and more), travel, fitness, computers and thousands more
• Birth/Adoption bonding paid time off
• Adoption cost reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – access to free visits to therapists and lawyers, guidance on financial matters, elder and childcare, and assistance with tickets to entertainment events
• Identity theft protection

* Benefits are provided in compliance with applicable policies.

We want to hear from you!
When most people think of career opportunities with Ace Hardware, they often think of the helpful cashiers and sales associates at their local store. However, have you also considered the people behind the scenes who select, promote, ship and process the invoices for more than 75,000 products? Maybe you haven't, but we'd like you to. Because together we help our customers take care of their homes. Come find out why a career with the Ace Hardware Corporation is one of America's best kept secrets.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Ace Hardware Corporation and its subsidiaries are committed to a policy of promoting equal employment opportunities. The company recognizes the importance of diversity and leveraging the skills and talents of all people to the mutual advantage of each individual and the organization. The company is committed to the prevention of employment discrimination related to race, religion, color, sex (including sexual harassment), gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, disability and military or veteran status, sexual orientation or any other action covered by federal or applicable state/local laws.

Disclaimer

The pay range for this position starts as listed in the job posting, but could be higher based on education and experience. Please note, compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each opening. We take into consideration the minimum requirements outlined in the job description, such as an individual’s education, training and experience, the position’s work location, required travel (if any), and external market conditions when determining the final salary for potential new hires.

Be aware that salary estimates published via alternate online job boards may not be a true representation of the actual pay range offered for this position. Please refer to the Ace position description for the accurate starting pay range information and feel free to discuss this with a Talent Acquisition professional if you are chosen to move forward with an interview.

This written “Position Description” is not intended to cover all aspects of the position listed. It is meant to cover the basic/general essential job functions of a particular position. Ace Hardware Corporation reserves the right to change job duties, including essential job functions, according to business necessity.