Merchandise Development Manager (Seasonal and Home)

Summary of the role.

The Pokémon Center Merchandise Development (2D) team is divided into seasonal/home goods, apparel, and accessories. This role will lead a team that builds out home and holiday lines for Pokémon Center. They will work closely with the 3D team to align product direction and strategies, as 3D often supports seasonal/home goods products. This role will create a 3-5 year seasonal and home décor strategy. They will drive product development by working with cross functional teams, facilitating agreement, and staying on schedule. The ideal candidate will have a product line management background and demonstrate experience leading many small to medium sized product categories with a focus on seasonal and/or home goods. They will have a history of pitching lines based on a trend and data-driven approach, taking into account greater marketing pushes of the brand. Experience in working with a pop culture or entertainment brand is a plus. This position will ensure our key holiday and home décor lines from Pokémon Center excite fans through brand understanding, quality product, and value for price. The candidate will be expected to fully immerse themself in the Pokémon brand and understand our fan.

What You Will Do

Collaborate with internal teams to lead full category analysis presentations and make recommendations for the category strategy for the next 3-5 years.
Build out and maintain yearly product calendars for home décor and holiday collections.
Create product pitches that determine best mix based on marketing activities, partner’s capabilities, target market, and frequency of product refreshment.
Once established, build and train team
Conceptualize what makes Pokémon home décor products different from non-branded home décor and different from licensed products.
Collect, organize, and distribute trend research for home and holiday merchandise.
Team with project managers and associates to mitigate potential schedule risks and escalate to senior manager with recommended solutions.
Guide internal and external stakeholders regarding how they can best represent the Pokémon brand through their products.
Communicate daily with internal and/or external partners via video calls, project management software, approvals software, and email.
Maintain an accurate record of the development of each item from concept to approval.
Assist in the development of process documents, tools, and training materials for internal and external stakeholders.
Organize and archive product samples.
Perform other administrative duties consistent with position as assigned by senior manager

What You Will Bring

6+ years of product development experience in consumer products with a strong emphasis on home goods
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
Autonomy and initiative; displays positive leadership with professional conduct and solution driven
Experience in building brands
Knowledge/understanding of home goods and branded merchandise including product timelines and print processes on various mediums.
Proficient in Microsoft Office including Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, and Photoshop.
Project Management experience is a plus.
Graphic Design experience is a plus.
Ability to work collaboratively with cross functional teams
Interest in pop culture, animation, video games, and/or trading card games is a plus.

How You Will Be Successful

Communication: Impeccable written and verbal communication with ability to translate technical information in a clear and concise manner.
Bias for Action: You have an eagerness to take initiative and persist in accomplishing objectives despite obstacles and setbacks. You work to resolve requests and incidents with a high sense of urgency and ownership.
Great people skills: You know the “how” is as important as the “what” and you aim to build effective relationships across the organizations, as well as externally with 3rd You are mindful of diverse perspectives and engage clients in a professional manner.
Passion and Pride in your work: You love what you do and how you can add value to your clients; You ensure consistency and quality of your work and demonstrate high attention to detail.
Logical and analytical: You’re able to distill and synthesize complex ideas into concise, meaningful information to various stakeholders. You’re adept at prioritization and project management with attentiveness to detail and consistent follow through.
Growth mindset: You thrive in a dynamic and fluid environment because you are a self-starter who is eager to learn, grow and build something great together.

What to Expect

We offer a professional, fun and creative work environment. While we maintain a good balance between work and life, additional hours may be required at peak times or for specific initiatives. Travel between office locations internationally may be required on occasion.

The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children's entertainment properties in the world.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of people so classified. All employees may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.