CMO WantedLooking for a Chief Merchandise Officer, who can turn students into believers, alumni into ambassadors, and a university into a brand.
Job Description
Chief Merchandise Officer – University Merchandise (Design, Production & Retail)The Chief Merchandise Officer will lead the end-to-end strategy, design, production, retail, and growth of the university's merchandise ecosystem. This role is responsible for building a strong merchandise brand that enhances campus identity, drives engagement, and generates sustainable revenue.
The ideal candidate combines creativity, commercial thinking, operational excellence, and strong stakeholder management.
Key Responsibilities
- Merchandise Strategy & Product Development
- Develop and execute the university merchandise strategy.
- Build product portfolios across apparel, accessories, stationery, gifts, collectibles, and event merchandise.
- Plan annual merchandise launches aligned with admissions, graduations, festivals, sports, and alumni events.
- Ensure all products reflect university brand standards.
- Design & Creative Direction
- Lead merchandise design, collections, packaging, and branding.
- Collaborate with designers, agencies, freelancers, and student creators.
- Maintain a consistent and compelling visual identity.
- Production & Vendor Management
- Source and manage manufacturing and supply partners.
- Negotiate pricing, quality standards, and delivery timelines.
- Ensure quality, ethical sourcing, and cost efficiency.
- Retail & E-Commerce
- Oversee campus stores, pop-ups, kiosks, and online sales.
- Drive pricing, merchandising, promotions, and customer experience.
- Manage merchandise sales during key university events.
- Inventory & Operations
- Forecast demand and optimize inventory levels.
- Implement inventory tracking and performance reporting.
- Improve product mix and inventory turnover.
- Revenue Growth
- Deliver revenue and profitability targets.
- Increase merchandise adoption among students, faculty, alumni, and visitors.
- Develop licensing, partnerships, and corporate gifting opportunities.
- Use sales and customer insights to improve offerings.
- Marketing & Community Engagement
- Partner with Marketing, Admissions, Student Affairs, and Alumni Relations.
- Create campaigns that strengthen university pride and brand affinity.
- Drive engagement through student collaborations and limited-edition collections.
- Team Leadership
- Lead merchandise, retail, and operations teams.
- Set goals, manage performance, and foster innovation and customer focus.
- Key Success Metrics
- Commercial
- Revenue growth
- Gross margin
- Average transaction value
- Online sales growth
- Operational
- Inventory turnover
- Stock availability
- Vendor performance
- On-time product launches
- Customer & Brand
- Customer satisfaction
- Repeat purchase rate
- Student and alumni penetration
- Brand compliance
- Product launch success
- Campaign engagement
Qualifications
- Education
- Bachelor's degree in Design, Fashion, Retail, Marketing, Business, or related field (NIFT or equivalent preferred). Master's degree is a plus.
- Experience5–8 years in merchandise management, retail, fashion, lifestyle, or consumer products.
- Proven experience in product development, retail operations, and vendor management.
- Core
Skills
- Product Design & Brand Management
- Retail & E-commerce Operations
- Pricing & Revenue Management
- Supply Chain & Inventory Management
- Vendor Negotiation & Quality Control
- Project & Team Management
- Communication & Stakeholder Management
Ideal Candidate
- A commercially minded brand builder who can transform university merchandise into a thriving campus brand.
- You bring the creativity of a designer, the rigor of an operator, and the customer focus of a retailer to create products that students, faculty, alumni, and visitors are proud to own.
- Apply
- Send your resume, portfolio, and a brief introduction to hello@spread.ooo
- Subject: Application
- Chief Merchandise Officer
- Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
