Job Description :

- The VP/Country Head Merchandising will lead a large, 75+ member global organization that powers merchandising intelligence and support for the enterprise.

- This leadership role builds and scales best-in-class Merchandising, Ecommerce, Retail, decision support, category support and analytics, merchant operations support, and space analytics, enabling merchants to make faster, smarter, and more profitable decisions.

- The role is accountable for elevating merchandising analytics maturity across the company - by modernizing processes, advancing analytical sophistication, strengthening data products, and creating a world-class structure.

Key Responsibilities

1. Merchandising

- Build and lead Merch business that delivers actionable insights on sales, margin, assortment, pricing, promotions, and vendor performance.

- Shape analytical frameworks that guide merchant decisions-headwinds/tailwinds insights, basket analysis, cost/margin drivers, and customer behaviour patterns.

- Partner with COO/ CEO / Cross division senior leaders to provide forward-looking recommendations, not just reporting.

2. Category Analytics & Merchant Support

- Lead a scaled Category Support organization delivering standardized reporting, templates, data pulls, and ad hoc analyses.

- Establish a single, high-quality operating model that supports merchants with speed, precision, and consistency.

- Drive simplification and standardization of category reporting across banners, formats, and business units.

- Build capability in category insights: promo effectiveness, out-of-stock analytics, item performance, cost variance, vendor funding analysis, and total retail scorecards.

3. Advanced Analytics & Predictive Insights

- Build advanced models and analytical products that influence key merchandising strategies-demand forecasting, elasticity, mix optimization, promotional testing, and scenario modelling.

- Bring statistical rigor (time-series, regression, clustering) and elevate analytical depth across the team.

- Drive a shift from reactive reporting to proactive decision support.

4. Space & Assortment Analytics

- Lead the Space Analytics team responsible for maximizing floor space productivity through space modelling, clustering, and adjacency rules.

- Develop intelligent tools that help merchants optimize SKU count, space allocation, shelf productivity, and store-specific assortments.

- Integrate space insights with pricing, promo, and category strategies for a holistic view of merchandising performance.

5. BI, Automation & Data Products

- Partner with Technology to evolve self-service BI tools, dashboards, scorecards, and data models that empower merchants.

- Build robust automation pipelines for early flash, weekly/monthly reporting, and repeatable analytical processes.

- Create a modern data and insights architecture enabling faster, scalable, and more reliable decision-making.

6. Enterprise Leadership & Capability Building

- Develop a world-class, future-ready merchandising analytics and support capability-blending category knowledge, analytical talent, and technology expertise.

- Build and mentor leaders, grow domain expertise, and embed a culture of excellence and curiosity.

7. Stakeholder Engagement & Influence

- Influence strategy through clear storytelling, strong data narratives, and solution-oriented insights.

- Act as the global connective tissue between Cross Country leaders, ensuring alignment, transparency, and shared outcomes.

Qualifications & Experience

- 15-20 years in merchandising, analytics, category insights, business intelligence, retail planning, or related domains.

- Proven success leading large, multi-disciplinary analytics/support teams (50+).

- Strong command of retail P&L, category mechanics, assortment/space optimization, promo economics, and customer insights.

- Experience with analytics tools (SQL, Python/R), BI platforms (Power BI/Tableau), and merchandising systems (JDA, Radian, space planning tools).

- Exceptional leadership, communication, and executive influencing skills.