SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Salary: USD 140,000 - 190,000 / annual
Pepper is a fast-growing, women-founded, self-funded DTC intimate apparel brand celebrating small-chested women. The company has scaled to eight-figure revenue and operates as a remote-first organization with a product team based in NYC.
As Director of Merchandising, you will drive assortment and commercial strategy across intimate apparel, swimwear, and activewear. You report directly to the CEO and serve as a key strategic partner to the founding team and executive leadership.
Key responsibilities include:
**Merchandising Strategy & Assortment Planning:** Lead seasonal and annual line planning aligned with revenue and growth goals. Own line execution including style counts, colorways, and sizes by category. Build a balanced core of best-sellers with strategic newness. Contribute to long-range multi-season planning. Monitor competitive landscape and identify white-space opportunities.
**Go-to-Market & Design Partnership:** Lead the merchandising side of seasonal go-to-market, including line reviews and launch planning. Partner with Design on creative direction, bringing customer and sales data into concept reviews. Represent the commercial and customer perspective in design decisions. Manage the product lifecycle from concept through launch, reorder, and exit.
**Pricing & Margin:** Develop pricing strategy and architecture recommendations balancing profitability and demand. Partner with Product Development and Sourcing on target costs and margin protection. Plan promotions and markdowns to protect full-price sell-through.
**Buying & Inventory:** Develop OTB recommendations, buy quantities, and size curves in partnership with Finance and Planning. Partner in weekly business reviews tracking sell-through and inventory. Drive action on slow sellers and chase winners.
**Performance Analysis:** Report on style, category, and colorway performance weekly and seasonally. Use sales data, returns, fit feedback, and customer reviews to shape future assortments. Present quarterly business and product strategy updates to leadership.
**Cross-Functional Leadership:** Partner with Marketing and Ecommerce on product storytelling and site merchandising. Define merchandising requirements for product content. Serve as the product point of contact across functions.
**Team Leadership:** Mentor and develop merchandising team members as the function scales. Establish processes, tools, and reporting infrastructure. Stay hands-on in data, line planning, and day-to-day execution in a lean team.
Requirements:
- Lives in NYC Tri-State area with ability to collaborate in-person at NYC office as needed
- 5–8 years in merchandising, preferably at a DTC, apparel, or intimates brand, with experience leading assortment strategy for a category or brand
- Must have DTC experience; intimates or bra experience is a strong plus
- Proven track record owning commercial results: delivering revenue, margin, and inventory targets through assortment planning and pricing
- Strong analytical skills with hands-on experience in assortment planning, pricing, and margin management
- Experience presenting strategy and business performance to senior leadership and influencing cross-functional decisions
- Experience leading, mentoring, or developing team members
- Experience partnering closely with design teams; strong product eye preferred (though this role does not own creative direction)
- Understanding of fit, construction, and product development processes
- Comfortable setting strategy and executing in a lean, fast-moving team
- Passion for Pepper's mission and customer
