Urban Outfitters Divisional Merchandise Manager - Women's Apparel

Role Summary

The Urban Outfitters DMM is responsible for developing and overseeing the execution of the divisional merchandising strategy, ensuring the delivery of a customer-centric Women's Apparel assortment that is compelling, profitable, and aligned with brand values. This role identifies and drives year-over-year growth opportunities through new product concepts, category expansion, and trend-right assortment strategies while managing and evolving the core owned brand business.

Role Responsibilities

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Planning
• Develop and implement merchandising strategies that align with the company’s goals and objectives. Partner with the GMM on ownership of the Women's Apparel business. Drive category growth through innovation, trend analysis, and white space opportunities within owned brands.
• Team Leadership
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team that consistently meets or exceeds business targets and cultivates individuals who are ready to move into positions of greater responsibility. Foster a collaborative, accountable, and high-performance culture focused on creativity, agility, and execution.
• Product Assortment
• Oversee the development, assortment, and cohesion of product ensuring they meet customer needs, reflect current fashion trends, and support the overall brand vision. Partner closely with design, sourcing, production, and planning teams to build commercially viable assortments with strong fashion relevance and margin performance.
• Cross-Functional Partnership
• Collaborate with Design, Technical Design, Production, Sourcing, and Planning teams throughout the product lifecycle to ensure alignment on product strategy, timelines, costing, and delivery. Ensure consistency across assortments while identifying opportunities for innovation and differentiation.
• Sales Analysis & Growth
• Monitor sales performance and analyze data to identify opportunities for growth and improvement. Adjust strategies based on market trends, customer insights, and business performance. Lead online expansion and testing opportunities by identifying category extensions, exclusives, and new product opportunities to drive growth.
• Inventory Management
• Ensure optimal inventory levels to meet customer demand while minimizing excess stock. Partner with the planning team to manage the Open to Buy (OTB) plan and drive healthy inventory productivity across all categories.
• Collaboration
• Work closely with cross-functional teams, including marketing, creative merchandising, visual, ecommerce, and finance, to ensure cohesive execution of merchandising strategies and seasonal initiatives.
• Research & Trend Analysis
• Stay updated on industry trends, competitor activities, and consumer behavior to inform merchandising decisions. Maintain a strong awareness of fashion trends, cultural shifts, and emerging market opportunities that influence product development and customer preferences. Monitor fashion shows, social media, retail landscape shifts, and industry publications to identify new opportunities for the private label business.
• Performance Ownership
• Develop and manage the division’s budget, ensuring financial targets are met across sales, margin, and inventory turn. Generate regular reports on sales performance, inventory levels, and market trends, and effectively present key business insights and strategies to senior leadership.
• Role Qualifications
• Strong leadership and team management skills
• Excellent analytical and decision-making abilities
• Proficiency in inventory management and sales analysis tools
• Strong negotiation and vendor management skills
• Deep understanding of fashion trends and consumer behavior
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Clearly and confidently express ideas, needs, and boundaries in a respectful manner.
• Persuade and motivate others to support ideas, initiatives, or changes.
• Commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within the workplace.
• Strong experience managing private label or owned brand businesses preferred.
• #urbanoutfitters
• The Perks
• URBN offers comprehensive Perks & Benefits to employees. Availability and eligibility to specific benefits may be subject to your location and employment status. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, PTO, generous employee discounts, retirement savings and much more! For additional information visit www.urbn.com/work-with-us/benefits
• EEO Statement
• URBN celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We are proud to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex (including gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression), religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, service in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic as established by law. We believe strongly in fostering a safe, fair and respectful work environment. To ensure compliance with our non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies, we offer anti-harassment training to managers and employees.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Planning
• Develop and implement merchandising strategies that align with the company’s goals and objectives. Partner with the GMM on ownership of the Women's Apparel business. Drive category growth through innovation, trend analysis, and white space opportunities within owned brands.
• Team Leadership
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team that consistently meets or exceeds business targets and cultivates individuals who are ready to move into positions of greater responsibility. Foster a collaborative, accountable, and high-performance culture focused on creativity, agility, and execution.
• Product Assortment
• Oversee the development, assortment, and cohesion of product ensuring they meet customer needs, reflect current fashion trends, and support the overall brand vision. Partner closely with design, sourcing, production, and planning teams to build commercially viable assortments with strong fashion relevance and margin performance.
• Cross-Functional Partnership
• Collaborate with Design, Technical Design, Production, Sourcing, and Planning teams throughout the product lifecycle to ensure alignment on product strategy, timelines, costing, and delivery. Ensure consistency across assortments while identifying opportunities for innovation and differentiation.
• Sales Analysis & Growth
• Monitor sales performance and analyze data to identify opportunities for growth and improvement. Adjust strategies based on market trends, customer insights, and business performance. Lead online expansion and testing opportunities by identifying category extensions, exclusives, and new product opportunities to drive growth.
• Inventory Management
• Ensure optimal inventory levels to meet customer demand while minimizing excess stock. Partner with the planning team to manage the Open to Buy (OTB) plan and drive healthy inventory productivity across all categories.
• Collaboration
• Work closely with cross-functional teams, including marketing, creative merchandising, visual, ecommerce, and finance, to ensure cohesive execution of merchandising strategies and seasonal initiatives.
• Research & Trend Analysis
• Stay updated on industry trends, competitor activities, and consumer behavior to inform merchandising decisions. Maintain a strong awareness of fashion trends, cultural shifts, and emerging market opportunities that influence product development and customer preferences. Monitor fashion shows, social media, retail landscape shifts, and industry publications to identify new opportunities for the private label business.
• Performance Ownership
• Develop and manage the division’s budget, ensuring financial targets are met across sales, margin, and inventory turn. Generate regular reports on sales performance, inventory levels, and market trends, and effectively present key business insights and strategies to senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Strong leadership and team management skills
• Excellent analytical and decision-making abilities
• Proficiency in inventory management and sales analysis tools
• Strong negotiation and vendor management skills
• Deep understanding of fashion trends and consumer behavior
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Clearly and confidently express ideas, needs, and boundaries in a respectful manner.
• Persuade and motivate others to support ideas, initiatives, or changes.
• Commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within the workplace.
• Strong experience managing private label or owned brand businesses preferred.
• #urbanoutfitters