Merchandise Sourcing Manager

About the Department

The Merchandise Department supports the product needs of Helzberg Diamonds by building powerful assortments, wide-ranging price points, bridal dominance, competitive quality, and value across multiple fine jewelry categories and timepieces. The team identifies products that will sell, negotiates vendor contracts, and analyzes sales data to make sound purchasing decisions. They also search globally for unique trends and hot-selling jewelry products. The department significantly impacts profitability by closely managing gross margin, inventory turns, and asset/memo mix. Merchandise is an active partner with Store Operations and Marketing in driving Helzberg’s business.

About the Role

This role focuses on strategic sourcing for the Merchandise team by securing competitive component pricing for diamonds, gemstones, metals, labor, certification, and related services. It requires a strong understanding of the jewelry supply chain to identify cost savings and improve supply chain efficiencies. The position partners with vendors to support speed to market, merchandising strategies, and financial KPIs. It also manages relationships with independent laboratories by negotiating costs, optimizing their role in the supply chain, and supporting timely product certification and testing. In partnership with Quality Assurance and Merchandise, this role helps establish, communicate, and maintain diamond and gemstone quality standards. Additionally, it develops and maintains assortments for loose diamonds and call stones to achieve budgeted sales, margin, and inventory objectives.

Responsibilities

• Monitor, analyze, and report on industry trends related to component costs, availability, and supply chain implications; recommend organizational actions based on current market conditions.
• Develop and manage strategic partnerships with diamond certification partners, external laboratories, vendors, and other supply chain relationships by serving as the primary subject matter expert, negotiating favorable terms, improving processes and efficiencies, resolving vendor issues, and ensuring products support the company’s merchandising and financial objectives.
• Negotiate and maintain component grids for diamonds, gemstones, labor, and certification to ensure fair and advantageous costs that support gross margin and strategic objectives.
• Own the vendor report card to enable evaluation of vendor performance and make recommendations to Merchandise on how to meet business needs.
• Collaborate with the QA team and Merchandise Team to establish quality standards for diamonds and other components based on market conditions; communicate standards to vendors as needed.
• Onboard new vendors.
• Develop and implement merchandise assortments and projects for loose stones and call stones to meet assortment and financial objectives for all distribution channels.
• Own sourcing projects that improve speed to market, supply chain efficiencies, and other merchandise sourcing strategic objectives by establishing timelines, defining deliverables and expectations, and monitoring and reporting progress.
• Conduct cost analysis and lead merchandise RFP processes across diamond products and other basic jewelry categories, partnering with Buying Teams to identify cost-reduction opportunities, reduce channel overlap, improve procurement efficiency, and deliver year-over-year gross margin improvements.
• Provide regular business recaps on assortment performance, KPIs, and strategic initiatives.
• Manage support staff or assist with training and development of buying staff.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Accomplish department objectives by directing and monitoring the progress of a direct report (Sourcing Coordinator).
• Provide coaching and guidance to the direct report.
• Set expectations, annual goals, and conduct required quarterly touch-base meetings with the direct report.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Retail Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Seven to ten years of merchandise management experience required, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Extensive jewelry and diamond knowledge preferred, along with demonstrated vendor negotiation experience and project management skills.
• Experience in product planning and forecasting, vendor negotiations, pricing analyses, and inventory control is required.
• Demonstrated knowledge of core buying skills required.
• Strong analytical skills, retail math, and proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Schedule

Hybrid schedule with predictable onsite attendance required three or more days per week to perform essential functions involving interactive behaviors with co-workers and managers, operation or manipulation of equipment and/or materials located only on-site, and direct interaction with internal and/or external customers.

Location: North Kansas City, MO (Store Support Center)