Chief Digital Merchandiser Officer

Description: Role Overview: The Chief Merchandising Jewellery Officer will spearhead the overall merchandising vision, strategy, and execution for global jewellery business. This role is responsible for developing a compelling, data-backed product assortment, driving category growth, optimizing pricing and margins, and elevating the brands product leadership across markets (US, UK, Australia, India). The ideal leader brings a strong blend of creativity, commercial acumen, deep jewellery domain expertise, and digital-first retail understanding. Key Responsibilities: 1. Merchandising Strategy & Planning: - Develop and lead the end-to-end merchandising strategy for all jewellery categories (rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, gemstones, bridal, fashion). - Build annual, seasonal, and monthly assortment plans based on trends, customer insights, and business goals. - Identify new product opportunities, emerging trends, and innovation areas across global markets. 2. Product Development & Assortment Management: - Oversee the complete product lifecycle concept, design, sampling, pricing, launch, and performance review. - Guide design teams with clear product briefs, trend direction, material specifications, and competitive insights. - Ensure assortment differentiation aligned with brand identity, craftsmanship standards, and gemstone expertise. 3. Sales, Inventory & Performance Management: - Drive revenue, margins, sell-through rates, and category profitability. - Build inventory strategies for fast- and slow-moving SKUs, lifecycle planning, and demand forecasting. - Collaborate with supply chain and production teams to ensure optimal availability and lead times. 4. Pricing, Promotions & Competitive Intelligence: - Develop competitive pricing architecture across product lines and geographies. - Partner with marketing to plan product launches, category promotions, and storytelling strategies. - Continuously monitor competitor catalogues, trends, and pricing to maintain category leadership. 5. Cross-Functional Leadership: - Work closely with Design, Manufacturing, Marketing, Analytics, E-commerce, and Operations teams. - Partner with the Creative and Brand teams to ensure product imagery, content, and positioning align with the merchandising vision. - Ensure seamless collaboration across global teams for collection launches and go-to-market execution. 6. Customer & Market Insights: - Leverage customer behavior data, market feedback, and trend reports to inform assortment strategies. - Champion a customer-first approach to product development and merchandising decisions. 7. Team Leadership & Development: - Lead, mentor, and scale the merchandising and product teams across geographies. - Establish strong processes, KPIs, and governance frameworks for merchandising excellence. Qualifications & Experience: - 12-18+ years of experience in jewellery merchandising, product strategy, buying, or category management (fine jewellery preferred). - Strong exposure to global jewellery markets (US preferred). - Proven leadership experience in a fast-paced D2C/e-commerce environment. - Deep understanding of gemstones, metals, design sensibilities, craftsmanship, and retail trends. - Strong analytical, commercial, and data-driven decision-making skills. - Experience collaborating with design studios, manufacturing units, and global suppliers. - Exceptional communication, stakeholder management, and cross-functional leadership capabilities.