Merchandising Growth Leader

Job description

Merchandising Leader — Lenskart Location: Delhi, India | On-site | Full-time Mission Brief: Own the Product Vision for a Global Fashion Brand This isn't a merchandising role in the traditional sense. You will be the architect of a product-first, AI-powered merchandising engine that determines what millions of customers across the globe see, want, and buy — at a company redefining what it means to be a fashion-tech brand. Lenskart operates at the intersection of design, technology, and retail at scale — spanning thousands of stores, a growing global e-commerce presence, and a brand rapidly earning its place as a global fashion authority. As Merchandising Leader, you will own the full commercial intelligence layer: from assortment strategy and trend forecasting to dynamic pricing and AI-driven lifecycle decisions. You won't just manage categories. You'll build the system that runs them. 🔑 Core Mandate 1. Build the AI-Powered Merchandising Engine This is the builder's mandate. You will define and deploy AI/ML-driven capabilities across Lenskart's merchandising stack — from demand forecasting and customer segmentation to algorithmic pricing and automated allocation. Working closely with Data Science and Engineering, you'll translate complex commercial requirements into intelligent systems that make faster, more accurate decisions than any team working manually ever could. Your engine will power: predictive assortment planning, dynamic markdown optimization, real-time replenishment signals, and micro-segmented product targeting — across every channel, geography, and customer cohort. 2. Lead Global Assortment & Category Strategy You will define the long-term category architecture across core, premium, and emerging segments — balancing global brand positioning with the precision of local market relevance. Seasonal strategies will be anchored in real-time demand signals, not just trend intuition. You'll use AI and analytics to identify whitespace, manage the product lifecycle, and ensure Lenskart's assortment is always one step ahead of the customer. 3. Own Pricing, Margin & Commercial Performance You will architect Lenskart's global pricing strategy — building dynamic, algorithmic models that protect brand positioning while expanding margin. Full-price sell-through, promotional ROI, and inventory efficiency are your metrics. You will drive continuous experimentation, using data to challenge assumptions and optimize every lever of the P&L. 4. Drive Demand Planning & Inventory Intelligence Working closely with Supply Chain, you will implement predictive demand planning models that dramatically improve forecast accuracy across millions of SKUs and dozens of markets. The goal: the right product, in the right place, at the right time — with minimal working capital waste and maximum customer availability. 5. Shape the Omnichannel Product Experience You will ensure Lenskart's product story is consistent, compelling, and personalized — whether a customer walks into a store in Delhi or browses on their phone in Tokyo. You'll partner with digital, retail, and marketing teams to build a unified, insight-driven customer journey, leveraging personalization engines to drive discovery, conversion, and basket size. 6. Build & Lead a World-Class Merchandising Organization You will recruit, develop, and inspire a high-caliber global merchandising team with strong product and analytics orientation. You'll champion an AI-first, product-first culture across teams and leadership — and you'll have the credibility and presence to influence the Executive Leadership Team, Product, Design, Data Science, Supply Chain, and Growth. What Success Looks Like Within the first 6 months, you will have built a merchandising engine that is materially smarter than the one you inherited. Specifically: AI-driven decisions account for a significant share of assortment, allocation, and pricing choices — with measurable improvement in accuracy and speed Full-price sell-through is up; dependency on discounting is down Forecast accuracy across SKUs has improved, reducing inventory obsolescence and working capital drag A differentiated, insight-led assortment has elevated brand perception in key markets A team and culture that sees data and creativity as complements, not competitors The Mindset The best person for this role sees merchandising as a product — something to be architected, tested, iterated, and scaled, not just managed. You are equally at home in a trend review and a model performance meeting. You can move between the aesthetic and the analytical without losing conviction in either. You are a systems thinker who gets impatient with manual processes. You believe the best merchandising decisions happen when human judgment is amplified by great data — not replaced by it. You thrive in ambiguity, move fast, and build for scale. You are a leader who attracts talent, builds trust across functions, and communicates with the clarity and conviction to drive real organizational change. The Essentials Experience: 12–15 years in retail, fashion, or D2C — with deep exposure to omnichannel business models, consumer-centric merchandising, and global scale operations. Proven leadership in a product-led, tech-enabled environment. AI/ML Exposure: Demonstrated experience working with or building AI/ML-driven decision systems in merchandising, planning, or adjacent functions. You don't need to be a data scientist — but you need to be a credible, demanding partner for one. Fashion & Commercial Instinct: Deep understanding of fashion cycles, consumer behavior, and how great product stories are built. You know what a good assortment feels like and what the data says should happen next. Leadership: Experience managing global, cross-functional teams. Strong executive presence. Ability to influence without authority across product, engineering, finance, and commercial functions. Lenskart | Technology, Information & Internet | 10,000+ employees | Delhi, India