How to hire a senior merchandiser

How to hire a senior merchandiser, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior merchandiser hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a senior merchandiser job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior merchandiser
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your senior merchandiser job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a senior merchandiser for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A senior merchandiser's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior merchandisers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior merchandisers.

   Type of Senior Merchandiser	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Merchandiser		$11-33
   Display Coordinator	A display coordinator manages and oversees the visual presentation of products and services. Despite having different responsibilities depending on their organization or industry of employment, it usually involves conducting market research and analyses, developing and implementing plans, communicating and negotiating with internal and external parties to secure supplies, and spearheading various events such as exhibits and shows... Show more	$12-33
   Merchandising Internship	In a merchandising internship, an intern's duties will depend on the directives of a supervising staff or manager. Their tasks may involve preparing and processing documents, organizing and disseminating files within the company, answering calls and correspondence, running errands, and participating in creating marketing strategies... Show more	$12-22

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Kids
   • Retail Store
   • Inventory Management
   • Market Trends
   • Product Development
   • Store Management
   • Direct Reports
   • Product Knowledge
   • Competitive Landscape
   • Sales Performance
   • Market Research
   • Product Line
   • Retail Locations

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Complete comprehensive training program and manage cosmetics, jewelry, women's accessories, women's fashions and men's apparel.
   • Provide national pet supply stores with merchandizing support, including inventory, product resets, distributing product information, magazine stock management
   • Assist outside vendor merchandisers (NIKE) with execution of planograms.

   More senior merchandiser duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior merchandiser job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A senior merchandiser salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a senior merchandiser in Kansas may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level senior merchandiser usually earns less than a senior-level senior merchandiser. Additionally, a senior merchandiser with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average senior merchandiser salary

   $41,876yearly

   $20.13 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior merchandiser salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average senior merchandiser salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$66,308	$32
   2	California	$60,805	$29
   3	Massachusetts	$57,886	$28
   4	Indiana	$56,505	$27
   5	Minnesota	$48,844	$23
   6	Pennsylvania	$47,870	$23
   7	Colorado	$44,166	$21
   8	Illinois	$43,010	$21
   9	Hawaii	$41,374	$20
   10	Florida	$38,880	$19
   11	Nebraska	$38,169	$18
   12	Texas	$37,572	$18
   13	Louisiana	$36,996	$18
   14	Oklahoma	$36,937	$18
   15	Alabama	$34,290	$16
   16	Montana	$33,314	$16

   Average senior merchandiser salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	VF	$110,901	$53.32	11
   2	RANDA Solutions	$59,899	$28.80
   3	Gap Inc.	$51,856	$24.93
   4	Paladin Consulting	$49,288	$23.70
   5	Land O'Lakes	$45,937	$22.09
   6	Frank	$41,307	$19.86
   7	*n/a*	$41,089	$19.75
   8	TNG End-to-End Logistics	$39,768	$19.12
   9	Balsam Brands	$39,499	$18.99
   10	Mondelēz International	$38,750	$18.63	823
   11	Gulf Distributing Holdings Llc	$37,744	$18.15	14
   12	PUMA	$37,295	$17.93
   13	GNC	$37,260	$17.91
   14	Andrews Distributing	$36,853	$17.72	2
   15	Finish Line	$35,799	$17.21
   16	R.M. Schulte & Associates	$32,792	$15.77
   17	Academy Sports + Outdoors	$31,640	$15.21

4. Writing a senior merchandiser job description

   A senior merchandiser job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a senior merchandiser job description:

   Senior merchandiser job description example

   The Senior Digital Merchandiser is responsible for the performance of a product category or categories within the Victoria's Secret business on the Victoria's Secret website. This includes setting a floor plan that represents the Victoria's Secret brand, is aligned with the business' overall merchandise strategies and delivers and exceeds the budgeted volume and profit goals.
   PRINCIPLE RESPONSIBILITIES:
   
   * Responsible for the overall digital presentation of a specific category portion of the site by merchandising, analyzing and optimizing a seamless customer experience to achieve financial objectives
   * Develop seasonal site strategy plan based on brand direction, incoming product assortment, internal learnings and competitive patterning
   * Manage in-season business by tracking and analyzing sales information and web KPI's in order to identify opportunities to increase sales and site conversion, including: Landing Page feature and cue changes and revising online merchandising strategies based on trend, changing navigation, and executing category offers
   * Report out on digital store business to leadership and cross-functional partners on performance based upon sales and site metric information and makes recommendations and decisions based on results
   * Implement compelling merchandising, product placement and navigation strategies to drive product conversion
   * Act as an active participant in the alignment of product photography, copy strategies and digital marketing
   * Partner with Merchandising and Planning to develop merchandising calendar for Website Home and Landing Pages, distortions, navigation, special initiatives, item image /copy strategy etc.
   * Work closely with Web Creative team to develop landing page layouts, special shop concepts/ideas, navigation (shop by feature, shop by style, shop by collection) to support category initiatives and strategies
   * Create and present seasonal web hindsight document for the category; analyze user behavior, site metrics and relates findings to sales/site performance; present recommended strategies for next year based upon findings
   * Strategize new ways of executing category offers, cross-sell/up-sell strategies to drive volume
   * Pattern other web sites, comparing product and functionality to our site and serve as key liaison between the business and technical teams to implement new site functionalities and enhancements
   * Understand content management system and its merchandising ability and potential; able to mine for new merchandising opportunities using content management functionality
   * Lead, coach and develop a team of associate and/or assistant merchandisers
   
   Qualifications
   
   QUALIFICATIONS/CAPABILITIES:
   
   * Bachelor's degree required
   * 7-10 years of related work experience in Merchandising in a digital/internet-based position
   * Strategic and analytical thinker with an ability to take data and transform into future strategies
   * Ability to analyze and synthesize information, conclusions and recommend actions
   * Collaborative mindset across varying levels and departments with strong influencing and negotiating skills
   * Achievement oriented with demonstrated leadership potential
   * Strong written and verbal communication skills
   * Excellent organizational skills with the ability to multitask
   * High taste level with proven talent to create a cohesive fashion viewpoint
   * PC proficiency in Microsoft Excel & Word
   
   #LI-Hybrid #LI-AK1
   
   As required by the City of New York, all new hires must be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, unless they have been granted a reasonable accommodation for religion or disability. If you are offered employment, your offer will be conditional upon you meeting this requirement by your date of hire, unless a reasonable accommodation for exemption is received and approved by the company.
   
   An equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate in hiring or terms and conditions of employment because of an individual's race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status or any other protected category recognized by state, federal or local laws. We only hire individuals authorized for employment in the United States.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find senior merchandisers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any senior merchandisers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level senior merchandisers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior merchandiser job on Zippia to find and attract quality senior merchandiser candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit senior merchandisers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior merchandiser

   Once you've found the senior merchandiser candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new senior merchandiser first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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