How to hire a senior merchandising manager

How to hire a senior merchandising manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior merchandising manager 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 merchandising manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior merchandising manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior merchandising manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior merchandising manager, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or 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 merchandising manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior merchandising managers 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 presents senior merchandising manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of Senior Merchandising Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Merchandising Manager	Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.	$37-74
   Market Manager	A marketing manager is an executive who manages a brand or product's promotion positioning. Marketing managers analyze the trends in the industry and the demand for certain products and services... Show more	$25-68
   Marketing Services Manager	A marketing services manager is in charge of overseeing a company's marketing procedures, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities often include developing promotional strategies, assessing the performance of staff, coordinating different teams, managing the budgets, researching new marketing and client opportunities, analyzing data, and developing solutions to optimize marketing services and operations... Show more	$42-75

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Direct Reports
   • Digital Marketing
   • SR
   • Sales Floor
   • Product Knowledge
   • Productivity Standards
   • Financial Analysis
   • Standard Operating Procedure
   • Gross Margin
   • Apparel
   • Business Strategies
   • Merchandise Presentation
   • Product Development
   • Customer Service

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Implement and manage new POS server system at the store and district level.
   • Maintain effective vendor partnerships to achieve high service levels, meet IMU and MMU goals.
   • Complete comprehensive training program and manage cosmetics, jewelry, women's accessories, women's fashions and men's apparel.
   • Manage indirect purchasing of commodities and services during mergers and acquisitions; measure supplier / category integration savings.
   • Manage relationships with primary suppliers including monitoring and purchasing commodities, forecasting, marketing initiatives and quality control.
   • Review sales projections, POS, & competition at retail to recommend assortment updates.

   More senior merchandising manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior merchandising manager job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A senior merchandising manager 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 merchandising manager in Kentucky may be lower than in California, and an entry-level senior merchandising manager usually earns less than a senior-level senior merchandising manager. Additionally, a senior merchandising manager 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 merchandising manager salary

   $111,266yearly

   $53.49 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior merchandising manager salary

   $79,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average senior merchandising manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$161,606	$78
   2	Rhode Island	$132,714	$64
   3	Washington	$127,486	$61
   4	Massachusetts	$124,497	$60
   5	New Jersey	$124,430	$60
   6	New York	$123,915	$60
   7	Ohio	$123,021	$59
   8	North Dakota	$120,191	$58
   9	Pennsylvania	$116,201	$56
   10	Virginia	$115,076	$55
   11	Maryland	$110,596	$53
   12	Illinois	$109,614	$53
   13	Michigan	$109,474	$53
   14	Texas	$109,070	$52
   15	Arkansas	$107,352	$52
   16	New Mexico	$101,534	$49
   17	Indiana	$100,149	$48
   18	Utah	$97,056	$47
   19	Wisconsin	$96,107	$46
   20	Georgia	$96,076	$46

   Average senior merchandising manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Chewy	$153,445	$73.77	10
   2	The Walt Disney Company	$147,209	$70.77	72
   3	Nike	$145,198	$69.81	13
   4	Tradesy	$145,150	$69.78
   5	Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama	$144,675	$69.56
   6	Rent the Runway	$142,956	$68.73
   7	Walmart	$142,048	$68.29	167
   8	Amazon	$139,791	$67.21	580
   9	Gap Inc.	$138,093	$66.39
   10	Wayfair	$137,870	$66.28	24
   11	Tory Burch	$137,674	$66.19
   12	REI	$135,877	$65.33	1
   13	Lands' End	$135,155	$64.98	4
   14	One Kings Lane	$134,833	$64.82
   15	Williams Sonoma	$134,670	$64.75	15
   16	Accenture	$134,039	$64.44	372
   17	The RealReal	$133,673	$64.27	4
   18	Ernst & Young	$126,125	$60.64	176
   19	The Home Depot	$124,206	$59.71	34
   20	Whirlpool	$122,031	$58.67	4

4. Writing a senior merchandising manager job description

   A good senior merchandising manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a senior merchandising manager job description:

   Senior merchandising manager job description example

   Reporting to VP, Digital Commerce
   
   The Sr. Manager, Digital Merchandising will be the lead champion of our digital patient experiences (content, landing pages and pathing) for one or more brands under The Aspen Group/TAG portfolio of services. This role will develop customer and personalization strategies in partnership with Product and Service Line leaders, develop core, campaign and SEO plans and oversee the activation of customer data to deliver effective and accurate customer experiences that are rooted in business and brand goals while keeping the customer at the center of the experience. This leader will also be an active partner with internal and external stakeholders and agencies to lead the strategic, executional and implementation processes that deliver on key performance indicators across the entire customer journey.
   
   It will be critical that the Sr. Manager, Digital Merchandising be able to manage multiple priorities in process at the same time, seamlessly navigating both strategic and executional requirements. Digital experience and content initiatives will occur across multiple internal and external partners, but ultimate accountability will be held by the Digital Commerce team.
   
   The Digital Commerce team (Performance, Merchandising and Production and Operations) functions as a shared services team; center of excellence for the organization.
   
   Reporting to VP, Digital Commerce
   
   The Sr. Manager, Digital Merchandising will be the lead champion of our digital patient experiences (content, landing pages and pathing) for one or more brands under The Aspen Group/TAG portfolio of services. This role will develop customer and personalization strategies in partnership with Product and Service Line leaders, develop core, campaign and SEO plans and oversee the activation of customer data to deliver effective and accurate customer experiences that are rooted in business and brand goals while keeping the customer at the center of the experience. This leader will also be an active partner with internal and external stakeholders and agencies to lead the strategic, executional and implementation processes that deliver on key performance indicators across the entire customer journey.
   
   It will be critical that the Sr. Manager, Digital Merchandising be able to manage multiple priorities in process at the same time, seamlessly navigating both strategic and executional requirements. Digital experience and content initiatives will occur across multiple internal and external partners, but ultimate accountability will be held by the Digital Commerce team.
   
   The Digital Commerce team (Performance, Merchandising and Production and Operations) functions as a shared services team; center of excellence for the organization.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior merchandising manager for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   To find senior merchandising manager candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior merchandising manager candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to 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 merchandising manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior merchandising manager position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new senior merchandising manager 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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