Senior Merchant, GE
Balsam Brands, Burlingame, CA, United States
Balsam Brands is the official global brand licensing partner for GE holiday lighting. The Senior Merchant, GE is a senior merchandising leader responsible for owning and scaling key GE product categories with significant financial impact. This role translates long-term brand and category strategy into actionable assortment, pricing, and commercialization plans. While serving as a strategic thought partner with broad autonomy, the Senior Merchant drives category growth and margin optimization in a high-volume wholesale environment.
This full-time position reports to the VP of Merchandising GE and is expected to work in a hybrid model which currently requires Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in-office.
What You’ll Do
Own end-to-end category strategy and execution for assigned GE categories, with accountability for revenue, margin, and lifecycle performance
Develop multi-year category roadmaps aligned to GE brand vision and broader merchandising strategy
Lead assortment architecture, pricing strategy, and promotional planning to maximize consumer relevance and financial results
Identify white space and growth opportunities through deep analysis of market trends, consumer insights, and competitive landscapes
Partner closely with Product Development to shape product briefs, packaging strategy, and innovation pipelines
Drive commercialization excellence by partnering cross-functionally to ensure on-time, on-cost, and on-strategy launches
Partner with Sales team to curate assortments, communicate product features, create planograms, and set pricing for key Wholesale partners
Manage and deepen vendor and manufacturing relationships, including negotiations and performance management
Act as a category thought leader, elevating insights and recommendations to senior leadership
Guide direct reports and functional team members by identifying opportunities for growth, leveraging team strengths, and developing members toward organizational effectiveness
What You Bring To The Table
Bachelor’s Degree
11+ years of progressive experience in merchandising, category management, or product strategy
Proven success owning large, complex categories with meaningful P&L responsibility
Strong experience merchandising for mass-market or omnichannel retail environments, preferably with experience in lighting and / or holiday categories
Wholesale Merchandising and/or license experience a plus
Deep expertise in assortment strategy, pricing, packaging, and product lifecycle management
Advanced financial and analytical acumen, with the ability to translate insights into action
Demonstrated ability to think critically and handle ambiguous situations
Experience working closely with product development, sourcing, and supply chain teams
Strong executive communication skills, with comfort presenting to senior leadership
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and make strategic recommendations
Exceptional cross-functional collaboration and communication skills, with a track record of influencing senior stakeholders
About Us Balsam Brands is a global, omnichannel retailer with roots in holiday and home décor. We strive for excellence in everything we do and present a unique opportunity for those seeking to have a meaningful impact in a people‑first company that values relationship building, authenticity, and doing the right thing. We have steadily growing teams in Boise, the Bay Area, Dublin, the Philippines, Canada, and Mexico. The company's mission is to create joy together. We empower our team and partners to love what they do, provide products and experiences that inspire meaningful moments with family and friends, and give back to our families and communities in impactful ways. When you join Balsam Brands, you'll find a culture of caring people doing challenging work and building a welcoming workplace.
Check out our flagship brand, Balsam Hill: www.balsamhill.com
Balsam Brands in Forbes: https://bit.ly/balsambrandsforbes2023
Balsam Brands on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/balsam-brands/
Glassdoor: https://bit.ly/balsambrands-glassdoor
Benefits
Competitive compensation, including a cash-based incentive plan; salary is reviewed yearly and may be adjusted as part of the normal compensation review process
Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage, with 100% of monthly premiums covered for team members, and 85%+ employer‑paid premiums for other coverage tiers that include dependents
Up to $2,000 annual funding toward HSA accounts
Medical, transit, dependent care FSA
Infertility coverage offered on all medical plans
Generous parental leave program and flexible return options
Company‑paid life and AD&D insurance
Company‑paid short and long‑term disability insurance
401(k) with dollar‑for‑dollar company match up to $4,000 per calendar year
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and other mental health and wellness perks
Paid holidays, annual shutdown week, PTO, and volunteer time‑off (VTO) packages
Paid 5‑week sabbatical leave after 10 years of employment
Annual continuous learning benefit up to $1,000 per person, per fiscal year
Up to $300 flexible reimbursement to support setup of new team member's work‑from‑home environment
Generous team member merchandise discount
Valuable extras: identity theft protection, subsidized parking, monthly wellness, pet insurance, accident & critical illness insurance
The base pay range for this position is: $151,000 to $188,000. Please note that placement within the posted salary range is based on several factors, including geographic location, experience, skills, alignment with role requirements and other job‑related factors. It is uncommon for offers to be made at the top of the range, as this typically reflects a candidate who exceeds all role requirements and brings significant, directly applicable experience.
Balsam Brands is committed to providing our team members with an internally fair, externally competitive, and fiscally prudent total compensation package administered in a simple and consistent manner.
At Balsam Brands, we strive to build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive team to fulfill our purpose to create joy together. Balsam Brands is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We encourage people from all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and experiences to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, citizenship, marital or family status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy or caregiver status, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application and interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.
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This full-time position reports to the VP of Merchandising GE and is expected to work in a hybrid model which currently requires Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in-office.
What You’ll Do
Own end-to-end category strategy and execution for assigned GE categories, with accountability for revenue, margin, and lifecycle performance
Develop multi-year category roadmaps aligned to GE brand vision and broader merchandising strategy
Lead assortment architecture, pricing strategy, and promotional planning to maximize consumer relevance and financial results
Identify white space and growth opportunities through deep analysis of market trends, consumer insights, and competitive landscapes
Partner closely with Product Development to shape product briefs, packaging strategy, and innovation pipelines
Drive commercialization excellence by partnering cross-functionally to ensure on-time, on-cost, and on-strategy launches
Partner with Sales team to curate assortments, communicate product features, create planograms, and set pricing for key Wholesale partners
Manage and deepen vendor and manufacturing relationships, including negotiations and performance management
Act as a category thought leader, elevating insights and recommendations to senior leadership
Guide direct reports and functional team members by identifying opportunities for growth, leveraging team strengths, and developing members toward organizational effectiveness
What You Bring To The Table
Bachelor’s Degree
11+ years of progressive experience in merchandising, category management, or product strategy
Proven success owning large, complex categories with meaningful P&L responsibility
Strong experience merchandising for mass-market or omnichannel retail environments, preferably with experience in lighting and / or holiday categories
Wholesale Merchandising and/or license experience a plus
Deep expertise in assortment strategy, pricing, packaging, and product lifecycle management
Advanced financial and analytical acumen, with the ability to translate insights into action
Demonstrated ability to think critically and handle ambiguous situations
Experience working closely with product development, sourcing, and supply chain teams
Strong executive communication skills, with comfort presenting to senior leadership
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and make strategic recommendations
Exceptional cross-functional collaboration and communication skills, with a track record of influencing senior stakeholders
About Us Balsam Brands is a global, omnichannel retailer with roots in holiday and home décor. We strive for excellence in everything we do and present a unique opportunity for those seeking to have a meaningful impact in a people‑first company that values relationship building, authenticity, and doing the right thing. We have steadily growing teams in Boise, the Bay Area, Dublin, the Philippines, Canada, and Mexico. The company's mission is to create joy together. We empower our team and partners to love what they do, provide products and experiences that inspire meaningful moments with family and friends, and give back to our families and communities in impactful ways. When you join Balsam Brands, you'll find a culture of caring people doing challenging work and building a welcoming workplace.
Check out our flagship brand, Balsam Hill: www.balsamhill.com
Balsam Brands in Forbes: https://bit.ly/balsambrandsforbes2023
Balsam Brands on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/balsam-brands/
Glassdoor: https://bit.ly/balsambrands-glassdoor
Benefits
Competitive compensation, including a cash-based incentive plan; salary is reviewed yearly and may be adjusted as part of the normal compensation review process
Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage, with 100% of monthly premiums covered for team members, and 85%+ employer‑paid premiums for other coverage tiers that include dependents
Up to $2,000 annual funding toward HSA accounts
Medical, transit, dependent care FSA
Infertility coverage offered on all medical plans
Generous parental leave program and flexible return options
Company‑paid life and AD&D insurance
Company‑paid short and long‑term disability insurance
401(k) with dollar‑for‑dollar company match up to $4,000 per calendar year
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and other mental health and wellness perks
Paid holidays, annual shutdown week, PTO, and volunteer time‑off (VTO) packages
Paid 5‑week sabbatical leave after 10 years of employment
Annual continuous learning benefit up to $1,000 per person, per fiscal year
Up to $300 flexible reimbursement to support setup of new team member's work‑from‑home environment
Generous team member merchandise discount
Valuable extras: identity theft protection, subsidized parking, monthly wellness, pet insurance, accident & critical illness insurance
The base pay range for this position is: $151,000 to $188,000. Please note that placement within the posted salary range is based on several factors, including geographic location, experience, skills, alignment with role requirements and other job‑related factors. It is uncommon for offers to be made at the top of the range, as this typically reflects a candidate who exceeds all role requirements and brings significant, directly applicable experience.
Balsam Brands is committed to providing our team members with an internally fair, externally competitive, and fiscally prudent total compensation package administered in a simple and consistent manner.
At Balsam Brands, we strive to build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive team to fulfill our purpose to create joy together. Balsam Brands is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We encourage people from all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and experiences to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, citizenship, marital or family status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy or caregiver status, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application and interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.
#J-18808-Ljbffr