Direct Source Jobs in Minnesota (NOW HIRING)

The Director of Merchandising owns the end-to-end sourcing and buying strategy — from vendor identification and negotiation through assortment planning, pricing, and inventory performance. This role sits at the intersection of supply, demand, and margin: you help decide what we buy, who we buy it from, what we pay, and how much we carry. 

This is a full-time, in-office, player-coach leadership role reporting to the VP of Purchasing. You will manage and develop a team of buying and sourcing professionals, own the category budget and annual plan, build the analytics and KPI framework the team is measured against, and lead cross-functional projects from scope through launch.  

The right person is equally comfortable building a cost model in a spreadsheet, negotiating annual terms across the table, running a weekly performance review with a direct report, and presenting a budget variance to the executive team. 

Come work with us, not for us!

2nd Swing is a one of a kind, forward thinking, customer-centric golf retail company. Our employees are highly-valued, while working hard in a positive and supportive culture.  At 2nd Swing you will find:     

• Vast Exposure to the Golf Industry
• A Commitment to Total Well-Being
• Opportunities to Discover Your Fit and Make an Impact
• A Collaborative and Flexible Environment

Responsibilities: 

Team Leadership & Performance  

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of buying and sourcing professionals   
• Establish the team's KPI framework — set targets, define measurement methodology, and build the scorecards and dashboards that make performance visible 

Budget, Planning & Analytics  

• Own the annual category budget — revenue, gross margin, inventory investment, and cost-savings targets — and manage performance against it throughout the year  
• Build and maintain the open-to-buy plan by category, aligned to sales forecasts and financial targets; reforecast monthly and quarterly as demand, supply, and cost conditions shift  
• Design and maintain the reporting infrastructure the team runs on: category dashboards, vendor scorecards, sell-through and margin reporting, and cost-savings tracking  
• Translate analysis into recommendations — identify the trend, size the opportunity or risk, and bring a decision-ready point of view to leadership 

Vendor & Supply Management  

• Identify, negotiate, and onboard new suppliers; maintain a diversified vendor base that balances cost, quality, lead time, and risk  
• Monitor supplier performance against scorecard metrics (fill rate, on-time delivery, defect rate, chargebacks) and drive corrective action where needed  
• Proactively manage supply risk — single-source exposure, tariff and duty changes, capacity constraints, and lead-time volatility 

Assortment, Pricing & Inventory  

• Develop assortment strategy: good/better/best structure, price-point architecture, breadth vs. depth, and exclusive or private-label opportunities  
• Set pricing, markdown, and clearance strategy with Finance and Merchandising, and execute cost-savings initiatives against target  
• Analyze sell-through, attach rates, and category trends to inform reorders, expansions, and discontinuations; partner with Merchandising and Marketing on launches and promotional calendars  
• Manage inventory to balance in-stock service targets against carrying cost and aged-inventory exposure; partner with Distribution and Store Operations on allocation, replenishment, and new-store opening buys 

Process & Project Execution  

• Break complex initiatives into workstreams with named owners, dependencies, and milestone dates; escalate blockers before they become delays  
• Drive process improvement across the buying function — reduce manual work, tighten cycle times, improve PO accuracy, lead-time reliability, and data integrity at the source  
• Identify where processes and systems are breaking down, then partner with Development and Operations to scope, prioritize, and see fixes through to implementation and adoption  
• Maintain project documentation and standardized playbooks so repeatable work becomes repeatable, not reinvented 

Required Qualifications:   

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Merchandising, Finance, or a related field required  
• 7+ years in buying, sourcing, or category management, including 3+ years managing a team  
• Demonstrated ownership of a category budget or P&L — annual planning, forecasting, and variance management  
• Track record of building KPIs and scorecards and using them to drive accountability and measurable improvement  
• Success negotiating supplier agreements and delivering measurable cost savings or margin improvement  
• Strong analytical skills — advanced Excel, comfort with large data sets — and experience with ERP or purchasing systems (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, Dynamics)  
• Proven project management capability, leading multi-stakeholder initiatives from scope through delivery  
• Active, knowledgeable golfer who understands the major OEM brands and what separates one club from another; we'll teach the industry mechanics to the right buyer 

Preferred Qualifications:   

• Golf industry experience — buying, merchandising, or fitting at a retailer, OEM, green-grass shop, or distributor  
• Pre-owned, trade-in, or recommerce sourcing and grading  
• Retail, e-commerce, or omnichannel background — or another enthusiast hard-goods category where product expertise drives the sale  
• Experience using BI and planning tools 

Physical Requirements: 

• This is a full-time, in-office role — on-site at our corporate office; remote and hybrid arrangements are not available  
• Regular use of a computer and phone in an office setting  
• Ability to thrive in a very fast-paced, constantly changing environment where priorities shift and decisions are made with incomplete information  
• Occasional time in warehouse, distribution center, or retail store environments  
• Domestic travel up to 25%, including some overnight and weekend travel for trade shows and vendor visits 

Full-Time Benefits:

Compensation: 

Annual Salary of $110,000 - $160,000 depending on qualifications