Tapestry Director, Merchandising Systems

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At Tapestry, being true to yourself is core to who we are. When each of us brings our individuality to our collective ambition, our creativity is unleashed. This global house of brands - Coach and Kate Spade New York - was built by unconventional entrepreneurs and unexpected solutions, so when we say we believe in dreams, we mean we believe in making them happen. We're always on a journey to becoming our best, but you can count on this: Here, your voice is valued, your ambitions are supported, and your work is recognized.

A member of the Tapestry family, we are part of a global house of brands that has unwavering optimism and is committed to being innovative and wholly inclusive. Visit Our People page to learn more about Tapestry's commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity.

The IT Director of Retail Merchandising Systems is a senior leadership role responsible for overseeing the strategy, implementation, integration, and ongoing optimization of technology platforms that power retail merchandising, product lifecycle management (PLM), product development, and related processes. This position bridges IT and business functions (merchandising, design, sourcing, planning, and operations) and is accountable to drive innovation and operational efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the vision, roadmap, and governance for core merchandising and product development systems, including PLM platforms, Digital Product Creation, and product development.
  
• Partner closely with merchandising, design, product development, sourcing, planning, and buying teams to translate business requirements into technology solutions that support end-to-end product lifecycle-from concept and design through sampling, production, launch, and post-market analysis.• Oversee selection, implementation, configuration, upgrades, and support of PLM and merchandising systems to ensure seamless data flow, version control, collaboration across internal teams and external partners (suppliers, vendors.
  
• Evaluate emerging AI-driven Digital Product Creation technologies and provide thought leadership on adoption and data integration with PLM and PD platforms
  
• Drive system integrations and data architecture across the retail tech ecosystem to eliminate silos, ensure real-time visibility, and support accurate product data for merchandising decisions and go-to-market execution.
  
• Manage a team of IT professionals, business analysts, project managers, and vendors; provide leadership, mentorship, and cross-functional coordination to deliver projects on time and within budget.
  
• Establish and enforce best practices for system security, data governance, change management, user adoption, training, and support; monitor system performance, uptime, and scalability to meet growing business demands.
  
• Identify opportunities to leverage emerging technologies (e.g., AI, workflow automation, or analytics for product performance) to enhance merchandising and product development processes.
  
• Develop and manage departmental budgets, vendor relationships, and service-level agreements; report on KPIs such as system adoption rates, time-to-market reductions, data accuracy improvements, and ROI from technology investments.
  
• Ensure alignment with overall IT strategy and retail business objectives, including support for omnichannel retail, sustainability initiatives, and rapid response to market trends.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Information Systems, or a related field; Master's degree or MBA preferred.
  
• 10+ years of progressive IT experience, with at least 5-7 years in retail, fashion/apparel, or consumer goods industries.• Proven track record leading PLM, PIM, merchandising, or product development systems in a retail environment; hands-on experience implementing or managing retail-specific PLM platforms is essential.
  
• Strong understanding of retail product lifecycle processes, including design, technical development, sourcing, merchandising calendars, assortment planning, and go-to-market strategies.
  
• Experience with Digital Product Creation, 3D tools, and other emerging design and PD technology
  
• Experience managing large-scale IT projects, teams, and budgets in a fast-paced retail setting.
  
• Familiarity with related retail technologies (e.g., ERP like SAP or Oracle, OMS, warehouse management, e-commerce platforms, and analytics tools).
  
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills; ability to influence without direct authority and translate technical concepts to non-technical business partners.
  
• Preferred Skills
  
• Experience with cloud-based PLM solutions and modern integration approaches (APIs, middleware).
  
• Knowledge of agile methodologies, change management, and user adoption strategies.
  
• Understanding of retail-specific challenges like seasonal cycles, global sourcing, compliance, and omnichannel merchandising.
  

Our Competencies for All Employees

Courage : Doesn't hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and "actionable" positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.
Creativity : Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
Customer Focus : Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
Dealing with Ambiguity : Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn't upset when things are up in the air; doesn't have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
Drive for Results : Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
Interpersonal Savvy : Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
Learning on the Fly : Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.

Our Competencies for All People Managers
Strategic Agility : Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
Developing Direct Reports and Others : Provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments; holds frequent development discussions; is aware of each person's career goals; constructs compelling development plans and executes them; pushes people to accept developmental moves; will take on those who need help and further development; cooperates with the developmental system in the organization; is a people builder.
Building Effective Teams : Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in their team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.

Tapestry, Inc. is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we pride ourselves on hiring and developing the best people. All employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline and termination) are based on the applicant's or employee's qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under consideration. These decisions are made without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic characteristics, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other legally-recognized protected basis prohibited by applicable law.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Tapestry, Inc. will provide applicants and employees with reasonable accommodation for disabilities or religious beliefs. If you require reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact Tapestry People Services at 1-855-566-9264 or [email protected]

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Base Pay Range
$120,000.00-$170,000.00

Here are some of the benefits that we offer: Medical insurance, Dental insurance, Vision insurance, 401 (K), Paid Paternity and Maternity leave, Commuter Benefits, Disability insurance and Tuition assistance. Please click here for a complete list of U.S Corporate Compensation & Benefits.