Position Overview:
 

The Brand Merchandising Specialist is responsible for running the Youth Villages Gear, our employee apparel and merchandise store, and leading the Youth Villages specialty license plate campaign. Both come down to the same thing: getting our stakeholders, including employees, donors and supporters, to wear, drive, and carry our brand, because they believe in what it stands for. This role sits in the Communications department on the Digital and Creative team. 

The specialty license plate campaign is a major focus and a high-visibility priority for the organization. You will build the campaign, work collaboratively with operations leaders and staff to grow sales and renewals, help keep the plate on the road across Tennessee and report progress regularly to senior leadership. This role is for a creative doer who can spot an opportunity, build the plan, and make people want to be part of it. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The Brand Merchandising Specialist:

• Manages all aspects of Youth Villages Gear, including the online store, the on-site annual conference store, and program subsites such as Youth Villages Way and Memphis Allies 

• Keeps the store current and refreshed by ordering new merchandise, discontinuing items as needed and introducing fresh apparel ideas that keep Gear relevant and on-brand

• Manages the annual conference store logistics and volunteers, including the Youth Villages fashion show and related activities

• Handles day-to-day store needs, including special and event orders, customer questions, and follow-up 

• Monitors inventory and coordinates with vendors, including Signet and others, on product availability, quality, pricing, fulfillment and issue resolution 

• Reviews all Youth Villages Gear requests to ensure that merchandise complies with Youth Villages brand guidelines 

• Serves as liaison between staff and vendors on special merchandise projects, identifying needs, defining scope, and building the plan 

• Enters invoices in Workday and bills departments as needed for Gear orders and merchandise projects

• Leads the Youth Villages Tennessee specialty license plate campaign, including strategy, promotion, outreach, tracking, and reporting 

• Works with operations leaders and staff to grow plate sales and renewals across Tennessee and helps ensure Youth Villages maintains the sales level required to keep the plate active 

• Creates marketing campaigns to promote the plate to employees, donors, volunteers, community partners, and other Tennessee-based audiences, including at events and gatherings 

• Monitors sales and renewal data and provides regular updates to senior leadership, including progress, risks, and recommended next steps. 

• Tracks and analyzes store performance, merchandise sales, license plate sales, renewals, and campaign effectiveness 

• Serves as the internal and external point of contact for the plate, coordinating with internal teams and state contacts on requirements, purchase steps, and updates

• Creates content that promotes Gear, the specialty plate and other brand initiatives across social media, email, web, events, and employee communications 

• Maintains a consistent brand voice and ensures all content meets Youth Villages brand standards 

• Captures photo and video content at local events and partners with the creative team to bring ideas to life 

• Supports and manages other marketing projects or channels for the organization as needed 

• Performs other duties as assigned

Additional Information:

The ideal candidate has:

• Proven ability to own an initiative, track progress toward a goal and report results to leadership

• High level of initiative and strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines independently in a fast-paced environment

• Confidence and professionalism to work with senior leaders, donors, vendors, and community partners 

• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel across Tennessee for events and conferences

• Ability to lift and transport merchandise for the on-site store

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Business, Nonprofit Management or a related field (preferred)

• Three or more years of experience in marketing, social media, communications, merchandising, e-commerce, brand management or a related field (required)

• Experience managing vendor relationships, product ordering, or inventory (required) 

• Experience with online stores, branded merchandise, apparel programs or promotional products (preferred)

• Experience running a campaign with a defined sales or growth target (preferred)

• Basic photography skills or willingness to support event photography (preferred)

• Strong writing, storytelling and content creation skills across channels

• Strong customer service skills and attention to detail

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, with the ability to learn new platforms and systems quickly