Merchandising Operations Team Lead

Overview

Merchandising Team Lead

The Team Lead will be part of Merchandising Operations Team where you will leverage your skills and

business acumen to achieve the organization and team goals.

About Catalyst Brands

Catalyst Brands is a leading U.S.-based retail organization formed in 2025 through the merger of JCPenney and SPARC Group, combining multiple iconic fashion brands under one umbrella. The company manages a diversified portfolio of well-known brands including Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Nautica, Lucky Brand, and JCPenney. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Catalyst Brands focuses on delivering modern retail experiences while leveraging the heritage of established global brands.

With a workforce of over tens of thousands and multi-billion-dollar revenue, the organization operates at a large scale across retail, e-commerce, and supply chain domains. The company emphasizes innovation, digital transformation, and customer-centric strategies to enhance brand value and consumer engagement. Catalyst Brands is expanding its global presence, including a growing capability centre in India that supports technology, digital operations, and analytics.

It aims to drive operational excellence and business growth by integrating technology, data-driven insights, and efficient retail practices.

Job Purpose

We are seeking a dynamic, detail-oriented, and strategic Merchandising Operations Team Lead to oversee and optimize the end-to-end item creation and supplier onboarding processes across multiple business units. This role is critical in enabling seamless inventory execution and digital item setup, directly influencing speedto-market and customer experience.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong leadership capabilities, cross-functional collaboration, and a deep understanding of merchandise operations, item lifecycle management, and retail systems. The role requires interfacing with suppliers, merchants, digital operations, and inventory teams to ensure data integrity, operational efficiency, and flawless execution in JCPenney’s ecosystem.

Job Functions

• 6 to 8 years of experience in Retail and Merchandising – Item Set Up, Category management and

catalogue management

• Communicates with various levels of management including merchandising managers, buyers,

assistant buyers and merchandising assistants

Key Responsibilities

• Builds and Elevates Team Capability: Champions the development of team members through hands-on

mentoring, continuous feedback, and targeted skill-building initiatives. Cultivates bench strength to ensure

organizational agility, succession readiness, and long-term team sustainability.

• Operational Leadership & Workflow Excellence: Establishes and enforces standardized workflows to

streamline execution and ensure consistent delivery of high-volume, time-sensitive operational tasks.

• Support Services & SLA Management: Leads the team in providing exceptional user support by defining,

monitoring, and continuously improving Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Identifies skill and knowledge gaps,

driving the creation of training programs that elevate team performance and reduce support friction.

• Strategic Ownership of Item Creation: Lead the team responsible for execution of the item setup process for

both owned and factory-ship assortments. Ensure flawless execution and integration of orderable and sellable

attributes in alignment with divisional goals, merchandise strategies, and omnichannel readiness.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Act as a liaison between merchants, planning teams, and suppliers to ensure

alignment on timelines, data requirements, and setup accuracy. Drive accountability across business units to

meet critical milestones for new item rollouts.

• Supplier Enablement & Communication: Establish strong supplier partnerships to ensure timely

submission of item setup data and compliance with JCPenney standards. Own post-setup supplier

communication including image submissions, content updates, and inventory availability.

• Process Optimization: Continuously assess and refine item setup workflows and systems to reduce cycle

time, eliminate errors, and improve scalability. Proactively identify bottlenecks and implement process

improvements in partnership with IT and business stakeholders.

• Digital Operations Integration: Lead the collaboration with the Digital Operations team to ensure readiness

for content deployment, image processing, and inventory loading into the eCommerce platform.

• Data Accuracy & Governance: Ensure all forms and data captured during the item setup phase are validated

and accurate. Implement processes and controls to maintain high data integrity across JCPenney’s ERP and

digital systems. Build and lead strong governance over item readiness for online and in-store visibility.

Minimum Requirements

• 6 to 8 years of relevant experience in Merchandising and Item Data Management
• Bachelor’s degree in related field (Masters will be added advantage)
• Critical thinking, Problem Solving, Mentoring & Decision-making
• Proficiency in Oracle RMS, data master, PIM or other related operating system
• Proficiency in intermediate excel
• Good Communication Skills both verbal & written

• Enjoy a rewarding career at Catalyst Brands Business Services, where we offer a competitive benefits
• package, a vibrant work environment, and the opportunity to make a difference at one of America's
• most iconic retailers.

• Benefits: Medical insurance coverage, Accident insurance, Life and Gratuity insurance,

• Employee assistance program, creche/day care support, adoption assistance program, paid
• leaves, maternity leave, paternity leave, bereavement leave, adoption leave, compensatory
• leave, free cab services(door pick up and door drop),Ekin Care.

• On-site amenities: Onsite sick/wellness room, office doctor visits, cafeteria services

(free lunch),tuck shop, nursing/lactation room, footstools for expecting mothers, gym,

innovation lab, recreation room, vibrant co-working spaces and meeting rooms.

• Exciting location: Our office is located in one of India's largest contiguous and most-well

known business parks. Spanning 15.2msf, Embassy Manyata is located in a prominent growth

corridor, which connects the international airport to the city centre.

• Opportunities for growth and development: We are committed to helping our employees

grow their careers and develop their skills. We offer a variety of training and development

programs, as well as opportunities for advancement.

• Collaborative and supportive culture: We believe in creating a workplace where everyone feels

valued and respected. We encourage teamwork and collaboration, and we are always looking for

ways to support our employees' success.

Pay Range

INR ₹0.00 - INR ₹0.00 /Yr.