Merchandising Manager

Welcome to Warner Bros. Discovery… the stuff dreams are made of.

Who We Are…

When we say, “the stuff dreams are made of,” we’re not just referring to the world of wizards, dragons and superheroes, or even to the wonders of Planet Earth. Behind WBD’s vast portfolio of iconic content and beloved brands, are the storytellers bringing our characters to life, the creators bringing them to your living rooms and the dreamers creating what’s next…

From brilliant creatives, to technology trailblazers, across the globe, WBD offers career defining opportunities, thoughtfully curated benefits, and the tools to explore and grow into your best selves. Here you are supported, here you are celebrated, here you can thrive.

From the phenomenally successful Warner Bros. Studio Tours in London, Hollywood, and Tokyo, to flagship retail stores in New York, Chicago and Tokyo, the next exciting addition to this collection is Warner Bros. Studio Tour Shanghai - The Making of Harry Potter, a completely new experience for Harry Potter fans in China.

Located in the heart of the city, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Shanghai – The Making of Harry Potter is an indoor attraction designed to transport visitors into the world of filmmaking, revealing production secrets through interactive experiences, showcasing stunning sets, and displaying beautifully crafted props. 

This new attraction will deliver the Studio Tour values of exceptional customer service, experiences that exceed visitors’ expectations and the very best in Harry Potter retail.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Shanghai (WBSTS) will be operated in partnership with Jinjiang International (Holdings) Co., Ltd, a State-Owned Enterprise, ensuring a world-class experience for all who visit.

Your New Role

We are looking for a Merchandising Manager to lead the product merchandising and buying function for WBSTS. This role owns the end-to-end product lifecycle, from global range selection and dedicated product development through buying, launch, trading and inventory management, maximizing sales, margin, availability and visitor engagement. 

The role is the critical link between the Global Team and the WBSTS Retail Team, balancing global brand direction with local consumer insight. It owns range architecture, product development, supplier management, demand planning, stock investment, launch delivery and commercial performance. 

As a key member of the WBSTS Retail Team Leadership Team, the Merchandising Manager builds and develops a high-performing function and partners closely with the Global Team, including Global Buying, Design, Product Development, Sourcing, Logistics, Supply Chain, Compliance, Commercial and Marketing, to deliver business objectives. 

Your Role Accountabilities

Product Merchandising, Buying & Range Development

• Own and lead the product merchandising and buying strategy across all categories, selecting commercially compelling products from the global range and developing the dedicated WBSTS assortment. 

• Act as the primary WBSTS interface with the Global Team, including Global Buying, on product selection, range architecture, product development and launch planning. 

• Partner with the Global Team, Design, Product Development and licensees to create a dedicated Shanghai product range that reflects consumer preferences, cultural nuances and commercial opportunities while remaining aligned with the global brand. 

• Identify and develop products suitable for the Chinese market, working with licensees, vendors and suppliers as appropriate. 

• Lead range presentations and manage product assortments through the senior leadership sign-off process. 

• Develop seasonal, annual and long-term merchandise plans aligned with global brand direction and WBSTS commercial objectives. 

• Influence pricing, margin, assortment architecture and depth-of-buy decisions for global and locally developed products. 

• Ensure products are launched with the appropriate stock profiles, investment levels and replenishment strategies. 

Commercial Performance, Trading & Inventory  

• Drive performance against sales, margin, markdown, sell-through, stock turn, availability and inventory targets, with accountability for category KPIs. 

• Lead weekly, quarterly and seasonal trading reviews for the Shanghai market. 

• Analyze product performance, customer behavior, store-level feedback, real-time trading data and consumer research to identify commercial opportunities and inform range edits and future product development. 

• Partner with the Marketing Team to review evolving customer trends and insights and establish a regular insight-sharing cadence so customer, cultural and behavioral shifts inform merchandising and buying decisions. 

• Lead local forecasting, demand planning and stock management, improving forecast accuracy and inventory productivity to support growth. 

• Maintain ownership of local inventory investment and take timely action to address risks and opportunities. 

Critical Path, Supplier & Operational Excellence  

• Manage the critical path from concept through shipping and launch, ensuring planned launch dates, budgets and product requirements are met and risks are actively managed. 

• Evaluate the supply base, build strong supplier relationships and partner with Compliance to source and onboard new suppliers where needed to support the supplier strategy. 

• Ensure product quality, compliance, delivery and brand standards meet global and WBSTS requirements. 

• Partner with Global Logistics, Supply Chain and local teams to ensure stock is delivered on time and in full. 

• Ensure local merchandising and buying processes are documented, scalable and fit for purpose and are executed using the agreed guidelines of the retail system, Burgeon. 

• Drive improvements across planning, forecasting, allocation, buying and stock management as store and channel volumes grow. 

• Support implementation of new systems, tools and ways of working, and work with global and local technology teams to ensure the technology roadmap reflects WBSTS product requirements. 

• Establish and monitor key merchandising and buying KPIs and reporting frameworks, leveraging real-time data from the growing retail estate. 

Team Leadership & Development  

• Lead, inspire and develop a high-performing merchandising and buying function as part of the broader WBSTS Retail Team. 

• Manage team workload, development and end-of-year review processes, and create clear development pathways and succession plans. 

• Coach and mentor team members to strengthen commercial, analytical, product and leadership capability. 

• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement. 

• Ensure resources are structured effectively to support local priorities and future growth, including scaling the team in line with retail system expansion. 

Leadership Team & Cross-Functional Contribution

• Act as a key member of the WBSTS Retail Team Leadership Team and represent the function in local leadership meetings and senior stakeholder forums. 

• Contribute to local business strategy, annual planning, technology roadmaps and organizational priorities. 

• Provide local market insight, recommendations and constructive challenge to support strategic decision-making. 

• Champion cross-functional collaboration across Merchandising, Buying, Design, Retail Operations, Marketing, Finance, Commercial, Compliance and Supply Chain to align product priorities with wider WBSTS and global objectives. 

Key Working Relationships

• Global Team and Global Buying - dedicated WBSTS range co-development, product alignment, range architecture, launch planning and trend sharing. 

• Design and Product Development - product and range development. 

• Marketing Team - customer trends, insights and storytelling collaboration. 

• Licensees, vendors and suppliers, both global and local. 

• Retail, Store Operations, Finance and Commercial teams across WBSTS. 

• Compliance, Logistics, Supply Chain and technology teams. 

Key Requirements & Competencies

Experience

• 5+ years of merchandising, buying, product development or sourcing experience, with at least 1–2 years managing a category or product line.

• Proven track record of delivering sales, margin and KPI targets within a retail or consumer products business. 

• Experience managing the critical path from concept through shipping and launch. 

• Background working with licensees, vendors and global supply bases. 

• Deep familiarity with the Chinese market and its guest preferences, with experience selling through dedicated retail channels. 

Skills & Capabilities

• Strong product judgement, with the ability to identify commercial opportunities and edit ranges with discipline. 

• Excellent negotiation and supplier relationship management skills. 

• Strong commercial numeracy across pricing, margin, sell-through, forecasting and inventory investment. 

• Ability to present and support range recommendations to senior leadership with clarity and confidence. 

• Experience with retail merchandising and buying systems, PLM tools and critical path management. 

• Fluent English as the working language; Mandarin Chinese proficiency required for daily work with Chinese market stakeholders. 

Competencies

• Customer-focused, with a deep understanding of Chinese guests and the ability to use insights and trend forecasting to shape product decisions. 

• Proactive problem-solver who identifies and manages risk early. 

• Collaborative partner across Merchandising, Buying, Design, Marketing and other cross-functional teams. 

• Commercially driven with a commitment to high standards. 

• Able to manage multiple categories, priorities and deadlines effectively. 

Shanghai Joint Venture Employment:

Please note that this position is employed through Warner Bros. Discovery’s joint venture with Jin Jiang International (Holdings) Co., Ltd. The joint venture entity is Shanghai WB Jinjiang Studio Tour Co., Ltd. Successful candidates will be hired by the joint venture company and assigned to work with Warner Bros. Discovery as required for this project.

How We Get Things Done…

This last bit is probably the most important! Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find them at www.wbd.com/guiding-principles/ along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview.

Championing Inclusion at WBD

Warner Bros. Discovery embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects a wide array of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, disability or any other category protected by law.

If you’re a qualified candidate with a disability and you require adjustments or accommodations during the job application and/or recruitment process, please visit our accessibility page for instructions to submit your request.