Job Description
The NMG Assortment Assessment team is seeking a strategic, self-directed leader to join us as Manager of Program Management. In this high-impact role, you’ll lead a team of Senior Strategy Associates and play a pivotal role in shaping Nordstrom’s assortment strategy—ensuring it reflects customers’ evolving needs and delivers measurable business outcomes.
Assortment Assessment translates customer insights into actionable recommendations, connects those recommendations to JWN strategy, and enables Merchandising leaders to act with clarity and confidence. We work across short- and medium-term initiatives to drive relevance, performance, and customer impact.
**A day in the life… **
As Manager, you’ll deliver on three primary responsibilities:
Support a team of Sr Strategy Associates as a people manager
Co-lead the team’s roadmap and book of work, setting direction for the team
Own high-scope, quick-turn, and high-impact projects as an internal strategy partner to Merchandising leadership
What you bring:
- A strategic mindset and analytical rigor, with the ability to connect dots across customer insights, business performance, and NMG strategy
- Strong communication and storytelling skills, able to influence down-pyramid leaders and across functions
- A collaborative spirit and bias for action—comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving clarity
- Passion for retail and a deep commitment to customer-centric thinking
- Ability to build and empower high-performing teams through coaching, feedback, and clear direction. You set vision, clarify ownership, and create space for growth—developing talent while delivering results.
- Lead and support a team of Senior Strategy Associates—providing coaching, feedback, and growth opportunities
- Co-lead team program management efforts, including quarterly business reviews and book-of-work planning
- Partner with Merch leaders (Directors+) to address the issues facing the business – converting ambiguous needs into testable hypotheses and a structured project plan
- Analyze high-volume data, connecting internal (e.g., performance, customer) and external (e.g., market share, competitor selection) data to develop a holistic view of the customer and business
- Translate data insights into meaningful recommendations, always being able the answer the “so what?” behind them, and ensuring they are realistic and actionable by our Merch teams
- Hone your storytelling by identifying common themes across recommendations, understanding how they connect to industry trends and JWN strategies, to craft action plans for Merch leaders
- Learn quickly, be curious, and remain flexible – our value lies not in being the expert, but in being trusted problem-solving partners that can learn quickly, dive in, and find relevant solutions
- Think creatively, knowing that the best data or answers are often not readily available, and find work-around’s to navigate roadblocks to get to the best answer available
- Be customer focused and go beyond the analysis! Our customers are those who shop Nordstrom and Rack, potential customers who don’t currently shop here, and the Merch leaders and NMG teams affected by our recommendations. Make it real and see the results
- Support the team and grow yourself. Stay on top of and share industry trends, support teammates by giving feedback or sharing knowledge, develop yourself by proactively learning and seeking feedback
You own this if you have…
- 6+ years’ experience in merchandising, experience in retail operations (e.g., store selling/management, supply chain, marketing), or with a leading management consulting firm (e.g., McKinsey, Deloitte, PwC)
- Strong proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and Merchandise Reporting (e.g., Tableau, MicroStrategy)
- Strong verbal, written, and visual communication skills
- Strong quantitative skills and an ability to articulate insights from data
- Working understanding of retail math concepts and financial analysis
- Collaborative mindset and proven track record of stakeholder management
- Adaptability and the willingness to take on complex problems as they arise
- Curiosity and creativity, being comfortable learning quickly – even when you’re not an expert
- Interest in or passion for retail industry innovations and fashion trends
Preferred Qualifications:
- 2 + years of experience with advanced data platforms and tools (Tableau, SQL, Looker, Python)
- Previous experience working in or analyzing off-price retailing or private-label, preferably with the Rack or Nordstrom Made Brands (NPG)
- Previous experience and comfortability with customer insights and leveraging internal customer data (e.g., traffic, trips, conversion, etc.)
We’ve got you covered…
Our employees are our most important asset and that’s reflected in our benefits. Nordstrom is proud to offer a variety of benefits to support employees and their families, including:
- Medical/Vision, Dental, Retirement and Paid Time Away
- Life Insurance and Disability
- Merchandise Discount and EAP Resources
A few more important points...
The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive. There may be additional duties, responsibilities and qualifications for this job.
For Los Angeles or San Francisco applicants: Nordstrom is required to inform you that we conduct background checks after conditional offer and consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with legal requirements per Los Angeles, Cal. Muni. Code 189.04 and the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. For additional state and location specific notices, please refer to the Legal Notices document within the FAQ section of the Nordstrom Careers site.
Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation should contact the nearest Nordstrom location, which can be identified at www.nordstrom.com.
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Pay Range Details
The pay range(s) below has been provided in compliance with state specific laws. Pay ranges may be different for other locations. Pay offers are dependent on the location, as well as job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
$110,500.00 - $183,000.00 Annual
This position may be eligible for performance-based incentives/bonuses. Benefits include 401k, medical/vision/dental/life/disability insurance options, PTO accruals, Holidays, and more. Eligibility requirements may apply based on location, job level, classification, and length of employment. Learn more in the Nordstrom Benefits Overview by copying and pasting the following URL into your browser: https://careers.nordstrom.com/pdfs/Ben_Overview_17-19.pdf