Associate Director - Merchandising Operations

Job description

Innovate in Bengaluru This position is based at our on-site office in Bengaluru. Lowe's offers an ultramodern work environment, complete with cutting-edge technology, collaborative workspaces, an on-site gym and clinic, and other perks to enhance your work experience. About Lowe’s Lowe’s is a FORTUNE® 100 home improvement company serving approximately 16 million customer transactions a week in the United States. With total fiscal year 2024 sales of more than $83 billion, Lowe’s operates over 1,700 home improvement stores and employs approximately 300,000 associates. Based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe’s supports the communities it serves through programs focused on creating safe, affordable housing, improving community spaces, helping to develop the next generation of skilled trade experts and providing disaster relief to communities in need. For more information, visit Lowes.com. Lowe’s India, the Global Capability Center of Lowe’s Companies Inc., is a hub for driving our technology, business, analytics, and shared services strategy. Based in Bengaluru with over 4,500 associates, it powers innovations across omnichannel retail, AI/ML, enterprise architecture, supply chain, and customer experience. From supporting and launching homegrown solutions to fostering innovation through its Catalyze platform, Lowe’s India plays a pivotal role in transforming home improvement retail while upholding strong commitment to social impact and sustainability. For more information, visit Lowes India Job Summary The Associate Director Merchandising Operations at Lowe’s India will be responsible to lead, transform, manage and mentor the team of managers, leads and analysts in Bangalore to effectively deliver towards priorities of the global function. This role will be responsible for seamlessly transitioning right scope of work to Lowe’s India and ensuring timely delivery and best quality. Provide guidance to Managers, leads and analysts to gather the correct internal, external information and data, create industry benchmarking, and deliver the information to global partners in an easy to understand format. This leader will be responsible for managing the Lowe’s India merchandising operations Operational Services team, driving operational excellence, and ensuring the efficient delivery of vendor, merchant and enterprise issue support , alongside vendor performance from this location. Through strategic thinking, strong leadership abilities, and keen attention to detail it will be crucial to deliver towards Lowe’s merchandising objectives and maximize profitability. With a strong end to end understanding of Merchandising, this leader will drive operational integrity and key results anchored to enabling speed and quality of service, enrichment of our omni-merchandising experience and sustainable modernized global operations. This role will partner effectively with various stakeholders across location and function to define and seamlessly transition right work to Lowe’s India. This leader will identify value enabling opportunities and drive them to implementation, while ensuring successful integration and organizational adoption This role will focus on building and strengthening partnerships with key stakeholders in US and will proactively identify opportunities where Lowe’s India can best drive value for the organization. This is an enterprise leader responsible for transforming and scaling Merchandising Operations, strengthening Item and Vendor capabilities, and leveraging Product, Technology, Data and AI to improve speed, quality, productivity and business outcomes Roles & Responsibilities Core Responsibilities: • Lead, manage, mentor, and inspire the Operational Services team at Lowe’s India, fostering a high-performance, customer-focused, and inclusive culture. • Serve as a strategic partner to senior Merchandising, Product, and Technology leaders, shaping priorities, investment decisions, and the evolution of the operating model. • Define and execute the operating strategy for Merchandising Operations capabilities from Lowe’s India, aligning delivery with the global roadmap and enterprise business objectives. • Build and scale next-generation leadership capability through organizational design, workforce planning, succession planning, and targeted development of business, product, and operational acumen. • Partner closely with U.S.-based business leaders to understand evolving requirements, translate them into scalable operational solutions, and ensure timely, high-quality execution. • Establish strong ticketing governance, service-management discipline, and performance metrics to improve support responsiveness, transparency, and overall stakeholder experience. • Lead vendor performance strategies that strengthen item availability, improve compliance, and deliver measurable operational and customer outcomes. • Develop and deliver clear, compelling executive communications that effectively convey business insights, risks, progress, and recommendations to the appropriate audiences. • Provide ongoing coaching, candid feedback, and development opportunities that help team members build new skills, adopt modern tools and techniques, and take on increasing levels of responsibility. • Lead business transformation by driving adoption of modern platforms, process automation, and AI-enabled capabilities across Merchandising Operations. • Attract, recruit, and retain top talent; establish robust training and mentorship programs; address performance concerns constructively; and maintain effective recognition, reward, and succession practices. • Monitor changes across Lowe’s digital ecosystem, merchandising landscape, and the broader retail industry to proactively assess customer and operational impacts and identify improvement opportunities. • Drive operational readiness for technology releases and business changes, ensuring teams, processes, controls, trai