MINNEAPOLIS – Kathee Tesija, executive vice president and chief merchandising and supply chain officer at Target Corp., will move into an advisory role effective July 6.

Kathee Tesija

An external and internal search is under way for a replacement, Target chairman and chief executive officer Brian Cornell said Thursday.

The position’s areas of responsibility include overseeing all merchandising functions of product design and development, sourcing, inventory management, merchandising, presentation, operations and the company’s end-to-end global supply chain for Target stores and Target.com.

“During Kathee’s nearly 30-year career at Target, she has earned a reputation as an outstanding merchant and business leader who has been instrumental in Target’s growth and our recent efforts to regain our momentum. Her leadership and countless contributions helped establish Target as one of America’s favorite retailers,” Cornell said in a statement.

“Over the past several months, Kathee and I have had many discussions about the business and together have decided that it is the right time for her to transition to an advisory role. In this role, she will spend the next several months contributing to key enterprise initiatives and ensuring a smooth transition of her responsibilities.”

Tesija joined the retailer in 1986 as a merchandise analyst and went on to hold key leadership positions throughout the organization, including vice president and senior vice president of various divisions. She was promoted to chief merchandiser in 2008 and added responsibility for the company’s supply chain in 2012.