Merchandise Specialist; Ford Racing

Ford; Allen Park (MI); Hybrid; USD 74,000 - 166,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Paid time off and holidays

Vehicle discount program

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Ford Racing is seeking a highly motivated Merchandise & Lifestyle Specialist to support the growth and execution of its global merchandise, apparel, and lifestyle partnership portfolio.

This individual will play a critical role in developing annual go-to-market plans, managing licensee and apparel partnerships, and shaping product and go-to-market strategy across Ford Racing's own direct-to-consumer (DTC) collections.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or a related field.
• 5+ years in the merchandise and apparel industry.
• Go-to-market experience in a direct-to-consumer business.
• Strong PowerPoint and Microsoft Office proficiency.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication abilities.
• Passion for motorsports and automotive lifestyle.

Responsibilities

• Implement go-to-market strategy across social, ecommerce, and retail channels.
• Co-develop annual planning calendar for Ford Racing's DTC merchandise collections, including creative direction and launch timing.
• Analyze DTC sales and market trends to generate insights that inform partnership decisions and where-to-play choices.
• Own day-to-day relationships with lifestyle licensees, including annual planning and creative direction for collections.
• Shape go-to-market and creative strategy for licensee collections that fuel Ford Racing's brand growth.
• Connect partner product plans to broader brand, production vehicle, and motorsports marketing calendars.
• Act as the connection point between Ford Merchandise & Licensing and Ford Racing Employees to facilitate team kit roll out.
• Manage the team kit partnership that outfits Ford Racing's global network of employees, drivers, and executives.
• Coordinate delivery timelines and ensure on-brand execution across all team kit touchpoints.
• Partner closely with Ford Racing Social to align go-to-market execution and content strategy.
• Partner with Ford Racing Global Brand to connect product and partnership plans to broader brand-building goals.
• Partner directly with the Ford Merchandise and Licensing team on collections developed with external partners and licensees.

Skills

Go-to-market strategy

Brand management

Partnership management

Presentation skills

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or a related field

Tools

PowerPoint

Microsoft Office

Job description

Racing is where our story began.

In 1901, Henry Ford climbed into a car he built himself—'Sweepstakes'—and beat America's most famous driver. He wasn't a racer, but he had to win. He did. Ford Motor Company was born from that victory.

That fighting spirit lives on in Ford Racing today. We're the engineers, strategists, and competitors who bring Ford's track-tested edge into every vehicle we build. Every track, every stage, every proving ground—that's where we prove ourselves.

The result: one of the world's most iconic brands, legendary nameplates, and a team unmatched in the industry.

Our mantra: Race to win, engineer to lead.

If you're a competitor, innovator, or performance obsessive, Ford Racing is where you belong. Help us write the next chapter.

In this position...

Ford Racing is seeking a highly motivated Merchandise & Lifestyle Specialist to support the growth and execution of its global merchandise, apparel, and lifestyle partnership portfolio. This individual will play a critical role in developing annual go-to-market plans, managing licensee and apparel partnerships, and shaping product and go-to-market strategy across Ford Racing's own direct-to-consumer (DTC) collections. The role combines partnership management, brand and creative direction, and works directly with the Ford Racing Brand and Merchandise Team.

What you'll do...

Go-to-Market

• Implement go-to-market strategy across social, ecommerce, and retail channels
• Co-develop and message annual planning calendar for Ford Racing's DTC merchandise collections, including creative direction and launch timing
• Analyze DTC sales and market trends to generate insights that inform partnership decisions and where-to-play choices

Lifestyle Partnerships

• Own day-to-day relationships with lifestyle licensees, including annual planning and creative direction for collections
• Shape go-to-market and creative strategy for licensee collections that fuel Ford Racing's brand growth
• Connect partner product plans to broader brand, production vehicle, and motorsports marketing calendars

Team Kit Operations

• Act as the connection point between Ford Merchandise & Licensing and Ford Racing Employees to facilitate team kit roll out.
• Manage the team kit partnership that outfits Ford Racing's global network of employees, drivers, and executives
• Coordinate delivery timelines and ensure on-brand execution across all team kit touchpoints

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Ford Racing Social to align go-to-market execution and content strategy
• Partner with Ford Racing Global Brand to connect product and partnership plans to broader brand-building goals
• Partner directly with the Ford Merchandise and Licensing team on collections developed with external partners and licensees

You’ll have...

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience spanning the merchandise and apparel industry
• Working knowledge of go-to-market strategy within a direct-to-consumer (DTC) business
• Strong presentation development skills, with advanced proficiency in PowerPoint and Microsoft Office
• Exceptional organizational and project management abilities
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously under tight deadlines
• Genuine passion for motorsports and automotive lifestyle culture

Even better, you may have...

• Experience or knowledge in social media strategy or brand building
• Hands-on experience managing Tier 1 apparel partners or licensees through the collection development process
• Experience running team kit or apparel programs for a large, global organization
• A knack for translating DTC sales and market data into product strategy
• Prior experience in motorsports, professional sports, or lifestyle/licensing business development
• A self-starter mentality with the flexibility to roll with a dynamic, fast-paced schedule

As an established global company, we offer the benefit of choice. You can choose what your Ford future will look like: will your story span the globe, or keep you close to home? Will your career be a deep dive into what you love, or a series of new teams and new skills? Will you be a leader, a changemaker, a technical expert, a culture builder…or all of the above? No matter what you choose, we offer a work life that works for you, including:

• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care and more
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
• Tuition assistance
• Established and active employee resource groups
• Paid time off for individual and team community service
• A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.

This position is a salary grade 6 and ranges from $74,300-$124,500. This position is a salary grade 7 and ranges from $86,600-$144,900. This position is a salary grade 8 and ranges from $99,100-$166,200. Final determination of salary grade will be based on candidate's skills and experience, and base salary will be set within the applicable range according to job scope, responsibility and competitive market value.

Internal applicants: moving into this role may result in an adjustment to your current compensation based on the posted pay range for this role, taking into consideration your qualifications and other relevant factors.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.

This position is hybrid with a requirement to be onsite four or more days per week.