Merchandising Manager, Sport

PUMA North America, Inc.; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 57,000 - 91,000; Full time

Job summary

PUMA North America, Inc. is seeking a Sport Merchandising Manager to develop and manage Wholesale and DTC merchandising strategy by blending consumer insights with business acumen to reach revenue and profitability goals.

The role is the footwear and apparel expert within the marketplace, collaborating with Sales and Marketing and with key accounts. You will lead seasonal range planning, oversee product briefs, pricing, lifecycle and GTM documents, and own sample ordering for meetings.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, retail merchandising, or a related field.
• 5+ years of merchandising or product management in Wholesale or Retail.
• Strong business orientation, analytical aptitude, and retail math knowledge.
• Ability to travel 20-30%, domestically and international.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead wholesale product and marketplace strategies that support brand priorities, drive growth, maximize profit, and provide a positive consumer experience.
• Curate seasonal range assortments that optimize global product assets and leverage brand stories; oversee regional product developments from briefing to sign-off.
• Lead the education of the sales team on seasonal merchandising strategies and products.
• Own and execute the seasonal account pre-line process to validate key concepts and identify gaps.
• Build seasonal forecast plans by business unit, product classification and gender; contribute to financial planning with category insights.

Skills

Power BI

Microsoft Office Suite

Analytical aptitude

Retail math knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Business, Retail Merchandising, or a related field

Tools

Pricing tools

Job description

SPEED & SPIRIT is what we look for in our candidates, defined by some simple values that inspire us to BE DRIVEN in our performance, BE VIBRANT in our sporting legacy, BE TOGETHER in our team spirit, and to let our individual talent and experience shine.

YOUR MISSION

The Sport Merchandising Manager role develops and manages the successful execution of Wholesale and DTC merchandising strategy by combining consumer insights and business acumen to reach productivity and financial goals, while aligning to brand direction and objectives. In this role, the merch manager, serves as the expert on Footwear and Apparel within marketplace, including its consumers, business performance and product needs. The candidate serves as critical partner to Sales, Marketing and PUMA’s key accounts, in developing growth-driving merchandising strategies to increase sales and profitability for the brand and its customers.

Merchandising Strategy

• Develop and lead wholesale product and marketplace strategies that support brand priorities, drive growth, maximize profit, and provide a positive consumer experience.

Product Range Management and Administration

• Curate seasonal range assortments that optimize global product assets and leverage brand stories
• Identify and qualify regional product opportunities to serve local market needs and support key account and segmentation strategies; create comprehensive product briefings that deliver product solutions for gaps.
• Oversee regional product developments from briefing to product sign off.
• Manage range administration – set pricing, establish product flow and lifecycle, complete ranging exercises and build and maintain GTM documents and seasonal line plans.
• Own sample ordering for pre-line meetings, sales meetings and sales reps adhering to seasonal sample targets and KPIs.

Sales and Account Collaboration

• Lead the education of the sales team on seasonal merchandising strategies and products.
• Own and execute the seasonal account pre-line process to validate key concepts, ensure range coverage and identify critical gaps.
• Assist in go-to-market activities for seasonal sell in meetings inclusive of product set up and presentation support.
• Build relationships with key buyers to gain account insights, identify opportunities and gain product feedbacks.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Sales to align on seasonal marketing strategies and product activations.

Business Planning and Forecasting

• Build seasonal forecast plans by business unit, product classification and gender that align with net sales goals.
• Contribute to the financial planning process by sharing category and gender insights to inform on trends and shifts in range emphasis.

Market Analysis and Insight

• Perform ongoing sell-through analysis for categories, channels, and key accounts to stay ahead of market needs.
• Travel to relevant markets and accounts to gain insights on current trends, consumer behaviors and channel and account opportunities.

YOUR TALENT

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Business, Retail Merchandising, or a related field preferred
• 5+ years of experience in Merchandising or Product Management in either Wholesale or Retail organization
• Successful record and reputation of exceeding performance expectations, with progressive levels of responsibility and accountability
• Strong business orientation, analytical aptitude, and retail math knowledge
• Strong collaboration skills required to work cross-functionally with sales, product marketing, planning and ops teams.
• Comprehensive business knowledge of the US marketplace and consumer goods practices including distribution channels, pricing, segmentation strategy, regional variances, product sourcing, planning, forecasting, design, development, and sales.
• Thrives in a challenging environment with short timelines and changing priorities.
• Flexible, solution-oriented, a skilled communicator and a relationship builder
• Fully proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and Power BI
• Ability to travel 20-30%, domestically and international.

The hiring range base pay for this position is $57,000 - 91,200 + Bonus + Benefits (Benefit Summary Corporate) Pay may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

PUMA provides equal opportunities for all job applicants, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or disability. Equality for all is one of the core principles at PUMA and we do not tolerate any form of harassment or discrimination. At PUMA, every application is reviewed by real people who are committed to fairness, transparency, and equal opportunity - no matter your background, identity, or experience.To ensure our process stays true to these values, no automated systems or AI tools are used to make hiring decisions. Every decision is made by real people -with real judgment and accountability. We may use functions supported by Artificial Intelligence (AI) to carry out isolated organizational steps, such as scheduling interviews. These functions have no influence on decisions in the application process. We believe in creating spaces where everyone is welcome, celebrated, and empowered to contribute authentically. Because at PUMA, whoever wants to play, can play. PUMA is a global sports brand creating footwear, apparel, and accessories that inspire athletes and everyday movers. The PUMA Group owns PUMA, Cobra Golf, and stichd, operates in 120+ countries, and has around 22,000 employees worldwide. PUMA is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. It is the policy of PUMA to prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type and to afford equal employment opportunities to all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, gender, physical or mental disability, veteran-status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

At PUMA, we are in constant pursuit of faster. That extends beyond our support of the fastest athletes in the world. We also work to be fast in how we adapt to and connect with the constantly changing world around us. Through innovative design, iconic footwear and apparel, and authentic partnerships, we aim to always push what’s next in both sport and culture. PUMA supports over 21,000 employees across 120+ countries. The PUMA Group owns the brand PUMA, Cobra Golf and stichd, and is headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany.