Senior Manager, Merchandising - FTW Performance

Global Sports Jobs Limited; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career growth

Competitive pay

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Global Sports Jobs Limited in Denver seeks a merchandising leader to shape the long-term vision and strategy for the Performance Footwear business, covering Trail Running, Hiking and Mountaineering. You will own category strategy and collaborate with Brand Innovation, Design and Development, Planning, Brand Marketing and Sales.

You will lead a team of merchandising professionals, drive category financial targets including margin and productivity, and present strategies to senior leadership and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising or related field.
• 8+ years in merchandising or product management.
• Experience leading technical footwear categories (trail running, hiking, mountaineering).
• Understanding of footwear product creation including sourcing and go-to-market.
• Proven track record of category strategies and profitable line plans.
• Strong financial acumen including margins and pricing.
• Excellent communication and presenting to senior leaders.
• Ability to lead and develop global cross-functional teams.
• Analytical and strategic thinker in a fast-paced environment.
• Growth mindset with consumer-led decision making.

Responsibilities

• Shape long-term vision and strategy for Performance Footwear.
• Lead category analysis to uncover opportunities and translate insights into product strategies.
• Partner with Brand Innovation, Design and Development to influence pipelines and direction.
• Own product strategy and execution for Trail Running, Hiking and Mountaineering.
• Oversee seasonal product briefs with direction on consumer needs, positioning, pricing and assortment.
• Lead cross-functional pods and drive product decisions through development and factory visits.
• Deliver category financial targets including margin and productivity.
• Align assortment with regional objectives across go-to-market milestones.
• Develop differentiated assortment strategies across consumers, channels and geographies.
• Collaborate with Planning, Brand Marketing, Sales and Sourcing to bring vision to life across channels.
• Present category vision and strategies to senior leadership and external partners.
• Lead and develop a high-performance merchandising team.

Skills

Merchandising leadership

Category strategy

Financial acumen

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder communication

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Marketing/Merchandising

Job description

About the Role

A merchandising leadership role responsible for shaping the long-term vision and strategy for the Performance Footwear business, covering categories such as Trail Running, Hiking and Mountaineering. The position owns category product strategy and execution, partnering with Brand Innovation, Design and Development teams and with Planning, Brand Marketing, Sales and Sourcing colleagues to bring the category vision to life across wholesale, DTC, digital and retail channels. It leads a team of merchandising professionals and is accountable for category financial targets including margin and productivity. The role also presents category vision, product strategies, innovation priorities and seasonal assortments to senior leadership and key external partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Help shape the long-term vision and strategy for the Performance Footwear business, identifying opportunities to drive consumer relevance, brand elevation and sustainable growth.
• Lead category-level consumer, marketplace and competitive analysis to uncover emerging opportunities and translate insights into actionable product strategies.
• Partner closely with Brand Innovation, Design and Development teams to influence future innovation pipelines and seasonal product direction.
• Own product strategy and execution for the Performance Footwear category, including Trail Running, Hiking and Mountaineering, ensuring a balanced product assortment that delivers against consumer and business objectives.
• Oversee the creation of seasonal product briefs, providing clear direction on consumer needs, product positioning, pricing and assortment architecture.
• Lead cross-functional product pods and drive key product decisions throughout the product creation process, including participation in development and factory visits.
• Deliver category financial targets, including margin, productivity and overall business performance.
• Drive global assortment plans and align category strategies with regional merchandising and financial objectives across key go-to-market milestones.
• Develop differentiated assortment and segmentation strategies across consumers, channels, tiers and geographies to maximise growth opportunities.
• Collaborate closely with Planning, Brand Marketing, Sales and Sourcing partners to ensure the category vision is brought to life across wholesale, DTC, digital and retail channels.
• Present category vision, product strategies, innovation priorities and seasonal assortments to senior leadership and key external partners, inspiring confidence through deep expertise in the consumer, product and marketplace.
• Lead and develop a team of merchandising professionals, fostering a high-performance culture focused on growth, collaboration and accountability.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of experience in merchandising, product management or a related product creation function, preferably within the footwear industry.
• Strong experience leading technical footwear categories, preferably performance running, trail running, hiking, mountaineering or outdoor footwear.
• Deep understanding of footwear product creation, including merchandising, design, development, sourcing, testing and go-to-market execution.
• Proven success developing category strategies, product assortments and line plans that drive business growth.
• Strong financial acumen, including experience managing margins, pricing architecture and category profitability.
• Deep understanding of performance consumers, market trends and competitive dynamics.
• Exceptional communication, presentation and influencing skills, including experience presenting to senior leaders and external partners.
• Proven ability to lead and develop teams while building strong partnerships across global, cross-functional organisations.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking capabilities with the ability to turn insights into action.
• High degree of agility, adaptability and comfort operating in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Growth mindset with a passion for product, innovation and consumer-led decision making.

Preferred Skills

• Experience within the outdoor, performance or premium footwear industry.
• Global merchandising experience across multiple regions and channels.
• Strong understanding of footwear innovation, materials, performance technologies and testing processes.
• Experience building franchise strategies and managing large-volume product businesses.
• International work experience and understanding of diverse consumer and market needs.
• Passion for outdoor exploration, trail running, hiking, climbing or mountain sports.

Salary

• Eligible for additional compensation awards that may include an annual incentive plan, sales incentive or commission potential; specific details of additional compensation eligibility are provided during the recruiting and interview process.

Benefits & Perks

• Extensive development and growth opportunities for current and future positions.
• Competitive compensation package.
• Strong benefits package including medical, dental, vision and 401(k).