Senior Merchandising Leader - Performance Footwear

TNF; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 121,000 - 151,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

401(k)

Job summary

The North Face in Denver, CO seeks a Senior Manager of Merchandising – Performance Footwear to shape long-term strategy for Trail Running, Hiking, and Mountaineering footwear. You will drive consumer insights, partner with Design and Development, and own product direction from concept to market across multiple channels.

You will lead a cross-functional team, manage financial targets, and present strategies to senior leaders, ensuring a differentiated, consumer-led assortment for global markets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising, or related field; or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of experience in merchandising, product management, or a related product creation function, preferably within footwear.
• Experience leading technical footwear categories (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 margins, pricing architecture, and category profitability.
• Understanding of performance consumers, market trends, and competitive dynamics.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and influencing skills, including experience presenting to senior leaders.
• Proven ability to lead and develop teams while building strong partnerships across global, cross-functional organizations.
• Analytical and strategic thinking with agility and a growth mindset.

Responsibilities

• Shape the long-term vision and strategy for the Performance Footwear category.
• Lead category-level consumer, marketplace, and competitive analysis and translate insights into product strategies.
• Partner with Brand Innovation, Design, and Development to influence future pipelines and seasonal direction.
• Own the product strategy and execution for the Performance Footwear category (Trail Running, Hiking, Mountaineering).
• Oversee the creation of seasonal product briefs with clear direction on consumer needs, positioning, pricing, and assortment.
• Lead cross-functional product pods and drive key product decisions, including development and factory visits.
• Accountable for delivering category financial targets (margin, productivity, profitability).
• Drive global assortment plans and align strategies with regional objectives across go-to-market milestones.
• Develop differentiated assortment and segmentation across consumers, channels, tiers, and geographies.
• Collaborate with Planning, Brand Marketing, Sales, and Sourcing to bring category vision to life across wholesale, DTC, digital, and retail channels.
• Present category vision, product strategies, and assortments to senior leadership and external partners.
• Lead and develop merchandising professionals, fostering a high-performance culture.

Skills

Leadership

Merchandising

Product management

Analytical thinking

Strategic thinking

Communication

Presentation skills

Influencing skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Team development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Marketing/Merchandising

Job description

The North Face in Denver, CO seeks a Senior Manager of Merchandising – Performance Footwear to shape long-term strategy for Trail Running, Hiking, and Mountaineering footwear. You will drive consumer insights, partner with Design and Development, and own product direction from concept to market across multiple channels.

You will lead a cross-functional team, manage financial targets, and present strategies to senior leaders, ensuring a differentiated, consumer-led assortment for global markets.