Sr. Director, Strategy

Ariat International; San Leandro (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Wellness benefits

PTO and holidays

401(k) with company match

Employee discount

Job summary

Ariat International in San Leandro, CA is seeking a Sr. Director of Strategy to own end-to-end go-to-market direction, partnering with the Senior Leadership Team and leading a cross-functional strategy group.

The role emphasizes rigorous analyses, prioritization of near-term initiatives, and proactive identification of longer-term growth opportunities across Retail, eCommerce, Wholesale, and International segments. Hybrid schedule with in-office three days weekly.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of strategy consulting and/or corporate strategy in wholesale and direct-to-consumer businesses.
• Experience in apparel/footwear industry strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to build, lead, and scale high-performing teams.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with capability to drive growth and transformation.
• Strong problem-solving, hypothesis-driven analysis, and actionable recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Own enterprise-wide strategy and translate it into initiatives driving profitable growth.
• Lead market and competitive intelligence to inform short- and long-term decisions.
• Evaluate new business opportunities with clear recommendations to senior leadership.
• Partner with cross-functional teams and align strategies across business segments.
• Oversee growth investments and change management, including AI use cases.
• Embed consumer voice into strategies with clear “so-what” articulation.
• Develop compelling materials for the Board and Senior Leadership Team.
• Build and mentor the Strategy team and drive development.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Financial modeling

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive communication

Retail/apparel industry knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA preferred

Job description

At Ariat, we are seeking an energetic, collaborative, and forward-thinking Sr. Director of Strategy to develop and support the execution of our go-to-market strategy. The role will report to the Vice President of Strategy & Analytics, and serve as a key strategic partner to the Senior Leadership Team and the broader organization.

Through rigorous analyses, focus on our customers, creative thinking, and deep partnership with cross-functional stakeholders, the Sr. Director of Strategy sets and drives the overall strategic direction for Ariat. This person will independently lead the prioritization and implementation of near-term initiatives, and proactively identify, assess, and champion longer-term growth opportunities across our Retail, eCommerce, Wholesale, and International business segments.

Ariat currently has a hybrid schedule, and this role will be working in our San Leandro, CA office a minimum of three days per week.

You’ll Make a Difference By

• Owning and driving Ariat's overall strategy end-to-end, and translating the strategy into specific initiatives and transformation efforts that drive profitable growth
• Leading the research and synthesis of market and competitive intelligence to understand current trends and industry dynamics – and independently drawing conclusions about what they mean for Ariat, both short- and long-term
• Championing the evaluation of new business opportunities, including market potential, brand/customer fit, competitive positioning, capability requirements, and business cases — and making clear recommendations to senior leadership
• Partnering with cross-functional teams to provide clear insights and strategies for key growth initiatives in their respective areas, and how these "ladder up" to Ariat's overall strategy
• Leading enterprise-wide assessment of growth and capability investments (e.g., Artificial Intelligence), including use case prioritization, business impact, and change management required
• Establishing frameworks and governance in partnership with consumer insights and analytics teams to embed "voice of the consumer" into our strategies – with a clear articulation of the "so-what"
• Proactively surfacing and diagnosing underlying drivers of business performance and opportunities for improvement (e.g., sales trends, consumer loyalty, channel growth, etc.)
• Independently developing clear and compelling materials that communicate our strategies to the Board, Senior Leadership Team, and the broader organization
• Building, leading, and mentoring the Strategy team, providing strategic guidance, thought leadership, and development support that elevates the team's overall capability
• Assisting with other responsibilities based on business needs

About You

• 12+ years of work experience in strategy consulting and/or corporate strategy for wholesale and direct-to-consumer companies. Experience in the apparel and/or footwear industry strongly preferred.
• Bachelor's degree required. MBA preferred.
• Demonstrated track record of building, leading, and scaling high-performing teams
• Entrepreneurial mindset, with a track record of independently building new capabilities or leading a business through an accelerated growth and transformation period
• Demonstrated track record as an outstanding problem solver and strategic thinker with the ability to independently identify key issues, develop hypotheses, and drive solutions to completion with minimal direction
• Ability to translate complex ideas and dispersed information into simple, actionable recommendations
• Strong analytical and financial modeling skills, with the ability to execute analytics, set the analytical agenda, and direct more junior team members
• Exceptional organizational skills, including project planning, time management, and attention to detail — with experience managing multiple workstreams simultaneously
• Strong business acumen related to consumer-facing businesses and the ability to assess the impact of decisions on overall business performance
• Exceptional written and oral communication with proven ability to build trust with, influence, and align senior executives and the Board
• Strong ability and willingness to collaborate effectively as a true team player
• Demonstrated interest in retail and apparel/footwear

About Ariat

Ariat is an innovative, outdoor global brand with roots in equestrian performance. We develop high-quality footwear and apparel for people who ride, work, and play outdoors, and care about performance, quality, comfort, and style.

The salary range for this position is $180,000 - $240,000 per year.

The salary is determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data for geographic locations. Ariat in good faith believes that this posted compensation range is accurate for this role at this location at the time of this posting. This range may be modified in the future.

Ariat’s holistic benefits package for full-time team members includes (but is not limited to):

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance options
• Expanded wellness and mental health benefits
• Paid time off (PTO), paid holidays, and paid volunteer days
• 401(k) with company match
• Team member discount on Ariat merchandise

Note: Availability of benefits may be subject to location & employment type and may have certain eligibility requirements. Ariat reserves the right to alter these benefits in whole or in part at any time without advance notice.

Ariat will consider qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local laws. Ariat is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetics or any other basis protected under federal, state, or local law. Ariat is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to candidates with disabilities. If you need an accommodation during the application process, email [e-mail].

Please see our Employment Candidate Privacy Policy at www.ariat.com/careers to learn more about how we collect, use, retain and disclose Personal Information.