Sr Merchandiser - Licensed Teams

Columbia Sportswear; Portland (OR); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k plan with generous company match

Medical, dental, vision benefits

Wellness programs & employee discounts

Job summary

Columbia Sportswear is seeking a Senior Merchandiser for the Licensed Teams, focused on Collegiate & Team business. The role leads merchandising vision, seasonal product strategy, and licensing requirements to maximize performance and brand impact.

The position sits at the heart of the Go-To-Market process, partnering with Sales, Licensing, Marketing, and Product teams to develop assortments and bring commercially successful products to market.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of merchandising experience in licensed apparel or outdoor products.
• Bachelor's degree in Business or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Own seasonal merchandising strategy, assortment architecture, pricing, and product direction.
• Lead line planning and assortment development aligned to growth objectives.
• Collaborate with Sales, Product Creation, Licensing, Marketing, Finance and external partners.
• Drive SKU productivity and post-season performance analysis.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Analytical

Project management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business or related field

Tools

MS Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Adobe Creative Suite

Job description

This position is designated as a hybrid role based out of our headquarters near Portland, Oregon. The current expectation is for employees to work onsite four days per week, subject to change based on business needs. This in-office requirement may be adjusted at the discretion of the company.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Senior Merchandiser, Licensed Teams is responsible for leading the merchandising vision and seasonal product strategy for Columbia's Collegiate & Team business, driving profitable growth through consumer-right assortments, compelling product stories, and effective commercialization. This role owns the strategic direction of the product line, balancing consumer demand, wholesale opportunities, direct-to-consumer objectives, and licensing requirements to maximize business performance and brand impact.

As the merchandising leader for the Collegiate & Team business, this role sits at the center of the Go-To-Market (GTM) process, partnering cross-functionally with Product Creation, Sales, Licensing, Marketing, Finance, and external partners to develop assortments, influence investment decisions, and bring commercially successful products to market. The Senior Merchandiser plays a critical role in shaping future growth opportunities while ensuring strong execution across the product lifecycle.

HOWYOU'LLMAKE A DIFFERENCE

Merchandising Strategy & Execution

• Own the seasonal merchandising strategy, assortment architecture, pricing, style count, SKU productivity, and overall product direction for the Collegiate & Team business, including providing direction on the application of school logos, graphics, and licensed assets across the assortment.
• Lead seasonal line planning and assortment development, aligning product investments and business priorities to support growth objectives.
• Analyze consumer insights, market trends, and licensing opportunities to inform future product strategy and line direction.

Go-To-Market Leadership

• Own the seasonal merchandising strategy, assortment architecture, pricing, style count, SKU productivity, and overall product direction for the Collegiate & Team business, including providing direction on the application of school logos, graphics, and licensed assets across the assortment.
• Lead seasonal line planning and assortment development, aligning product investments and business priorities to support growth objectives.
• Analyze consumer insights, market trends, and licensing opportunities to inform future product strategy and line direction.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with Sales, Product Creation, and Licensing teams to develop seasonal strategies that drive growth, profitability, and brand objectives.
• Collaborate with Product Development and Design to ensure strong product execution and accurate application of licensed assets.
• Collaborate with Corporate Responsibility team to ensure compliance with third party CSR programs.

Business Performance & Optimization

• Drive assortment productivity through SKU optimization, pricing strategy, style count management, and post-season performance analysis.
• Evaluate sales performance and market trends to identify opportunities, inform investment decisions, and improve future assortment productivity.
• Possess detailed knowledge of licensed contract agreements (royalty rates and minimums, sales, territorial rights, distribution channels, product limitations, etc.) and ensure compliance with all terms across each contract.

Team Enablement & Communication

• Educate and collaborate with Sales & Marketing teams on seasonal assortments, product stories & licensing requirements.
• Leverage strong communication and presentation skills to influence stakeholders through meetings, trainings, line reviews, sales presentations, and business updates.
• Bring a positive, collaborative, and solutions-oriented mindset to daily work.

YOU ARE

• A strong cross-functional leader who thrives in collaborative environments, builds alignment across stakeholders, and effectively influences decisions at multiple levels of the organization.
• Analytical, adaptable, and highly organized project manager with the ability to navigate ambiguity, balance multiple priorities and projects simultaneously, and solve complex business challenges with exceptional attention to detail and execution.
• An adept collaborator with interpersonal and communication skills able to build consensus and provide process and subject matter advice.

YOUHAVE

• 5+ years of merchandising experience in licensed apparel or outdoor products.
• Strong merchandising, business, and financial acumen.
• Experience developing seasonal assortments, line strategies, and commercialization plans.
• Proven experience partnering and influencing across business groups.
• Knowledge of NCAA licensing, licensed product business, and/or regulated distribution environments a bonus.
• Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe Creative Suite (Mac)
• Bachelor's degree in Business or related field, or equivalent experience in Merchandising or Sales

#LI-CS1

#Hybrid

This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities, but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function in the company.

Columbia Sportswear Company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. Columbia Sportswear is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities. https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12.pdf. Columbia offers regular full-time employees a benefits package that includes a variety of services and products to help make your life and work more rewarding. Our benefit programs contribute to overall employee well-being by aligning those programs with the fundamental elements of well-being: physical, social/emotional, financial, career and community. Benefits that can protect your family's financial future and help you save money through our 401k plan plus a generous company match. Columbia offers medical, dental, vision, life Insurance, disability, flexible spending accounts, health savings account, and an assortment of voluntary benefit offerings (accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and legal services). In addition, Columbia offers EAP + which is free and confidential 24/7/365 counseling services. We have extensive wellness benefits, employee discounts and a generous time off program available.