The North Face: Senior Manager, Merchandising - FTW Performance

VF Outdoor, LLC; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 121,000 - 151,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical plan

Dental plan

Vision plan

401(k)

Job summary

The North Face in Denver seeks a Senior Manager, Merchandising – Performance Footwear to shape long-term strategy and drive growth across Trail Running, Hiking, and Mountaineering. You will partner with Brand Innovation, Design, and Development to steer product direction and ensure a balanced, consumer-focused assortment.

You will lead cross-functional pods, manage financial targets, and communicate strategic priorities to executives and external partners while developing a high-performing

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of merchandising, product management, or related product creation experience in footwear.
• Experience leading technical footwear categories (running, trail running, hiking, mountaineering).
• Deep understanding of footwear product creation and go-to-market execution.
• Strong financial acumen with margins, pricing, and profitability experience.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and influencing skills.
• Proven ability to lead teams and collaborate with global partners.
• Analytical and strategic thinking with consumer and market insight.
• Agility and adaptability in a fast-paced environment.
• Growth mindset with passion for product and consumer-led decisions.

Responsibilities

• Shape long-term vision and strategy for Performance Footwear to drive relevance and growth.
• Lead category-level 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 Performance Footwear, including Trail Running, Hiking, Mountaineering.
• Oversee seasonal product briefs with direction on consumer needs, pricing, and assortment.
• Lead cross-functional pods and drive key product decisions through development and factory visits.
• Deliver category financial targets including margin, productivity, and performance.
• Drive global assortment plans and align with regional merchandising and financial objectives.
• Develop differentiated assortment across consumers, channels, geographies.
• Collaborate with Planning, Brand Marketing, Sales, Sourcing to bring category vision to life.
• Present category vision and priorities to senior leadership and external partners.
• Lead and develop merchandising team and foster high-performance culture.

Skills

Category strategy

Analytical thinking

Leadership

Cross-functional collab

Presentation skills

Financial acumen

Communication skills

Strategic thinking

Agility

Growth mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising or related field

Job description

Merchandising, Senior Manager – Performance Footwear

Now that you've found the job description, what's next? At The North Face we dare to lead the world forward through Exploration. We were born to Explore, Disrupt and to Lead. We were born to Love Wild Places and to Spark Curiosity. We believe that exploration is a mindset, both on the mountain and off the mountain, and it infuses everything we do. As a community of explorers, we stay curious about new ideas, places, and people. So, before we get to the job details, take a minute to learn a little more about us, our values and our culture. If you can see yourself working side-by-side with a team of adventure-loving people, The North Face just may be the place for you. To learn more about our values and culture, visit The North Face Careers or www.thenorthface.com.

What will you do?

A day in the life of a Senior Manager, Merchandising – Performance Footwear at The North Face looks a little like this:

• You help shape the long-term vision and strategy for the Performance Footwear business, identifying opportunities to drive consumer relevance, brand elevation, and sustainable growth.
• You lead category-level consumer, marketplace, and competitive analysis to uncover emerging opportunities and translate insights into actionable product strategies.
• You partner closely with Brand Innovation, Design, and Development teams to influence future innovation pipelines and seasonal product direction.
• You own the product strategy and execution for the Performance Footwear category, including Trail Running, Hiking, and Mountaineering, ensuring a balanced product assortment that delivers against both consumer and business objectives.
• You oversee the creation of seasonal product briefs, providing clear direction on consumer needs, product positioning, pricing, and assortment architecture.
• You lead cross-functional product pods and drive key product decisions throughout the product creation process, including participation in development and factory visits.
• You are accountable for delivering category financial targets, including margin, productivity, and overall business performance.
• You drive global assortment plans and align category strategies with regional merchandising and financial objectives across key go-to-market milestones.
• You develop differentiated assortment and segmentation strategies across consumers, channels, tiers, and geographies to maximize growth opportunities.
• You collaborate closely with Planning, Brand Marketing, Sales, and Sourcing partners to ensure the category vision is successfully brought to life across wholesale, DTC, digital, and retail channels.
• You 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.
• You lead and develop a team of merchandising professionals, fostering a high-performance culture focused on growth, collaboration, and accountability.

What do you need to succeed?

We all have unique skills that we bring to work and celebrate every day. For this role, there are foundational skills you'll need to succeed and excel. Additionally, while formal education in a related field is great to have, we are most interested in your merchandising expertise, leadership capabilities, and proven ability to drive product and business results.

The foundational skills you will need in this position are:

• 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 organizations.
• 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.

There are also a few skills that are not required but preferred:

• 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.

What do we offer you?

At The North Face, we know you expect as much from us as we do from you. That is why we make a commitment to support and grow our people. We offer extensive development and growth opportunities for your current and future positions, a competitive compensation package, and a strong benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and 401(k). Our commitment extends beyond this and into your daily work life. We strive to foster a diverse and inclusive culture based on respect, connection, and authenticity. Our focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is at the foundation of who we are and what we do. To learn more about The North Face's benefits package, visit MyVFBenefits.com and click "Looking to Join VF".

Now WE have a question for YOU. Are you in?

Hiring Range: $120,960.00 USD - $151,200.00 USD annually Incentive Potential: This position is eligible for additional compensation awards that may include an annual incentive plan, sales incentive, or commission potential. Specific details of the additional compensation eligibility for this position will be provided during the recruiting and interview process.

Benefits at VF Corporation:

You can review a general overview of each benefit program offered, including this year's medical plan rates on www.MyVFbenefits.com and by clicking Looking to Join VF? Detailed information on your benefits will be provided during the hiring process.

Please note, our hiring ranges are determined and built from market pay data. In determining the specific compensation for this position, we comply with all local, state, and federal laws.

At VF, we value a diverse, inclusive workforce and we provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws.

If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact us at [e-mail]. VF will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals to the extent required by applicable law.

Pursuant to all applicable local Fair Chance Ordinance requirements, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, VF will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

With 40 years in the outdoor industry, The North Face® is the premier supplier of authentic, innovative and technologically advanced exploration apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories. We look for employees who help us stay on the cutting edge with their creativity and innovation.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

VF Diversity Vision Statement VF is committed to creating an inclusive environment that welcomes and values the differences among all of our associates, customers, suppliers and the communities in which we live and conduct business. The continued success and growth of VF is enhanced through initiatives that promote diversity throughout VF around the world.VF is an equal employment opportunity employer of minorities, females, protected veterans and the disabled. VF is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment, and treating our VF associates and VF applicants without discrimination on the basis of their race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, citizenship, disability, protected veteran status, HIV/AIDS status, or any other legally protected factor.

VF is committed to meeting the diverse needs of people with disabilities in a timely manner that is consistent with the principles of independence, dignity, integration and equality of opportunity, and will do so by striving to identify, prevent and remove barriers to accessibility wherever possible as well as by meeting the accessibility requirements under the ADA, AODA, and other applicable state, local or provincial regulations.

VF is committed to digital accessibility, and to conforming to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA and complying with the ADA and AODA Standards for Accessible Design, and other applicable regulations.

If you need an accommodation or have any questions regarding this statement, please send your request to [e-mail].