VP of Merchandise & Consumer Products

Sporting Cascades FC; Eugene (OR); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Sporting Cascades FC in Eugene, Oregon seeks a strategic leader to run the club’s merchandise and consumer products.

You will own the strategy, revenue targets and day-to-day operations across e-commerce, the club shop, matchday retail and wholesale, building a scalable team and strong brand. This role sits on the senior leadership team and shapes the first Cascades kit, scarf, and crest for fans across Oregon.

Qualifications

• 5–10+ years in merchandising, consumer products, or retail with a proven track record of meeting and exceeding revenue and margin targets.
• 3+ years leading or building a retail or merchandise team, with demonstrated ability to hire, develop, and retain talent.
• Direct experience in sports, lifestyle, apparel, or mission-driven consumer brands strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of the consumer products landscape (product development, buying and planning, licensing, wholesale, and direct-to-consumer commerce).
• Proficiency with e-commerce and retail systems (Shopify, point-of-sale, and inventory management platforms).
• A strong design sensibility and deep understanding of how product reflects and amplifies brand identity.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills, with the executive presence to represent the club at the highest levels.
• Entrepreneurial mindset; comfortable in a fast-paced, startup-like environment.
• Soccer knowledge strongly preferred; Spanish proficiency a plus.
• Must be able to work home matchdays (20–25 days per year, often nights and weekends).

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the overarching consumer products strategy aligned to annual revenue targets, long-term club goals, and broader organizational priorities.
• Establish departmental KPIs, sales and margin targets, and reporting cadences; deliver regular performance updates to the President and senior leadership team.
• Identify new revenue streams and product categories, including licensing, collaborations, and third-party re-tail; stay ahead of trends in sports retail, streetwear, and direct-to-consumer commerce to position the club competitively.
• Build and manage the department budget, forecasting revenue, margin, and inventory investment to maximize return.
• Own the club’s flagship product line, balancing revenue-driving staples with bold brand-building capsules, collaborations, and limited-edition drops.
• Direct all stages of product development — creative concepting, vendor sourcing, pricing architecture, procurement, production, and delivery.
• Negotiate and manage supplier, licensee, and manufacturing agreements, including the club’s kit and apparel relationships.
• Champion the SCFC brand on and off the pitch — across product, retail environments, packaging, and every consumer moment.
• Drive growth across all sales channels: e-commerce, the club shop, matchday retail, pop-ups, and wholesale and third-party retail partnerships.
• Oversee the retail footprint at Civic Park and the club shop, from layout and staffing to point-of-sale, conversion, and per-cap performance.
• Own inventory planning, demand forecasting, and allocation to keep stock levels right across channels while minimizing markdown and waste.
• Recruit, develop, and lead the merchandise team, including direct oversight of retail, e-commerce, and warehouse staff and any future hires as the department grows.
• Establish scalable processes and best practices for buying, inventory management, e-commerce operations, and fulfillment.
• Cross-Functional & Game Day
• Collaborate with Marketing, Partnerships, Ticketing, and Operations leadership to align product launches with campaigns, sponsor obligations, and in-stadium activations.
• Represent the club at matchdays, community events, league meetings, and industry functions; host vendors, licensees, and partners as needed.

Skills

Communication

Presentation

Negotiation

Brand strategy

Entrepreneurship

Team leadership

Tools

Shopify

Point-of-sale

Inventory management

Job description

Overview

Sporting Cascades FC is a new professional soccer club in Eugene, Oregon, heading into our first USL League One season. We’re building it from the ground up — the team on the pitch, the club around it, and what a matchday feels like here in the Southern Willamette Valley. We’re looking for ambitious, hard-working people who want to help shape a club from day one.

Role Summary

Reporting to the President, the Vice President of Merchandise & Consumer Products leads the club’s entire retail business — the strategy, the revenue targets, and the day-to-day operation across e-commerce, the club shop, matchday retail at Civic Park, and wholesale. You’ll set the long-term plan, hire and lead the department, and sit on the club’s senior leadership team. You’ll decide what the first Cascades kit, scarf, and hat should be, and turn the crest into something people across Oregon want to wear.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Revenue

• Define and drive the overarching consumer products strategy aligned to annual revenue targets, long-term club goals, and broader organizational priorities.
• Establish departmental KPIs, sales and margin targets, and reporting cadences; deliver regular performance updates to the President and senior leadership team.
• Identify new revenue streams and product categories, including licensing, collaborations, and third-party re-tail; stay ahead of trends in sports retail, streetwear, and direct-to-consumer commerce to position the club competitively.
• Build and manage the department budget, forecasting revenue, margin, and inventory investment to maximize return.

Product & Brand

• Own the club’s flagship product line, balancing revenue-driving staples with bold brand-building capsules, collaborations, and limited-edition drops.
• Direct all stages of product development — creative concepting, vendor sourcing, pricing architecture, procurement, production, and delivery.
• Negotiate and manage supplier, licensee, and manufacturing agreements, including the club’s kit and apparel relationships.
• Champion the SCFC brand on and off the pitch — across product, retail environments, packaging, and every consumer moment.

Sales & Channel Growth

• Drive growth across all sales channels: e-commerce, the club shop, matchday retail, pop-ups, and wholesale and third-party retail partnerships.
• Oversee the retail footprint at Civic Park and the club shop, from layout and staffing to point-of-sale, conversion, and per-cap performance.
• Own inventory planning, demand forecasting, and allocation to keep stock levels right across channels while minimizing markdown and waste.

Team Leadership

• Recruit, develop, and lead the merchandise team, including direct oversight of retail, e-commerce, and warehouse staff and any future hires as the department grows.
• Establish scalable processes and best practices for buying, inventory management, e-commerce operations, and fulfillment.
• Cross-Functional & Game Day
• Collaborate with Marketing, Partnerships, Ticketing, and Operations leadership to align product launches with campaigns, sponsor obligations, and in-stadium activations.
• Represent the club at matchdays, community events, league meetings, and industry functions; host vendors, licensees, and partners as needed.

Qualifications & Experience

• 5–10+ years in merchandising, consumer products, or retail with a proven track record of meeting and exceeding revenue and margin targets.
• 3+ years leading or building a retail or merchandise team, with demonstrated ability to hire, develop, and retain talent.
• Direct experience in sports, lifestyle, apparel, or mission-driven consumer brands strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of the consumer products landscape (product development, buying and planning, licensing, wholesale, and direct-to-consumer commerce).
• Proficiency with e-commerce and retail systems (Shopify, point-of-sale, and inventory management platforms).
• A strong design sensibility and deep understanding of how product reflects and amplifies brand identity.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills, with the executive presence to represent the club at the highest levels.
• Entrepreneurial mindset; comfortable in a fast-paced, startup-like environment.
• Soccer knowledge strongly preferred; Spanish proficiency a plus.
• Must be able to work home matchdays (20–25 days per year, often nights and weekends).

Equal Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.