Lead, Direct Merchandising - Korea Converse

Sits within Converse Global Marketplace Merchandising and reports to the Director of Global Direct Merchandising. It leads KR Direct merchandising strategy from seasonal assortment creation through in-season management, partnering closely with Merchandising, Planning, Allocation, Marketing, Retail and Digital teams to deliver consumer-right assortments across digital platforms. The purpose is to ensure the right product appears in the right channel at the right time with a clear consumer and commercial point of view.

• Lead the KR Direct merchandising strategy from seasonal assortment creation through in-season management.
• Build and manage seasonal Direct assortments for Korea, balancing brand priorities, consumer demand, commercial opportunities and inventory health.
• Partner with Planning and Allocation to inform buy quantities, demand forecasts, depth, flow and replenishment recommendations.
• Analyse weekly business performance across revenue, margin, traffic, conversion, AOV, sell-through, weeks of supply and inventory productivity to identify risks and opportunities.
• Use consumer, marketplace, trend and competitive insights to shape seasonal product priorities, pricing recommendations and future assortment decisions.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Retail and Digital partners to connect product stories, launch plans and commercial moments across Direct touchpoints.
• Prepare clear recaps, hindsight analysis and forward-looking recommendations for seasonal reviews, leadership meetings and cross-functional business conversations.

• Bachelor's degree in business, merchandising, or a related field, or any suitable combination of education, experience and training.
• 7-10+ years of merchandising, buying, planning, retail or e-commerce experience.
• Proven experience building assortments, managing seasonal buys and using performance data to inform future product and pricing decisions.
• Strong analytical skills and retail math fluency, including sales, margin, sell-through, inventory productivity and forecast inputs.
• Ability to influence across functions, present recommendations clearly and operate with agility in a fast-paced marketplace environment.
• Consumer-obsessed merchant with strong retail acumen, omni-channel experience and the ability to translate product strategy into profitable assortments for Korea Direct.
• Analytical and product-led, comfortable using sell-through, traffic, conversion, AOV, margin, inventory and consumer insights to make clear recommendations.
• Strong cross-functional influence, collaboration and communication skills, with the confidence to manage competing priorities across seasonal planning and in-season trading.

• Experience within footwear, apparel or lifestyle consumer products is preferred.
• Understanding of how to build assortments that serve the consumer, elevate the brand and deliver business results across physical retail and digital channels.