Sporting Fashion & Goods
Lead - Product Merchandising (6-Month Contract)
Mid Level
New York, United States
in office
Contract
Job description
About the Role
Curates consumer-centric, trend-right product assortments that support the strategic direction for the footwear category, translating marketplace insights into actionable growth strategies. It ensures the footwear offering reflects brand values and captures commercial opportunities, navigating a global-local matrix to deliver premium execution and influence regional product success. Reporting to the Head of Merchandising, Footwear within the Merchandising team, this is a lead-level role with strategic ownership across the footwear function that focuses on high-impact contribution and cross-functional collaboration rather than direct people management.
Key Responsibilities
- Curate and communicate seasonal footwear assortments that balance brand vision with regional commercial needs and consumer trends
- Build and maintain critical cross-functional relationships with global product teams and regional commercial partners to ensure alignment on strategy and execution
- Analyse business data and consumer marketplace trends to identify growth opportunities and optimise product lifecycle performance
- Drive the development of channel-specific assortment plans that support differentiation across wholesale and DTC environments
- Partner with demand planning and sales planning teams to ensure seasonal forecasts and inventory levels align with regional revenue targets
- Present strategic product directions to key stakeholders, using retail and merchandising acumen to inform decision-making
- Monitor and report on category KPIs including sell-through, sales comp and margin performance in-season, and provide an end-of-season hindsight recap to inform go-forward seasonal strategies and identify risks and opportunities
Required Experience & Qualifications
- 6+ years of experience in merchandising or product management within the footwear, activewear, premium sportswear and fashion industry, including a minimum of 3 years of footwear experience
- Proven track record of executing end-to-end assortment strategies that deliver both brand impact and commercial results in a fast-paced environment
- Strong analytical expertise with the ability to synthesise marketplace data into clear product recommendations
- Excellent communication and relational skills, with experience collaborating and influencing within a global-local matrix organisation
- Proven ability to analyse and present data to support product strategies and cross-functional conversations
- Deep understanding of the footwear landscape, including consumer behaviour, trend forecasting and competitive positioning across multiple channels
Salary
- Typical cash compensation range for this position, inclusive of base + bonus + equity: $130,000–$160,000. Individual compensation packages are based on factors unique to each candidate, including experience, industry knowledge, qualifications, skill set and location.
Benefits & Perks
- An environment designed to give people the tools to develop holistically — to stay active, to learn, explore and innovate
- A supportive, team-oriented atmosphere
- Access to personal self-care for both physical and mental well-being
The Application Process
- Candidates are invited, but not required, to provide sensitive demographic information such as gender identity and race/ethnicity to help ensure equitable and fair experiences for all potential future team members; providing this information does not impact eligibility for hire.
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