Overview:The Director of Product Merchandising is a strategic leader responsible for driving merchandising excellence through informed assortment planning, Open-to-Buy (OTB) creation, and seasonal business strategy. This role ensures that product assortments are compelling, financially sound, and aligned with the brand's positioning and customer expectations. This role oversees a team of merchandise professionals. This role also collaborates closely with Marketing, Ecomm, and Retail to activate seasonal assortment across all customer touchpoints.
Responsibilities:Strategic Leadership & Seasonal Planning Oversight- Provide strategic direction for the development of seasonal merchandising plans, including category strategies, channel distribution, and key product stories.
- Oversee the team's creation of seasonal Open-to-Buy (OTB) frameworks that support revenue, margin, and inventory goals.
- Guide initial seasonal planning and hindsight processes, ensuring data-driven insights and market trends are incorporated into assortment decisions.
- Set strategic objectives and guardrails for seasonal line plans and product flows.
Assortment Strategy & Product Architecture- Lead the team in building customer-focused assortments that reflect category goals, price architecture, and channel-specific needs.
- Ensure seasonal assortments align with overarching brand and financial strategies through consistent reviews and checkpoints.
- Drive high-level decisions on SKU count, lifecycle planning, and key item development across categories.
Cross-Functional Alignment- Serve as the senior merchandising voice in cross-functional meetings, ensuring alignment between merchandising goals and business-wide strategies.
- Partner closely with the Buying to support and inform the seasonal management of OTB, providing strategic guidance and alignment on investment strategies and in-season decisions that drive financial and merchandising goals.
- Partner with Ecommerce, Retail, and Marketing leadership to ensure seasonal product stories are aligned across all channels and platforms.
Performance Monitoring & Business Insights- Review team reporting and analysis to monitor sales, margin, inventory health, and category performance.
- Lead the strategic response to risks and opportunities surfaced through hindsight reviews and in-season performance data.
- Empower the team to recommend in-season adjustments to maximize financial performance and customer relevance.
Team Development & Leadership- Manage, coach, and mentor a team of merchants and visual merchandising professionals.
- Foster a high-performing, collaborative, and customer-focused culture.
- Ensure the team is equipped with tools, processes, and training needed to execute at a high level.
- Champion cross-functional visibility and development for team members.
Qualifications:- 10+ years of progressive experience in merchandising or buying, with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role.
- Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing merchandising and visual merchandising teams.
- Strong understanding of Open-to-Buy creation, seasonal planning, and assortment architecture.
- Demonstrated success overseeing merchandising across retail and ecommerce environments.
- Excellent cross-functional leadership, strategic thinking, and communication skills.
- High proficiency in retail metrics, Excel, and planning/BI systems.
Benefits:- Robust benefits package including medical, dental, vision, FSA, HSA, EAP, and more
- 401(k) with 4% employer match and immediate vesting (available to part- and full-time employees age 21+ at company-owned stores)
- Training and advancement opportunities across the Fleet Feet brand
- Professional development programs, including mentorship, employee resource groups, and monthly learning sessions
- Community involvement and service initiatives supporting local engagement
- Discounts on training programs and products
- Supportive, passionate teammates who live the mission every day
- For full-time employees (30+ hours/week), check out our Fleet Feet benefits summary for details on healthcare, wellness, and more.
