4+ years in consumer product management or related fields, preferably in sportswear or mass-market retail.
Strong leadership and cross-functional team influencing skills.
Excellent communication and presentation abilities.
Proficient in data analysis, including financial results and retail math.
Understanding of product lifecycle management and global sportswear market dynamics.
Bachelor's degree in relevant field, such as marketing or business.
Proficient in MS Office suite, especially Excel.
Responsibilities
Become the global expert in Training and Hydration categories.
Contribute to three-year category plans by analyzing key business drivers.
Own consumer research and insight work including focus groups and wear testing.
Write seasonal and innovation product briefs defining positioning and pricing.
Be the voice of your categories in internal and external presentations.
Forecast product assortments for 24 months while coordinating cross-functionally.
Lead trade presentation and marketing initiatives for optimized sell-through.
Benefits
Opportunity to manage a global product line and influence product strategy.
Engagement in cross-functional teamwork with diverse departments.
Involvement in both domestic and international markets through travel.
Access to tools and resources for data management and analysis.
Career development through exposure to high-performance and entrepreneurial environments.
Full Job Description
Product Line Manager I - Running Accessories Description
Our client is seeking a driven Product Line Manager I to join their team in Torrance, California. This individual will serve as a consumer product expert for key assigned categories within Running Accessories. They will help identify and translate valuable consumer insights and opportunities from all channels to support seasonal range plans and revenue, margin, and inventory goals.
The Product Line Manager I will be responsible for maintaining necessary and timely product, competitor, and market information in a manner that enables the Product team to effectively manage the collection and business on a day-to-day basis. What You'll Do:
Develop strong expertise in assigned product categories, including an understanding of North American and international markets, consumers, competition, and the retail landscape.
Support the development and execution of product strategies through market research, historical analysis, regional insights, retail opportunities, and competitive analysis.
Create seasonal product briefs that define product positioning, pricing, product and packaging attributes, consumer insights, competitor analysis, regional relevance, and brand relevance.
Partner with Design and Development to create briefs supporting new product and innovation opportunities.
Analyze market segmentation to identify relevant product opportunities that meet consumer needs and support company revenue and margin goals.
Work within product calendar timelines to ensure on-time completion of key dates and deliverables.
Collaborate closely with cross-functional partners including Design, Development, Operations, Finance, and Sales.
Conduct ongoing consumer, athlete, competitor, and market research to identify product and technology trends and deepen understanding of the target consumer.
Participate in planning and delivering presentations for key customers, brand partners, senior management, sales meetings, and tradeshows.
Support product awareness and sell-through through the development of marketing and packaging briefs, catalogs, showroom merchandising standards, and in-store displays.
Develop product training tools for the Sales team, including tech sheets, videos, and supporting materials.
Support forecasting for new and current product assortments across category, style, and SKU levels by region and key customer.
Partner cross-functionally with Finance, Sales, and Operations Planning teams to support forecasting and business planning.
Provide regular and accurate reporting on existing business to identify opportunities for incremental sales and growth.
Other duties as assigned.
What to Bring:
3-4 years of consumer product, product marketing, brand marketing, and/or sporting goods industry experience preferred, with demonstrated success working in a fast-paced, results-driven environment.
Bachelor's degree in Marketing or related field.
Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and the ability to influence across teams.
Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, customer relations, and presentation skills.
Strong analytical skills and comfort working with product and business data.
Understanding of product lifecycle management.
Knowledge of the broader consumer and global retail landscape.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, results-driven organization.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and priorities.
Sense of urgency and independent initiative toward accomplishing objectives.
Ability to communicate insights and recommendations to management.
Proficiency in MS Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Additionally:
Ability to travel up to 20% of the time.
Detail-oriented, self-driven, and highly motivated.
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to use tact and diplomacy when communicating across all levels.
Effective time-management skills and ability to work collaboratively within a team environment.
This position operates in a brand-driven, consumer- and customer-focused environment within the sporting goods industry. The Product Line Manager I should understand the needs and wants of consumers and support category business plans in fulfilling the needs of the athlete.
What We Offer:
Competitive salary + benefits (medical, dental, vision, 401k match, life insurance, pet insurance)
