Category Director, Travel & Lifestyle/Everyday (Osprey)

Helen of Troy•Cortez, CO

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Category Director, Travel & Lifestyle/Everyday is responsible for growing and evolving the travel & lifestyle/everyday product categories. The position works with internal stakeholders and outside partners to prioritize and commercialize short and long-term technical opportunities. This role involves product line planning, long-term growth strategies for current Travel categories and new areas for category expansion, and oversight of the Lifestyle/Everyday Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and product planning. The Category Director will conduct seasonal category market research and competitive analysis, gather sales trends and needs from sales leadership, sales representatives, and key retailers, and provide quarterly market share and trend research at QBR meetings. They will partner with Global Design and marketing to identify and refine target customer personas and work with GM, and global Sales & Marketing leads to create 5-year strategic plans with detailed annual category plans including ROI, market trends, competitive analysis, market size & sales/potential, and customer research. The role also includes seasonal product line planning and assortment reviews with Sales, marketing, and finance during yearly budget planning and the Go-to-Market (GTM) process. The Category Director will work with global leadership in Design, Sales, Marketing, and Operations/Production to develop a comprehensive GTM strategy for each product subcategory, including related support needs, and work with the GTM, design & development calendar to identify all critical steps and provide clear RACI for each step/gate, adhering to go/no-go critical dates/gates. Additionally, the role involves improving costing and forecasting models with IT, finance, and sales, instigating comprehensive field-testing programs and warranty & repair assessments to ensure product quality, and providing proactive timely information for legal research & review of potential IP clearance or application, Names and Graphic/logo applications. Ensuring documentation is accurate and up to date for Line lists, 5 yr product pipeline, Briefs, and VLP’s is also a key responsibility. The Category Director will support product launches with shared sales & marketing strategy development, editing sales materials, and supporting sales in work with Sales meeting presentations, Key retailer visits, trade show & PR support. They will ensure departmental priorities and top-level goals are communicated and understood within the global PLM and Design group, and by Global Sales, Marketing, and Production teams. Finally, the role includes the creation of Departmental staffing and individual development plans, developing training and mentoring plans with annual departmental goal setting and regular one-on-one meetings and coaching.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, merchandising, design or relevant field.
10+ years of progressive experience in outdoor packs, bags and travel luggage.
10+ years of progressive experience managing staff.
Proven background in developing innovative products.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally (up to 20%).
Ability to attend early and evening calls as required.
Authorized to work full time in the United States.

Nice To Haves

MBA.
Experience in sustainable design.
International Market experience.

Responsibilities

Product line planning
Long-Term growth for the current Travel categories and new areas for category expansion.
Oversight of the Lifestyle/Everyday PLM & product planning
Long-Term growth of the Lifestyle/everyday categories and new areas for category expansion.
Conduct and deliver seasonal category market research and competitive analysis.
Gather, access and ID sales trends & needs from sales leadership, Sales reps and key retailer input.
Quarterly market share and trend research provided at the QBR meeting.
Partner with Global Design and marketing to ID and refine target customer personas.
Working with GM, and global Sales & Marketing leads to create 5yr strat plans with detailed annual category plans with ROI for leadership team review.
Seasonal product line planning and assortment reviews with Sales, marketing, and finance during yearly budget planning and LR & GTM process.
Works with global leadership in Design, Sales, Marketing and Opps/Production to develop a comprehensive GTM strategy for each product subcategory with related support needs.
Work with GTM, design & development calendar to ID all critical steps and provide clear RACI for each step/gate.
Adhere to go no go critical dates/gates.
Improve costing and forecasting model with IT, finance, and sales.
Product testing – instigates comprehensive field-testing program and warranty & repair assessment to ensure product quality.
Legal – Provides proactive timely information for legal research & review of potential IP clearance or application, Names and Graphic/logo applications.
Ensure documentation is accurate and up to date and accessible for – Line lists, 5 yr product pipeline, Briefs, and VLP’s.
Supporting product launches with shared sales & marketing strategy development, editing sales materials (GTM plan & PMP, Workbook).
Supporting sales in work with Sales meeting presentations, Key retailer visits, trade show & PR support.
Ensuring departmental priorities and top-level goals are communicated, understood, and supported withing the global PLM and Design group.
Ensuring top level product goals are communicated, understood, and supported by Global Sales, Marketing, and Production teams.
Creation of Departmental staffing and individual development plans.
Developing training and mentoring plans with annual departmental goal setting and regular one-on-one meetings and coaching.