Director, Category Management

Zenni Optical

4d • $152,000 - $210,100 • Remote

About The Position

We are seeking a Director, Category Management who will define and champion the strategic direction and long-term vision for assigned categories, including ownership of the product roadmap, new product introductions, and pricing strategy. The development of Zenni’s assortment strategy is grounded in sales and shopper data to effectively achieve inventory and financial objectives. This role is responsible for defining overarching assortment strategies; analyzing market trends and consumer insights; developing and executing go-to-market plans; and driving innovation, including new product launches. With a strong emphasis on data-driven decision-making, this leader ensures alignment across key stakeholders to deliver core business objectives such as profitability, market share growth, and operational efficiency. This position manages the category team and serves as a key cross-functional leader across the organization.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, product management, merchandising, marketing, or related field (or 7+ years of combined education and experience)
• 7+ years of category or product management experience within a fashion or eyewear brand, with strong knowledge of ecommerce and international channels
• Advanced business, product, and financial acumen with the ability to translate data and consumer insights into actionable strategies
• High proficiency in G Suite and working knowledge of Microsoft and Adobe suites, Slack or something similar
• Travel Requirements: 20-30% travel, including domestic travel to the Novato office (3-4 times per year) and international travel to Italy, France, and APAC region (3-4 times per year)

Nice To Haves

• Bay Area-based candidates are preferred!

Responsibilities

• Category Strategy and Business Planning:
• In partnership with the VP of Frames Product, define and champion category strategy, including product roadmaps, new product introductions, and financial plans aligned to revenue and profit goals
• Drive category strategies that strengthen brand positioning and capture global market share through strong cross-functional collaboration.
• Partner and collaborate with stakeholders, including procurement, brand, marketing, channel owners and executive leadership to define strategies that meet customer needs and increase product performance
• Leveraging the category strategy to collaborate with the FP&A team and create the annual product financial plan by category/style that aligns with the annual revenue plan
• Category Management:
• Lead the product creation and assortment planning, considering factors such as global market trends, consumer preferences and historical sales data
• Create the seasonal NPI Roadmap and design briefs based on the product financial plan including global needs, carryover, new product introduction and product exits
• Maximize sales and margin by setting volume and margin targets in the design briefs
• Through cross-functional partnership and data collection establish key product initiatives and correlate investment plans to hit seasonal revenue and margin targets
• Create Product brief for Marketing Team, identifying hero and key product stories to drive product visibility and sales
• Review all product photography to ensure photos represent the product accurately to the consumer
• Responsible for outlining the execution of category initiatives for the Website and Mobile App to optimize sales
• Partner with marketing and channel partners to develop sales driving actions including product placement, site merchandising, region specific assortment and ranges, and promotional strategies to achieve targets
• Product Performance and Lifecycle Management:
• Define metrics to measure customer satisfaction and product performance, use these to analyze and make future decisions around the lifecycle of the product portfolio
• Manage effective product lifecycle planning and management that aligns to product performance expectations via the product financial plan, from product launch through end of life, avoid SKU proliferation
• Manage the reporting, capture and communication of product performance data and findings to inform business and commercial planning
• Identify areas from improvement and implement corrective actions when necessary
• Price Strategy and Management:
• Collaborate with key stakeholders to determine competitive pricing strategies by market for existing and new products optimizing sales and profitability while remaining competitive across the markets
• Set price and margin targets for new product introductions within the design brief
• Responsible for achievement of margin and revenue targets for assigned product categories
• Monitor global industry trends, competitor activity, and emerging market opportunities to inform strategic decisions.
• Provide internal stakeholders with competitive insights, including pricing, promotional strategies, and marketplace trends
• Team Leadership & Cross Functional Relationships:
• Lead and develop the category management team with clear goals and accountability
• Demonstrate strong working relationship with the E-commerce, FP&A, Procurement, Demand Planning, Site Merchandising, Brand, Commercial Ops, Product Marketing, Engagement Marketing and all members of the Executive, Leadership Team is required

Benefits

• Annual Bonus Program
• Healthcare: 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees (50% for dependents)
• 401k with 4% employer match
• Generous PTO in addition to our Week of Zen - the time between Christmas and New Year’s to relax and recuperate
• Fully Paid Parental Leave - 16 weeks for birthing and non-birthing parents
• Tech Stipend - $50 USD per payroll towards tech & cell phone expenses
• Annual Zenni Gift Card - to use towards our products!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director