Director of Merchandising, MotoSport
About The Position
MotoSport, Backcountry’s powersports division, serves street, dirt, ATV, and UTV riders with a broad assortment of gear and parts. The Director of Merchandising sets and executes the multi-year merchandising strategy across riding categories to drive revenue growth, margin expansion, and brand differentiation. The role leads teams spanning Off Road, Street, Owned Brands, and Merch Operations, and partners with inventory and planning, marketing, and digital experience teams. The position has end-to-end responsibility in a lean team environment. Success in the first 6–12 months means establishing a category roadmap, strengthening vendor partnerships, and making measurable progress toward growth and margin targets. The role is based in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, with a hybrid work arrangement. It reports to John St Juliana.
Requirements
- At least 8 years of merchandising experience within retail or e-commerce.
- At least 3 years of experience in a leadership role.
- Deep expertise in powersports and a proven ability to scale business lines.
- Strong analytical and strategic acumen, including fluency in retail metrics, forecasting, and consumer insights.
- Proven success leading and developing high-performing merchandising teams.
- Experience navigating a digitally native retail environment.
- Exceptional communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence cross-functionally and externally.
Responsibilities
- Develop and execute a multi-year merchandising strategy across riding categories, with particular focus on off-road, to achieve growth and margin targets.
- Partner with the Director of Inventory & Planning on inventory productivity.
- Balance core street and off-road performance with emerging categories and adjacent opportunities, shaping MotoSport’s brand and appeal to riders.
- Oversee line architecture, initial pricing strategy, and SKU optimization to create a balanced, profitable mix aligned with seasonal and long-range plans.
- Lead go-to-market product storytelling in partnership with marketing, e-commerce, and product content.
- Partner with the Owned Brands manager to determine strategy and assortment for owned-brand parts and gear.
- Build team capability in trend identification, competitive analysis, and vendor negotiations.
- Champion diversity of thought and collaboration across teams.
- Own P&L accountability for merchandise categories, including revenue and margin, and partner with planning on inventory investment and productivity targets.
- Work with planning and allocation to support inventory health, minimize markdowns, and maximize full-price sell-through.
- Use analytics to identify category gaps, emerging trends, and customer opportunities.
- Cultivate strategic brand partnerships to secure exclusive products, early releases, and co-branded collaborations.
- Negotiate vendor terms, margin improvements, and strategic marketing partnerships.
- Partner with vendors on exclusive and co-branded product opportunities that support the assortment strategy.
- Use consumer insights, competitive intelligence, and digital performance data to anticipate changes in customer preferences.
- Ensure merchandising strategies inspire and equip riders for their powersports pursuits.
- Build and develop the merchandising team across Off Road, Street, Owned Brands, and Merch Operations.
Benefits
- Paid time off policies.
- 401(k) match (US).
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage (US).
- Supplemental benefit policies (US).
- Employee discounts across the portfolio of brands.
- RRSP match (Canada).
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage (Canada).
- Supplemental benefit options (Canada).
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Education Level
No Education Listed
