Lead Merchant, Running Footwear Womens NA

Nike • Beaverton, OR

18d

About The Position

In this role, you will partner closely with the North America (NA) and Global Running Merchandising teams. You’ll collaborate with the cross-functional NA Running team, including channel merchandising, sales, brand marketing, planning, Nike Direct, and marketplace supply chain. You’ll be part of the Running Footwear (FW) team and work alongside the Director of Running + ACG FW, the Lead Men’s Running FW Merchant, and the Running Merch II to drive the holistic NA Running strategy. Nike is seeking an experienced merchant who thrives on building strong relationships, has expertise in line planning, and is passionate about advancing the women’s running business. Success in this role requires clear communication, the ability to earn trust, and skill in managing multiple priorities to completion. We value diverse experiences and perspectives that bring fresh ideas to the team. You’ll work with the NA Running FW team to bring a holistic footwear strategy to life in the NA marketplace. You’ll collaborate across men’s and women’s categories to ensure consistency in strategy, tools, and processes. You’ll champion a women’s-specific point of view for the running business and ensure head-to-toe connectivity and storytelling come to life. You’ll manage all women’s road running models—from statement to core—as well as racing models, and partner with Men’s on the unisex Track & Field assortment.

Requirements

• 5+ years of relevant industry experience in merchandising
• Bachelor’s degree in Merchandising or a related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience, and training
• Footwear, apparel, and/or equipment merchandising experience
• Proven expertise in franchise management and understanding of retail key performance indicators and profit-based metrics
• Strong strategic thinking skills to shape the future of the business
• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences and leadership levels
• Responds with speed, agility, curiosity, and motivation
• Collaborative mindset that brings people together to solve complex challenges
• Skilled at prioritizing tasks and driving them to completion
• Communicates vision and purpose and leads effectively in complex situations
• Demonstrates problem-solving ability using limited information and implements solutions with foresight into future implications

Responsibilities

• Drive a holistic strategy for how Running FW comes to life in the NA marketplace, including product lifecycles, color breadth and depth, and marketplace segmentation and differentiation
• Line plan against color breadth and marketplace segmentation, leveraging capacity frameworks with a focus on product journeys and franchise management
• Contribute to monthly franchise management work in collaboration with channel merchandising, sales, and planning
• Build trust and foster collaborative partnerships with global and downstream geo partners
• Manage daily line plan tasks, including adoption, pricing, and maintaining accurate VLPs and seasonal tools with support from the Merch II
• Partner closely with the Lead Men’s Running FW Merchant and Running Channel Merchants to bring the complete vision to life for the consumer
• Participate in MAR, LSR, and other key seasonal gates in the merchandising code calendar
• Work closely with the NAEL team on seasonal executions across both long and short track product cycles

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees