Product Analytics Manager

Wolverine Worldwide•Rockford, MI

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Merrell is seeking a Product Analytics Manager, a new cross-functional role at the intersection of Product Development & Operations. This individual will serve as the analytical engine for the Sr. Director of Product Strategy, translating franchise, cost, pricing, and SKU data into clear, forward-looking direction for the product organization. The role partners daily with PLM, Technical Development, PD Operations, and Planning teams to build the data foundation for smarter decisions throughout the product creation calendar. This is a unique opportunity for analytical thinkers to shape how a beloved outdoor brand builds its future products.

Requirements

8+ years in product analytics, merchandise or franchise planning, or business analytics within a consumer goods brand or wholesale environment.
Strong financial modeling skills across franchise forecasting, margin analysis, and should-cost modeling.
Proficiency with PLM systems (Centric experience strongly preferred) and BI tools (Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent).
Demonstrated ability to translate complex datasets into clear, executive-ready recommendations.
Proven cross-functional collaboration skills, comfortable partnering with product, technical development, operations, and finance teams simultaneously.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the footwear, apparel, or outdoor / active lifestyle industry.
Familiarity with AI-assisted reporting tools and workflow automation.
Prior experience managing or mentoring analysts.
Exposure to cost engineering, sourcing negotiations, or vendor cost management.

Responsibilities

Lead multi-season, franchise-level forecasting in partnership with PLMs and Planning, projecting volume, revenue, margin, and SKU productivity at the category, franchise, and silhouette level.
Build and maintain scenario models that feed into the annual Strategic Plan cycle and long-range planning process.
Connect the franchise outlook to line architecture decisions made by PLMs, ensuring financial direction and product strategy alignment across pods.
Provide the analytical scaffolding for seasonal and long-range strategic planning, building models and narratives for leadership recommendations.
Partner with PLMs to surface insights that shape line decisions and align with brand planning.
Develop competitive and performance benchmarks to enhance the team’s market understanding.
Collaborate with Technical Development and Cost Engineering teams to model and analyze should-cost data.
Partner with the shared-service sourcing team to identify cost innovation opportunities by integrating manufacturing, material, and development data.
Own and maintain pricing and margin expectation frameworks across all product categories.
Work with PLMs to ensure seasonal line decisions align with financial targets.
Flag margin risk early in the development cycle for proactive adjustments.
Deliver regular, decision-ready revenue and reporting outputs to the Sr. Director and leadership stakeholders.
Synthesize sell-in, sell-through, and marketplace data into product- and line-level recommendations.
Partner with PLM teams to ensure product-level reporting integrates into enterprise-level summaries.
Lead analytical oversight of SKU productivity, portfolio rationalization, and line health across all categories.
Build scoring models to inform seasonal line architecture and carry-forward strategy.
Track system product data and attribution quality in collaboration with the Product Analytics Analyst.
Champion the adoption of AI-assisted reporting tools within the PD Strategy team, identifying automation opportunities.
Partner with the Product Analytics Analyst to implement AI-powered dashboards and tools.
Contribute to the PD Strategy team’s systems and toolset roadmap by evaluating and piloting new analytical capabilities.
Lead, mentor, and develop the Product Analytics Analyst, directing their priorities.
Connect the Analyst’s outputs to business needs while building their analytical and organizational capabilities.