Senior Manager, Merchandising - FTW Performance

VF Corporation•Denver, CO

2d•$120,960 - $151,200

About The Position

At The North Face, we are driven by a passion for Exploration, Innovation, and Leadership. We believe that exploration is a mindset that infuses everything we do. As a community of explorers, we stay curious about new ideas, places, and people. This role is an opportunity to join a team of adventure-loving people and contribute to our mission. The Senior Manager, Merchandising – Performance Footwear will shape the long-term vision and strategy for the Performance Footwear business, driving consumer relevance, brand elevation, and sustainable growth. This role involves leading category-level analysis, partnering with innovation and design teams, owning product strategy and execution for key performance footwear categories, and ensuring a balanced product assortment that meets consumer and business objectives. The successful candidate will also drive global assortment plans, develop differentiated strategies, and collaborate with cross-functional partners to bring the category vision to life across various channels. Presenting strategies to senior leadership and developing a team of merchandising professionals are also key aspects of this role.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
8+ years of experience in merchandising, product management, or a related product creation function, preferably within the footwear industry.
Strong experience leading technical footwear categories, preferably performance running, trail running, hiking, mountaineering, or outdoor footwear.
Deep understanding of footwear product creation, including merchandising, design, development, sourcing, testing, and go-to-market execution.
Proven success developing category strategies, product assortments, and line plans that drive business growth.
Strong financial acumen, including experience managing margins, pricing architecture, and category profitability.
Deep understanding of performance consumers, market trends, and competitive dynamics.
Exceptional communication, presentation, and influencing skills, including experience presenting to senior leaders and external partners.
Proven ability to lead and develop teams while building strong partnerships across global, cross-functional organizations.
Strong analytical and strategic thinking capabilities with the ability to turn insights into action.
High degree of agility, adaptability, and comfort operating in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Growth mindset with a passion for product, innovation, and consumer-led decision making.

Nice To Haves

Experience within the outdoor, performance, or premium footwear industry.
Global merchandising experience across multiple regions and channels.
Strong understanding of footwear innovation, materials, performance technologies, and testing processes.
Experience building franchise strategies and managing large-volume product businesses.
International work experience and understanding of diverse consumer and market needs.
Passion for outdoor exploration, trail running, hiking, climbing, or mountain sports.

Responsibilities

Help shape the long-term vision and strategy for the Performance Footwear business, identifying opportunities to drive consumer relevance, brand elevation, and sustainable growth.
Lead category-level consumer, marketplace, and competitive analysis to uncover emerging opportunities and translate insights into actionable product strategies.
Partner closely with Brand Innovation, Design, and Development teams to influence future innovation pipelines and seasonal product direction.
Own the product strategy and execution for the Performance Footwear category, including Trail Running, Hiking, and Mountaineering, ensuring a balanced product assortment that delivers against both consumer and business objectives.
Oversee the creation of seasonal product briefs, providing clear direction on consumer needs, product positioning, pricing, and assortment architecture.
Lead cross-functional product pods and drive key product decisions throughout the product creation process, including participation in development and factory visits.
Be accountable for delivering category financial targets, including margin, productivity, and overall business performance.
Drive global assortment plans and align category strategies with regional merchandising and financial objectives across key go-to-market milestones.
Develop differentiated assortment and segmentation strategies across consumers, channels, tiers, and geographies to maximize growth opportunities.
Collaborate closely with Planning, Brand Marketing, Sales, and Sourcing partners to ensure the category vision is successfully brought to life across wholesale, DTC, digital, and retail channels.
Present category vision, product strategies, innovation priorities, and seasonal assortments to senior leadership and key external partners, inspiring confidence through deep expertise in the consumer, product, and marketplace.
Lead and develop a team of merchandising professionals, fostering a high-performance culture focused on growth, collaboration, and accountability.