Sr. Global Product Line Manager, Utility

KEEN Footwear•Portland, OR

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Global Product Line Manager (PLM) manages the global PLM function for the organization and is responsible for the integration of fan, market, channel, assortment, segmentation, competitor, product trend and lifecycle analysis and sales data to drive vision via seasonal product collections that achieve defined business and product strategies.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Business, Marketing, or related field required.
Minimum five (5) years of experience in global product creation; footwear experience required.
Proven leadership and people/process management skills.
Full understanding of the product creation process and ability to collaborate.
Understanding of US and global markets with proven success in global range planning and forecasting.
Clear understanding of the significance of pricing and its impact on profitability.
Demonstrated experience and success with strategic planning and business planning.
Proven ability to successfully work in a lean, entrepreneurial, highly cross-functional matrix environment.
A thorough understanding of global consumer markets and trends.
Exceptional oral and written communication and presentation skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Excel. Power Point, Word).

Nice To Haves

Experience with women's and men's advanced concept product preferred.
Prior experience as a department lead preferred.
Understanding of the millennial consumer.
Strong understanding of competition in the street fashion, high fashion, lifestyle, and youth categories.

Responsibilities

Plans and leads the briefing of innovative, opinion-leading, commercial and brand-enhancing global product lines designed for global and regional fans that deliver revenue, MSRP, margin, profitability, productivity, color/material guidance, construction, lifecycle targets, channel segmentation plans and other metrics as required.
Provides input on seasonal global and regional analysis to inform the global briefing process.
Synthesizes findings and inputs including but not limited to: product performance, assortment performance by channel/tier/key account/DTC, competitor analysis, trend reports, fan insights, market research data, retail visits, brand strength, trade publications and analysts, the executive team, and regional and global business units.
Works cross-functionally throughout the seasonal product process with the Lifestyle and Performance business units to bring a cohesive, cross-merchandised, fan-focused line with compelling stories each season delivered on-time and completely.
Executes against long-term and in-season strategic initiatives via the global product line plan and seasonal briefing as determined by senior management and merchandising analytics.
Supports continuous improvement on style/sku efficiency, margins, regional alignment and other key metrics as required.
Supports regional fan and channel needs with specific inline and regionally driven styles as required by the business (SMU’s, limited editions, collaborations, exclusive product).
Manages and monitors new product introductions and carryover to ensure successful planned launch and/or lifecycle.
Provides clear and effective cross-functional communication around the product line at key calendar checkpoints, meetings and product presentations as required (oral and written).
Aligns and motivates the product team to deliver product lines with compelling stories for both new and carryover styles that drive brand awareness.
Supports successful sell-in and sell-through of the seasonal product line via close collaboration, communication and product data accuracy with various internal groups throughout the concept-to-fan/go-to-market process to deliver against seasonal targets.
Supports global product creation and sell-in strategies with the necessary administrative tools, including but not limited to: product briefs, visual line plans, product descriptions, fan insights, tech sheets, packaging direction, product training information and other tools as needed.
Presents pre-lines, sales meetings, key accounts, and visiting editors as required with sales.
Serves as point of contact for all product line activities or inquiries from consumer service.