Vice President of Marketplace Merchandising - Saucony

Wolverine Worldwide • Rockford, MI

20d

About The Position

At Saucony, we exist at the intersection of culture and performance. While our history is rooted in the run, our future is defined by movement in all its forms. We don't just make shoes; we build the breakthroughs that move the industry forward and the styles that define the cultural conversation. We’re a team that puts excellence first, and the experts agree. Recently, Fast Company named Saucony one of the Most Innovative Companies in the world, specifically honoring our IncrediRUN Foam as a major leap forward in footwear tech. Our reach extends from the track to the street, whether it's the Speed 5 being named “Best Overall” by WIRED or our iconic Shadow 5000 winning the Shop TODAY Sneaker Awards, we are consistently recognized as the gold standard for both performance and style. The Vice President of Marketplace Merchandising will be a visionary leader responsible for driving the strategic direction and execution of our marketplace merchandising initiatives for North America. This role will oversee regional product assortments, and merchandising strategies that align with the overall global brand direction. The VP will collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure market share growth, brand consistency, and consumer satisfaction.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required/MBA preferred or equivalent work experience.
• 15+ years’ experience in footwear, apparel or accessories.
• Live our visions and values and able to lead in a fast and dynamic environment with a pursuit of excellence
• Proven leadership skills with at least 7 years’ experience at the manager level.
• Demonstrated capability to motivate and mentor others to build high performing teams.
• Proven working knowledge of footwear industry, including technology and product development, materials, trends and the overall marketplace.
• Drives insights to action through compelling storytelling combined with data that inspires and mobilizes teams.
• Sets the standard by making timely, informed decisions and fosters an environment where quick, decisive action is valued and practiced by the team.
• Strong interest in outdoor performance, sneaker and fashion culture and how to integrate that into the brand into product solutions and narratives.
• Extensive product knowledge and understanding of global markets and competitors.
• Proven track record in managing P&L to achieve sustainable growth, with strong financial analysis skills to drive strategic and financial outcomes.
• Outstanding business acumen, merchandising and analytical skill sets.
• Brings a strong team mentality approach to their work and comfortable driving and influencing change.
• Supports a culture of curiosity through a test & learn approach.
• Actively embraces a growth mindset with an openness to feedback to support continuous improvement.
• Strength in influencing cross-functionally with the ability to drive vision and strategy across functions while respecting the balance of competing interests.
• Exceptional follow-through skills and attention to detail.
• Clear, Concise, and Thoughtful (strong verbal and written skills).
• Ability to present new ideas or seasonal concepts to small and large groups, including addressing executive leaders, and external partners or customers.

Nice To Haves

• MBA preferred or equivalent work experience.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Vision and Leadership: Develop and articulate a compelling vision and strategy for specific North American distribution needs from the creation of. Act as the driving force behind the evolution of the brand and key categories ensuring alignment with the overall global brand direction. Identify whitespace opportunities based on consumer trends, competitive landscape, and market shifts, capitalizing on category extensions to drive brand growth. Partner with leadership to develop and manage a long-range plan for brand growth and deliver an innovation pipeline by cultivating a culture of innovation and analytical thinking to drive action in the product creation process and develop disruptive future concepts
• Consumer Insights and Assortment Planning: Deliver comprehensive consumer insights, benefits, product category and price architecture, channel and distribution positioning, and franchise management through strategic assortment planning. Strive for SKU productivity through GTM forecasting milestones, and set pricing architecture to support margin expansion
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Leverage brand and consumer data and insights to make consumer-centric assortment decisions. Utilize past season performance reports and future forecasts to inform line planning and product life cycle management. Conduct regular reviews and analyses of key performance indicators to identify opportunities and mitigate risks in short and long term plans
• Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement: Support and collaborate on product creation and management to achieve market share and brand growth targets, including channel strategy, distribution decisions, and key partner agreements. Work closely with sales, channel, marketplace merchandising, and brand leadership teams. Develop and maintain a global network of stakeholders, including brand executives, retailers, sales teams, integrated business planning, and retail marketing partners. Regularly communicate to inform, educate, and gather insights to identify opportunities.
• Presentation and Communication: Lead and present segmentation strategies, marketplace product lifecycle strategies, and retail pricing construct to senior management, retailers, sales associates, and peers at various formal and informal meetings. Ensure timely preparation of materials for all milestone meetings, delivering clear and concise presentations.
• Performs duties consistent with the Company’s AAP/EEO goals and policies.
• Performs other duties as required/assigned by manager.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive