Real. Alive. Connected. These are a few words that describe life at REI. Whether it's in our careers or in the great outdoors, we aspire to adventure in all ways! At REI we value our customers; we work hard to earn our reputation for quality and integrity every day. Our commitment remains the same as when we started out in 1938: to inspire, educate and outfit for a lifetime of outdoor adventure. Join a passionate community of people who believe in one simple truth: an outdoor life is a life well-lived. Get ready to harness your creativity, customer focus and enthusiasm for living life outdoors-we can't wait to meet you! At REI we offer an enviable work environment that has been recognized on the "100 Best Companies to Work For" list since the award's inception - 22 years in a row! Sure, we work hard, but it's balanced with time off to play-a strategy that works for us as we continue to grow and thrive. Want to enjoy a workplace where you can be yourself, be heard and be respected while having a job that challenges you? This is the place. With more than 150 retail locations (and growing), REI offers unique competitive benefits to its more than 13,000 employees, including healthcare, gear and apparel discounts, free equipment rentals and challenge grants to help employees reach personal outdoor goals, generous retirement plan contributions, public transit subsidy, adoptions assistance, paid sabbaticals, and more. Director of Product Strategy - Footwear Apply * Share ooooo Posted Date: Mar-18-2019 Job ID: 13713 Job Type: Full Time Job Function: Product Design/Development City: Kent State: Washington Store: Kent Headquarters What's cool about this job The Director of Product Strategy, Footwear contributes to REI's success by developing and executing multi-year brand and product strategies for footwear from the ground up to drive market share and profitable growth for REI's private brands. This leader leverages competitive market intelligence to develop assortment strategies and plans for all brands and product categories, in collaboration with Merchandising, to deliver sales, margin and brand goals; guides initial concept development with Design and ensures integrity of brand strategy and line plan execution; works with Operations and Design to ensure assortments meet margin requirements and have operational support. The Director of Product Strategy collaborates with cross functional leaders in Merchandising, Marketing, Retail, Digital Retail and Public Affairs to ensure cohesive, highly effective presentation of product and brand stories through marketing activities, visual merchandising and product training. * With General Manager of Co-op brands establishes and executes multi-year Footwear brand and product strategies to drive Co-op brands growth and profitability; influences and assimilates key constituents' (Merchandising, Marketing, Retail, Digital Retail and Public Affairs) strategic plans and priorities to drive alignment and results. * In collaboration with Merchandising, leverages competitive market intelligence to develop and execute assortment strategies and plans for assigned brands and product categories; ensures cohesiveness across categories and effective lifecycle management; ensures assortments meet margin requirements; guides concept development with Design and ensures integrity of brand plan and line plan execution; manages lifecycle management. * Develops deep market knowledge (competitive set, industry, product, etc.) to identify and exploit trends. * Drives product process from ideation to delivery across the product creation team; creates and ensures timely execution of product development calendars across functions. * Collaborates with Design, Merchandising, Marketing, Retail and Digital to ensure cohesive, highly effective presentation of product and brand stories; works to strengthen retail staff's brand/product knowledge and advocacy. * Establishes a culture of continuous improvement. * Collaborates with Ops and sourcing to create product support plans Bring your passion and expertise * 10+ years professional experience in merchandising/wholesale and product management roles with a proven track record of success building brands; broad industry and global market knowledge. Bachelor's degree required, master's degree preferred. * Demonstrated success in go-to-market-driven environment, and leading brand and product strategies from concept to market on a global scale. * Proven experience and financial acumen in forecasting, sales planning, margin/profit achievement, budget management and building durable business plans. * Experience and deep understanding of footwear design, merchandising, product development, assortment planning, manufacturing, global supply chain operations and retail distribution channels. * Strong collaboration, communication and presentation skills to effectively drive vision and strategy; builds constructive organizational relationships. * Extensive direct or collaborative experience and knowledge of marketing, communication and sales channel tools and messaging to drive brand awareness, sales and profitability. * Strong brand and product acumen, aesthetic and passion, including exceptional trend-spotting skills; proven track record of insightfully translating target customer, competitive environment and market trends into business success. * Passion and talent for pushing boundaries: challenges the status quo; identifies and capitalizes on key opportunities and risks; effectively plans, executes and leads change. Why you'll love it here Real. Alive. Connected. These are a few words that describe life at REI. Whether it's in our careers or in the great outdoors, we aspire to adventure in all ways! At REI we value our customers; we work hard to earn our reputation for quality and integrity every day. Our commitment remains the same as when we started out in 1938: to inspire, educate and outfit for a lifetime of outdoor adventure. Join a passionate community of people who believe in one simple truth: an outdoor life is a life well-lived. Get ready to harness your creativity, customer focus and enthusiasm for living life outdoors-we can't wait to meet you! At REI we offer an enviable work environment that has been recognized on the "100 Best Companies to Work For" list since the award's inception - 22 years in a row! Sure, we work hard, but it's balanced with time off to play-a strategy that works for us as we continue to grow and thrive. Want to enjoy a workplace where you can be yourself, be heard and be respected while having a job that challenges you? This is the place. With more than 150 retail locations (and growing), REI offers unique competitive benefits to its more than 13,000 employees, including healthcare, gear and apparel discounts, free equipment rentals and challenge grants to help employees reach personal outdoor goals, generous retirement plan contributions, public transit subsidy, adoptions assistance, paid sabbaticals, and more. REI is an Equal Opportunity Employer Apply Back to job search * Share * 10+ years professional experience in merchandising/wholesale and product management roles with a proven track record of success building brands; broad industry and global market knowledge. Bachelor's degree required, master's degree preferred. * Demonstrated success in go-to-market-driven environment, and leading brand and product strategies from concept to market on a global scale. * Proven experience and financial acumen in forecasting, sales planning, margin/profit achievement, budget management and building durable business plans. * Experience and deep understanding of footwear design, merchandising, product development, assortment planning, manufacturing, global supply chain operations and retail distribution channels. * Strong collaboration, communication and presentation skills to effectively drive vision and strategy; builds constructive organizational relationships. * Extensive direct or collaborative experience and knowledge of marketing, communication and sales channel tools and messaging to drive brand awareness, sales and profitability. * Strong brand and product acumen, aesthetic and passion, including exceptional trend-spotting skills; proven track record of insightfully translating target customer, competitive environment and market trends into business success. * Passion and talent for pushing boundaries: challenges the status quo; identifies and capitalizes on key opportunities and risks; effectively plans, executes and leads change.