PUMA:
Senior. Manager, Merchandising - Footwear Job in Westford, VT

YOUR MISSIONResponsible for developing and managing the successful execution of Wholesale merchandising strategies for the Field Channel by combining consumer insights and business acumen to reach productivity and financial goals, while aligning to brand direction and objectives. In this role, the Senior Merchandising Manager serves as the expert on Footwear within the Field Market Channel, including its consumers, business performance and product needs. The Senior Merchandising Manager serves as critical partner to Sales, Marketing and PUMAs key accounts in developing growth-driving merchandising strategies to increase sales and profitability for the brand and its customers.
Create momentum across the channel, while constantly seeking new opportunities to drive growth and brand heat
Develop and execute a channel product strategy that maximizes profits, provides a consistent consumer experience and demonstrates the highest quality of product offerings possible
Conceive and create new thoughts and ideas pertaining to maximizing revenue and resources, presenting products and reaching the consumer
Create and manage retail-focused seasonal line architecture and assortment plans
Execute the assortment construction in a way that maximizes profitability for the brand and the customer, including relevant and feasible flow and pricing
Partner with Global Business Units/Product Line Management to ensure the creation of product that meets Channel needs/targeted line architecture and pricing requirements. Present seasonal architecture to global product teams along with insights and commercial input that align to brand positioning and vision
Identify opportunities to supplement the seasonal product assortment via the North American Regional Creation Center. Address opportunities by briefing margin appropriate products and/or special programs based on specific market needs that incorporate customer insights, consumer trends, competitive activities, market intelligence and the North American distribution strategy
Manage all information related to products including but not limited to price points, forecasts, introduction/launch dates and distribution plans
Plan, forecast and review channel assortments regularly to assure appropriate product positioning, margin targets and segmentation needs are met
Perform ongoing sell-through analysis for the overall channel and key accounts to assess trends and needs while ensuring fast decision making
Deliver channel/marketplace insights to all relevant stakeholders (Wholesale, Retail, Global Business Units, Global Merchandising, Marketing and Finance) to ensure that product needs are met and proper go-to-market activities can be executed
Travel the market to gain insight on current trends, consumer behaviors and channel opportunities
Perform on/off-cycle product forecasting for the channel
Submit required internal and sales sample orders to Planning team while adhering to budget parameters
Serve as key product resource for customers within the channel
Deliver impactful presentations that influence financial performance
Own and execute seasonal pre-line process for the channel to collect customer insight, brief additional needs and adjust seasonal assortment plans as needed
Collaborate with Sales counterparts to identify account-specific needs as related to assortment plans and product flow to maximize wins for the PUMA brand and the customer
Educate Merchandising counterparts on the Footwear direction and align on key brand concepts by ensuring cohesive collections and deliveries
Educate the Salesforce on seasonal merchandising strategies and product
Work closely with Planning and Operations counterparts to share information regarding financial targets, functional milestones and account planning, forecasting and performance
Collaborate with Marketing to align on seasonal stories and go-to-market plans
Learn from interaction with our internal teammates, customers, and consumers to build market conquering assortments within the channel
Work cross-functionally to ensure that the go-to-market process runs smoothly. Duties include but are not limited to:
Participation and/or Merchandising leadership in account meetings and presentations
Account meeting product set up and break down
Seasonal sales meeting/launch participation, presentation and set up
Development of necessary sales and account meeting presentation materials
Trade show participation, presentation and set up
Quickly execute agreed upon post-meeting action items including product briefs, forecasting, preparing meeting notes for merchandising team



YOUR TALENTStrong business orientation, analytical aptitude and retail math knowledge
Strong collaboration skills required to work cross-functionally with sales, finance, product marketing and design teams
Comprehensive business knowledge of the US marketplace and consumer goods practices including: distribution channels, pricing, segmentation strategy, regional variances, product sourcing, planning, forecasting, design, development and sales
Thrives in a fast-paced environment with short timelines and changing priorities
Flexible, solution-oriented, a skilled communicator and a relationship builder
Fully proficient in Microsoft Office Suite
Experience with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
Ability to travel 30-40%, domestically and internationally
Bachelors Degree in Marketing, Business, Retail Merchandising or a related field
7-10 years of experience in Merchandising or Product Management in either Wholesale or Retail organization
Experience in a Retail buying or planning environment required
Successful track record and reputation of exceeding performance expectations, with progressive levels of responsibility and accountability
In mid-2021, the PUMA North America Regional Corporate Headquarters will be moving to a new office located in Somerville, MA. All positions currently located at the Westford office, as well as at our International Boston office, will make this transition


SPEED & SPIRIT is what we look for in our candidates, defined by some simple values that inspire us to BE DRIVEN in our performance, BE VIBRANT in our sporting legacy, BE TOGETHER in our team spirit, and BE YOU to let our individual talent and experience shine. Applying for a job at PUMA is easy. Simply click APPLY ONLINE and follow the steps to upload your application.

PUMA is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. It is the policy of PUMA to prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type and to afford equal employment opportunities to all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, gender, physical or mental disability, veteran-status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

For additional information, please contact: us-hrrecruiter@puma.com