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Manager, Merchandising Strategy & Operations

Manager, Merchandising Strategy & Operations

400 Athleta, Inc.Folsom,SF
30+ days ago
Job type
  • Full-time
Job description

About the Role

The Manager of Merchandising Strategy & Operations at Athleta reports to the Director of Merchandising Strategy & Operations. In this role you will be responsible for driving the development of long-range product and category strategies, focusing on new innovations for the brand in partnership with the cross-functional Product leaders, and ensuring our seasonal strategies connect back to our long-range goals. You will build market and competitor intelligence capabilities and partner closely with Customer Insights to leverage those insights to inform and shape product strategies and go-to-market plans for new product developments. You will also shape the innovation pipeline process to foster a culture of innovation and lead Athleta in its next phase of growth.

In this highly visible role you will work with and become a thought partner to leaders in the Athleta Product team and across the broader organization (e.g., Customer Insights, Marketing). As such, collaboration, influence, and communication are critical skills for your success. Strategic thinking, advanced analytics and an ability to connect-the-dots across multiple data points, teams, and initiatives are required. You will need to both think big and also be comfortable rolling up your sleeves.

What You'll Do

  • Execute on Product long-range plans in partnership with the Product cross-functional teams (Merchandising, Design, Production, Inventory Management) to connect strategies to our long lead and seasonal processes – from ideating new innovations to sizing / assessing new opportunities to market entry plans
  • Partner with cross-functional teams on development and refreshing of their product LRP’s as well as drive strategic product-related growth initiatives for the brand. This includes project planning, cross-functional project management, ownership of deliverables, driving business impact, and engagement with key stakeholders
  • Lead strategic projects focused on opportunities to drive productivity and profitability (e.g., pricing and discounting); Develop analyses and use industry standard resources (e.g., Circana, Centric Pricing) to recommend updates to Athleta pricing and assortment
  • Inject market & customer insights into the business at relevant points in the pipeline, and build organizational capability to understand, digest, and use that information to make better product and investment decisions, ensuring everything we do is customer-centric
  • Present findings and recommendations to product leaders and senior executives across Athleta

Who You Are

  • 4-6 years of professional work experience; Bachelor’s degree, MBA a plus; Ideally 2-3 years with a top-tier management consulting firm and / or experience working at a retail / apparel brand in Strategy, Inventory Management or Merchandising
  • Demonstrated track record as an outstanding problem solver and strategic thinker with the ability to quickly identify key issues and develop hypotheses
  • Able to translate complex ideas and dispersed information into simple, actionable recommendations
  • Strong analytical and financial modeling skills, with ability to oversee and provide direction to cross-functional partners and / or more junior team members
  • Strong business acumen related to consumer facing businesses and ability to assess impact of decisions on overall business performance
  • Strength in written and oral communication with proven ability to connect with and influence senior leaders and strong ability and willingness to collaborate effectively as a team player