Job Description

The Divisional Merchandise Manager, Run/ Footwear contributes to REI’s success by leading the merchandising team in achieving seasonal and annual membership, sales, gross margin, and inventory goals for $700M+ in company annual sales. In partnership with the DVP/ GMM, drives holistic multi-season Footwear product strategy and specialty shop business plans that achieve corporate priorities and objectives. Works closely with Director of Planning and Replenishment to lead the specialty shop’s operations to deliver the business plans. Builds and maintains excellent relationships with our strategic vendors, in order to achieve mutual goals of customer acquisition, sales, profitability, and brand positioning. Develops, communicates, and executes the Footwear merchandising seasonal vision and influences the go-to-market plan by closely collaborating with cross divisional partners to ensure cohesive and compelling customer facing presentation of products and stories. The DMM also leads the long-range strategy development of customer objectives, merchandising initiatives, seasonal product strategy, and cross divisional coordination for the Co-Op’s fastest growing activity, Run. Models and acts in accordance with REI’s guiding values and mission.

At REI Co-op, we believe time outside is fundamental to a life well lived and exist to inspire and enable a life outside for everyone. To deliver on that promise, we are working with our 17,000+ employees, 23M members and the broader outdoor community toward a reality where everyone has the opportunity to be themselves, to access opportunities and find their place in the outdoors. For us, that means: 

• Investing in work that removes the barriers people and communities face to getting outside.
• Delivering relevant products, experiences, and expertise to equip and inspire a new generation of outdoor stewards.
• Cultivating a workforce that reflects the demographics of the markets we serve.
• Leading the industry’s efforts to welcome people and communities historically underrepresented into outdoor media and culture.

Leading the Way

• As a member of the Leadership Forum, develops a deep understanding of, effectively communicates and broadly supports execution of company strategies and priorities, aligning all partners towards a common goal and clear product vision.  
• Identifies and communicates key responsibilities and practices to ensure the organization promotes a successful attitude, confidence in leadership, and teamwork to achieve business results.  
• Supports the implementation of company programs, procedures, methods and practices to promote REI key messages.  
• Challenges and inspires employees to achieve business results.  
• Ensures employees adhere to legal and operational compliance requirements.  
• Oversees training and development of employees directly and indirectly managed and makes effective staffing decisions.  
• Conducts and ensures the completion of performance reviews.  
• Provides coaching, direction and leadership support to employees in order to achieve department, company and customer results.  
• Establishes and maintains visibility within the department.  
• Monitors operational statistics, reports trends, variances and issues, and takes appropriate action.
• Translates company strategies into actionable divisional plans and executes successful delivery from concept to consumer by collaborating.  
• Works cross-functionally with Marketing, Visual Merchandising, Retail, Digital, Co-Op Brands to drive execution of specific divisional and company strategies, initiatives and projects.  
• Maintains in-depth knowledge and understanding of customer and market trends, leading the team in developing customer and activity centric merchandising strategies. Strengthens digital and retail staff’s access and connection to divisional strategy, driving support and leadership; drives engagement and builds trust in REI’s leaders.
• Provide leadership and strategic direction to achieve financial goals, drive the core business, and the transformation agenda.  

Professional Qualifications and Experience

• 10+ years of merchandising management experience including general management, assortment planning, financial planning, inventory management, and product development, with 3+ years managing multi-million dollar merchandising plans for a company with sales above $500MM/year. 5+ years of people management experience.
• Demonstrated insight and expertise in planning and executing annual merchandising strategies and business plans across national and geographic markets
• Deep knowledge of the Footwear and/ or Run market and consumer trends 
• Creates and implements annual strategic business plans for achieving membership, impact, financial and customer goals for the division. 

• Develops and executes annual plans with strategic vendor partners, supporting 3 year plans led by DVP/ GMM. 

• Acts as primary voice of the Footwear/ Run business with cross-divisional partners to align on broader customer and marketing objectives, key activity and membership objectives. 

• Ensures the strategic assortment direction aligns with the holistic Merchandising vision, supporting enterprise membership, impact and activity objectives to deliver profitability and sales goals. 

• Maintains a deep understanding of overall business performance by actively analyzing results with the team, responding to improve current trend and taking action to maximize potential of long range strategies. 

• Guides the development of seasonal hindsight's to inform future seasons. 

• Ensures identification of key customer, activity, product and lifestyle trends affecting specialty shop category responsibilities and develops merchandising plans to meet market opportunities.

• Creates business plan for new category development by researching customer potential, market size, assortment requirements and alignment with enterprise membership objectives.

• Creates and implements annual specialty shop business plan that communicates the division priorities, strategies, customer, and marketplace trends.

• Collaborates with Director of Planning and Replenishment to determine specialty shop, department and class financial goals based on corporate and specialty shop strategic objectives and financial, market, and industry trends.

• Ensures effective business planning for Activity and Category Management, Co-op Brands, Marketing, Digital, Visual Merchandising, and Retail.

• Ensures the effective governance of merchandise planning and policies for the development and delivery of products, customer/membership objectives, margin, inventory and financial results. 

• Creates strategies for Merchandising process improvement to achieve better economies, efficiencies and management of their operations 

• Ensures product assortment and margins support merchandising and category goals. 

• Creates and coordinates cross department activity strategy and themes to create cohesive marketing messages for seasonal campaigns. 

• Partners with marketing to deliver effective event strategies. Directs CMMs to create cohesive event offerings that support customer objectives.

• Partners with Digital and Visual Merchandising representatives to ensure that prioritized specialty shop strategies are elevated in the omni environment. 

• Collaborates with peers, marketing directors, activity director(s), and Director of Digital Merchandising to create annual product planning direction for Specialty Shop and shared vision consistency across departments.

• Ensures effective negotiations with major vendors and that contractual performance standards are met or exceeded. 

• Champion change management, agility, and speed in execution. 

• Plans expense budget and resource requirements 

At REI, we believe the outdoors is for all. We are committed to becoming a  fully inclusive, anti-racist, multicultural organization . We know that there's strength in our diversity – that each employee brings unique skills, experiences, and perspectives. Every day you are driving change, fostering a culture of respect, and knowing you're backed by benefits that support your whole life. To work towards this commitment and fulfill our brand promise of inspiring and enabling a life outside for everyone, we seek employees who demonstrate different ways of working, create a sense of belonging, and actively listen and learn.   

Pay Transparency  

We are committed to practices that promote pay equity and transparency. As required by applicable Pay Transparency laws, REI  provides a range of compensation for roles that may be hired in locations under these requirements. Factors that may be used to  determine your actual salary may include a wide array of factors, including: your specific skills and experience, geographic  location or other relevant factors. 

REI offers all regular employees a generous employee discount, access to health benefits, a retirement savings plan and  accrued time off. Click  here for a detailed overview of benefits plans by employee profile.  

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