Merchandise Manager

POSITION  Merchandising Manager - Footwear REPORTING STRUCTURE  Reports to the Director of Merchandising, PUMA North America Wholesale Footwear JOB DESCRIPTIONThe Merchandising Manager of Footwear is responsible for achieving merchandising performance measures including productivity and financial based targets consistent with the overall Brand strategy. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILTIES-  Align North American merchandising strategies with Brand marketing campaigns and initiatives-  Develop a comprehensive merchandising architecture that addresses the needs of the North American market including but not limited to distribution, seasonality, gender, and pricepoint-  Brief 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-  Maximize product efficiency through long range planning and proactive communication -  Collaborate with Sales to develop strategies that achieve financial targets based on changing market conditions.-  Review product assortments regularly to assure appropriate product positioning and acceptable margins-  Conduct ongoing market research focusing on consumer trends, competitive programs and customer developments-  Attend customer meetings as needed to support Sales or obtain customer feedback REQUIREMENTS-  Must be flexible, solution oriented and adaptive to changing priorities, as well as effectively manage and resolve conflict-  Demonstrates ability to establish an independent view while effectively collaborating in decision-making forums-  Possesses comprehensive business knowledge of US marketplace-  Possesses a successful track record and reputation of exceeding performance expectations, with progressive levels of responsibility and accountability-  Firm understanding of retail merchandising organizations and processes-  Strong overall footwear experience and understanding of product sourcing, pricing, planning, forecasting, design, development and sales -  Ability to conceive and create new thoughts and ideas pertaining to the presentation of products and processes -  Ability to prioritize workloads and manage multiple projects at the same time -  Ability to optimize resources to create profitability -  Ability to develop strong working relationships with all internal and external resources -  Strong business orientation, analytical aptitude and retail math knowledge-  Fully proficient in Microsoft Office Suite-  Experience with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop-  Passion for footwear and consumer products-  Travel 40-50%PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE-  Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Business, Retail Merchandising or a related field -  3-5 years of experience in Merchandising or Product Management in either Wholesale or Retail organization Job Title: Merchandise Manager Company: PUMA North America, Inc. Location: Westford, MA 01886 Status: Full Time, Employee Job Category: Full Time, Employee