Lead Footwear Product Line Manager, Speed

WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH

The Lead Product Line Manager will be the on-field team captain bringing the Product Design and Product Development groups together, keeping the team focused on delivering on the consumer-centric brief, on time, and meeting target margin.  They will partner across the organization with Merchandising, Product Testing, Consumer Insights, Finance, and Planning to ensure a smooth transition to the go-to-consumer process.  They are the consistent voice of the consumer in the process focusing on the product solution.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are seeking a Lead Product Line Manager that will develop and use consumer relationships in addition to marketplace and competitive analysis to gather product insights and turn those into relevant product briefs. You will be responsible for crafting the strategic vision for your business, including a multi-year roadmap and line plan. You will provide the category team with timely, visual and factual cues to entrust and encourage them in the product process. Using knowledge of the consumer, you will write and present product briefs that drive innovative as well as commercial products. Your experience with veneering and storytelling will be key to being successful in this role!

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education, experience or training.
• A minimum of 6 years directly relevant work experience. 
• Strong business orientation and analytical aptitude, with a proven record of critical metric growth
• Shown experience translating category vision into a multi-year line plan, including experience leading a franchise
• Proven line planning skills and merchandising expertise
• Strategic knowledge of product supply chain and distribution channels
• Demonstrated leadership capability, including ability to empower and mentor others
• Outstanding presentation and interpersonal communication skills
• Knowledge of marketplace, competition, and trends
• Ability to prioritize, organize, and multitask in a flexible, fast-paced, and challenging environment.
• Ability to travel up to 20% of time, including internationally

WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON

As a successful Lead Footwear Product Line Manager, you will demonstrate strength in cross functional relationships and communication to make day-to-day decisions. You will handle and/or present the line or specific products to internal and external audiences and demonstrate awareness and experienced level of product, process, merchandising and market knowledge and be able to share that knowledge with your team. We will lead by example in every aspect of the job and work with category partners to achieve business results related to revenue growth, profitability, pricing margins, and style/sku efficiency!

• You work with the utmost urgency to lead the product project to completion, rallying the team to action, and modeling an atmosphere of personal accountability.
• You have a "growth mindset" approach to the natural tradeoffs, challenges, and obstacles that emerge in the creation process
• You showcase a willingness to pitch-in with partners across the functional offense, from Design and Development to Consumer Insights, Product Testing, Engineering, 3D Design, as well as color and material design and development.
• You hold a strong familiarity with the sequence of the product creation process (Brief, Design, Tech Pack, sample rounds, finalization) as well as a rudimentary understanding of footwear costing dynamics.