Category Manager, Technical Apparel & Accessories

About the role

The Category Manager, Technical Apparel & Accessories drives the strategy and execution behind Grundéns outerwear, waterproof breathable, PVC, and waders, along with the accessories line that completes the kit. This role owns the category plan end to end, shaping the product story from first market insight through go-to-market and building assortments that are commercially sound, consumer-driven, and unmistakably Grundéns.

Responsibilities

• Own the category strategy and multi-season roadmap for Technical Apparel & Accessories, aligned with revenue, margin, and brand goals.
• Analyze sell-through, market, consumer, and competitive data to identify risks, whitespace, and product opportunities across wholesale, DTC, and retail channels.
• Build differentiated category strategies that strengthen Grundéns position and feed the three-year plan.
• Author clear, insight-driven product briefs covering the consumer, use case, price point, target cost and margin, launch season, and volume hypothesis.
• Own line architecture and assortment planning, including SKU adds and drops, color counts, good-better-best structure, and channel segmentation and allocation.
• Manage commercial lifecycle decisions to add, carry over, reprice, and retire products with SKU productivity discipline and hard line-freeze gates.
• Grow accessories as an attach and margin driver by running the accessories line plan with the same brief, pricing, and productivity discipline as apparel.
• Partner with Design, Development, and Supply Chain to ensure product concepts execute on time, within cost and margin targets, and aligned to buy plans.
• Own the category's seasonal go-to-market story, including line reviews, sales meeting presentations, sell-in tools, seasonal workbooks, web content input, and product training.
• Represent the consumer and end user throughout the product lifecycle, including participation in field and wear testing.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• 3–7 years of experience in apparel merchandising, with experience supporting category growth.
• Experience in product line planning, product strategy, and performance-driven product categories is required.
• Technical apparel and/or outdoor industry experience is strongly preferred.
• An authentic connection to fishing, boating, or the outdoors is a plus, and curiosity about the Grundéns consumer is a must.
• Ability to translate market insights into practical product assortment recommendations.
• Highly organized and able to manage multiple seasons simultaneously across the product lifecycle.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, particularly with Design, Development, Sales, and Marketing teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.

Benefits

• Insurance: Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short term disability, and Life Flight coverage.
• Retirement: 401(k)-retirement plan with a 5% match at 6% contribution.
• Bonus Program: Profit-based bonus program when revenue targets are met or exceeded and personal goals are achieved.
• Paid Time Off (PTO): Earn PTO every pay period, starting at 80 hours per year depending on experience level.
• Paid Holidays: 9 set paid holidays plus 1 floating holiday for a total of 10 paid holidays.

Pay

This role can expect to earn between $115,000 – $135,000 annually.

Schedule

Onsite or Remote, with routine travel to Poulsbo HQ, and ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 25%.