Principal Footwear Merchandiser, Americas

At Brooks, we believe movement is the key to feeling more alive. That’s why we’re driven to create gear and experiences that take people to the place that makes them feel more alive — whether it’s a headspace, a feeling, or a finish line. Everyone who works at Brooks is propelled by a company culture that sparks excitement, fuels collaboration, inspires creativity, and ignites innovation. Our brand values help bond us together and drive our success:

• Runner First – We act in the best interest of the runner
• Word is Bond – We do what we say we’ll do
• Champion Heart – We give our all in everything we do
• There is no “I” in Run – We stay generous with our humanity
• Keep Moving – We find ways to move every day, because joy is kinetic!

The Mission of the Global Footwear Merchandising team is to optimize the product mix and go-to-market strategy with the focus on delivering the right product at the right time across the globe. They curate a global product assortment based on runner data, seasonal trends, color application, and Merchandising Runner Assortments (MRAs) to broaden consumer reach and maximize article efficiency and regional alignment.

The Principal Footwear Merchandiser, Americas, leads the North America Merchandising team to react to in-season performance while realizing the 1–3-year impact of strategic growth. This role advises and supports the Director of Footwear Merchandising, Americas, in planning seasonal strategy, color assortments, and provides thought leadership. The position builds operational efficiencies, process improvements, and contributes to the footwear vision and strategy for 3 to 5 years, aligning with brand strategy and business goals. This role requires 20% travel.

Responsibilities

• Merchandising Strategy
  • Play an integral role in developing the regional five-year model, including article and SKU counts, and ensuring timely updates at key milestones.
  • Provide strategic insights and expertise to guide business-critical assortment decisions across regions.
  • Identify and contribute to the formulation of strategies for new regional business opportunities, determining target markets, optimal products, and approaches.
• Merchandising Operations
  • Define overarching goals for the Americas Merchandising team by enhancing and optimizing processes that integrate qualitative and quantitative inputs, fostering market readiness.
  • Present products and narratives while gathering essential feedback for product triads during prelines.
  • Communicate product, brand stories, and assortments to key internal stakeholders (sales and marketing) to secure buy-in and alignment for both Inline and MRA items.
  • Engage with the Director of Footwear Merchandising, Americas, and participate in Regional Footwear Strategic Planning to ensure alignment with Footwear Management on bi-annual strategic plans.
  • Influence the regional preline strategy by continuously innovating and evolving in response to brand and business needs.
  • Operate as a critical partner to Footwear Merchandising management to ensure deliverables are completed efficiently at key milestones.
• Cross-Functional Influence & Collaboration
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams within the footwear department to facilitate consensus-building, drive results, and resolve conflicts.
  • Act as a valuable resource to project teams through collaboration with functional managers and subject matter experts.
  • Influence brand initiatives across functions to support Footwear Merchandising leadership in gaining support for priority projects.
  • Manage collaboration processes with the color team to develop regional seasonal assortments.
  • Represent the Americas in global assortment planning, advocating for the perspectives of consumers, retailers, and internal teams.
  • Collaborate with footwear teams in Asia and EMEA on critical projects.
  • Lead high-level cross-functional project teams, identifying strategic opportunities for incremental business growth.
  • Serve as a mentor by sharing expertise and insights with the Merchandising team and the broader Footwear organization.
• Merchandising Leadership & Expertise
  • Provide mentorship on strategy and execution within Footwear Merchandising and across Footwear operations.
  • Offer expertise on owned projects at calibration meetings and significant milestones.
  • Exemplify leadership and serve as a subject matter expert in frequent interactions with inline triads and SMEs.
  • Provide product expertise for Sales and Marketing for presentations and videos.
  • May supervise up to one direct report, overseeing goal setting, performance reviews, hiring decisions, team culture, and supporting career development.
  • Demonstrate Brooks values in all professional interactions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or a related field required.
• Minimum 10+ years’ prior experience in working with footwear products (wholesale or retail) and at least 2 years of working for a running footwear brand in a related field (sales, tech rep, etc.).
• Experience working with SRA and Comfort Retailers.
• Creative thinker with the ability to effectively communicate and convey ideas to design, development, color, and trend teams.
• Proven ability to lead in a collaborative, team-oriented environment.
• Proven ability to influence, persuade, and negotiate to achieve progress toward goals.
• Results-oriented with the ability to balance numerous tasks and utilize all available resources.
• Strong working knowledge of the footwear product merchandising process, retail environment, and consumer buying habits.
• Strong business orientation and analytical skills in managing SKU efficiency, product mix, and profitability.
• Demonstrated ability to conceive and create new thinking and ideas pertaining to the consumer and the product line.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills – skilled presenter, great communication ability.
• Ability to work professionally and efficiently within the team and across departments.
• Passion for the running enthusiast and active lifestyle.
• Travel 20% (Domestic).

Pay

The pay range for this position, based out of the Brooks Seattle HQ, is $134,295 - $214,894 per year. Base pay offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Benefits

• Health & Insurance
  • Medical, dental, vision, life, and AD&D insurance.
  • Disability insurance.
  • HSA and employer contribution.
  • FSA, family & fertility assistance.
• Financial
  • 401K Savings Plan and match.
  • Annual bonus based on company performance.
• Paid Time Off
  • Five weeks of paid time off.
  • Eleven paid holidays.
  • Paid sick and parental leave.
• Perks
  • Product discounts.
  • Employee recognition.
  • Fitness discounts.
  • Volunteer and donation benefits.

Schedule

You will spend 4 days per week in our Seattle offices, as we believe our organization flourishes when connections, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and celebrations happen in person.