Director, Category & Merchandising

Director, Category & Merchandising Job Summary

Category Management is the financial and strategic backbone – every range decision grounded in margin targets, sell‑through expectations, and market data. Merchandising Strategy translates that into a coherent product story across owned retail, IBD, and e‑commerce. Demand and Supply Planning ensures the inventory is there to execute it. Ecommerce Merchandising carries it to the digital shelf. Retail Services now spans Nor Am and Lat Am under a single Americas‑wide manager – bringing strategy to life on the floor of every IBD and owned retail store across the region.

• Lead the existing Category Management team and set the category strategy for the Americas, aligned to global direction and local market opportunity across Nor Am and Lat Am.
• Build category business plans tying range decisions to margin targets, inventory positions and sell‑through expectations.
• Ensure category managers and demand planners operate in a shared rhythm – same data, same priorities, same planning cadence.
• Present category performance reviews and forward plans to the Head of Americas Region and key retail accounts.
• Own the merchandising architecture that drives category performance across owned retail, IBD, and e‑commerce.
• Develop and manage seasonal merchandising plans aligned to global brand direction and local market realities.
• Define range architecture – what products go where, in what quantities, with what adjacencies, across physical and digital shelves.
• Ensure owned retail, IBD, and e‑commerce tell the same product story at the same time, every season.
• Translate global category strategies into locally relevant plans for Nor Am and Lat Am markets.
• Connect merchandising decisions directly to financial outcomes – margin, sell‑through and inventory efficiency.
• Lead a planning function of eight people across Nor Am and Lat Am.
• Own demand forecasting for both regions using commercial data, sell‑through trends and real market signals.
• Lead supply planning to align inventory availability with seasonal sell‑through targets and retailer needs.
• Identify supply risks early and resolve before they become revenue problems.
• Deliver real‑time visibility into stock health, forecast accuracy, and fulfillment performance across both regions.
• Own the commercial direction of how Specialized products are sequenced, featured and merchandised on the digital shelf for the Americas.
• Set the Americas digital merchandising strategy for  – aligned to seasonal plans, inventory position, and category priorities.
• Direct the Ecomm Merchandising Manager on product sequencing, promotional placement, and digital shelf priorities.
• Use sell‑through and traffic data to drive ongoing optimization of the digital shelf.
• Lead the Americas‑wide Retail Services function through a single Retail Services Manager who owns Nor Am and Lat Am in‑store execution.
• Set the in‑store execution standard for Specialized across all physical Americas retail touchpoints – consistent regardless of market.
• Own the retail activation calendar tied to seasonal merchandising plans, product launches and key commercial moments.
• Drive creation of point‑of‑purchase materials – signage, displays, fixtures, and assets – that translate the merchandising strategy into conversion.

• 10+ years across category management, merchandising or commercial roles with real experience in financial planning and go‑to‑market strategy.
• Proven track record building and leading cross‑functional, geographically distributed teams.
• Category management experience – building plans that connect range strategy to margin outcomes.
• Deep understanding of omnichannel retail – owned retail, IBD and e‑commerce simultaneously.
• Strong grasp of demand and supply planning – understanding how forecasting decisions affect the floor and the digital shelf.
• Experience working in or with Latin American markets and cultural fluency.
• Bilingual strongly preferred:
  English and Spanish or Portuguese.
• Comfortable building structure and clarity where it does not yet exist.
• Strong communicator – presenting to senior leadership as well as engaging with retailers on the floor.
• Data‑literate…