Merchandise Planning Costing Manager, Footwear

Overview

Who We Are:

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!

We welcome everyone from every walk of life looking to inspire others through the power of movement — because we’re all moving towards something. Let’s run there.

The primary role of the Footwear Merchandise Planning Costing Manager is to manage and evolve Brooks’ Footwear Margin Strategy. In this role, you will be responsible for creating and maintaining margin and planning tools that streamline costing processes and support the execution of the Footwear product line plan. The Footwear Merchandise Planning Costing Manager must be familiar with margin/costing processes and have a proven track record of successful negotiations, the ability to influence key stakeholders, and strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.

Reporting to the Director of Merchandise Planning – Footwear, you will play a critical role in aligning seasonal costing strategies with the broader Merchandise Financial Plan (MFP). Your work will include analyzing historical margin performance, developing seasonal product target FOBs, and go-in margin goals. You will also maintain and evolve the seasonal FOB matrix to support both short- and long-range planning.

As a key contributor to Brooks’ overall profitability, you will collaborate with cross-functional partners, including Product Line Management, Merchandising, Sourcing, Integrated Supply Planning, and Asia Costing Teams, to propose cost mitigation strategies and ensure alignment with company goals. You’ll also be responsible for developing reports, dashboards, and presentations that communicate insights to leadership and guide strategic decisions around product roadmaps, assortments, and pricing.

Ultimately, your work will help Brooks deliver premium, performance-driven products that meet the needs of runners everywhere, ensuring that every decision supports our mission to inspire everyone to run and be active.

• Footwear Merchandise Planning Process
  • Lead the development and biannual presentation of the Footwear 5-Year Go-In Margin Report, partnering with Footwear PLM, Merchandising, Market Supply Planning, Sourcing, and the Director of Merchandise Planning to identify long-term risks and opportunities.
  • Own the seasonal execution and delivery of Go-In Margin Reports across key product development milestones ensuring alignment across cross-functional teams.
  • Set seasonal target FOBs and margin goals for new styles, in alignment with seasonal margin objectives and company business goals.
  • Conduct competitive margin and costing analysis, in collaboration with the Director of Merchandise Planning, to inform and evolve the Footwear Margin Strategy.
  • Partner with Finance to analyze Footwear COGS and identify FOB trends, supporting the development of KPI indices that help leadership assess cost impacts and shape strategic decisions.
  • Ensure data governance and seasonal alignment with the Merch Financial Plan (MFP) by working closely with the Costing Team throughout the development process.
• Performance Analysis & Reporting
  • Monitor and report on key performance indicators (KPIs), including seasonal costing assumptions, go-in margins (GIM), and product FOBs, to assess and communicate Footwear team performance.
  • Develop and present detailed business performance reports to senior leadership, delivering actionable insights and recommendations that support continuous improvement, margin optimization, and inform pricing strategy…