Category Manager, Snow Full Time

General Summary:

Reporting to the Sr Manager of Product & Merchandising, the Snow Category Manager is the expert responsible for establishing the strategic direction for the Global Snow product collections, interfacing with global sales management & supporting the product design and development efforts with the design/product group. The Snow Category Manager is the champion of the category who leads the process with a multi-functional team to develop and execute product initiatives to deliver our sales objectives. With the understanding of the global Snow helmet & goggle market and specific user experience requirements, they drive development of the product lines to deliver innovative product on time, while growing market share and category profitability. In addition, the Snow Category Manager collaborates with the Snow Marketing Manager and Product Line Managers to drive the overall product creation and marketing alignment.

Essential Job Duties:

• Develop Snow helmet and Snow goggle product line strategies to achieve sales & margin objectives for the Snow category based on a deep understanding of consumer and market needs & trends.
• Develop & maintain short/long term product line & development plan & coordinate with sales, marketing, design, R&D, operations & management. Lead the end-to-end process from commercial briefing to design briefing to executing product initiatives with a multi-functional team.
• Support the development of Snow product merchandising, packaging, & communication.
• Support sales management in forecasting sales & manufacturing planning.
• Interface with International Sales Manager & distributors in development of product line strategies
• Collaborate with Creative group to develop model by model color line specifications that achieve sales objectives for the global Snow markets
• Coordinate development projects with operations & manufacturing to meet established date, production specification, and costing targets
• Coordinate with Creative group plus Eyewear and Bike Category Managers to help maintain unified color, material, and finish direction for Snow product lines
• Support special make up programs w/key retailers to meet sales objectives
• Research consumer buying trends & retail selling techniques to support marketing & sales efforts
• Support the Creative and Trade Marketing groups on content development product needs
• Maintain competitive product and market analysis
• Attend international & domestic trade shows
• Performs other duties as needed & directed by the Sr. Mgr, Product & Merchandising

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Product line management and/or Category Management experience in the Snow industry preferred
• A very strong understanding & working knowledge of fashion, design, color trending, & graphic development
• Very detail oriented with the ability to manage multiple projects & timelines
• Ability to coordinate & manage internal & external resources
• Ability to manage processes & support a team atmosphere
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation communication skills
• Working knowledge of Word, Excel, PowerPoint; Illustrator helpful
• Strong interest in winter and summer outdoor sports required
• Willingness to travel globally

Education & Experience:

• Undergraduate or Graduate Degree in a relevant field
• 3-5 years product development and/or marketing background in a similar industry

Tagged as: category manager, orgeon, portland, smith, smith optics, snowboarding