Merchandising Manager, EvoShield Apparel

Merchandising Manager, EvoShield Apparel

Chicago, IL | Hybrid

At Wilson, we are here to empower every human to live like an athlete. Passion. Creativity. Integrity. Teamwork. Ambition. Innovation. These are the qualities that have made Wilson Sporting Goods Co. the number one sports equipment brand in the world. We come together to win, grow, and celebrate. We all play for Team Wilson. We all have a role to play within our organization and are working towards the same goal. One team, one dream.

We believe that being an athlete isn’t something you do, it’s who you are. It’s a universal code of conduct, a way of seeing the world and how you show up every day. We seek out diverse voices and welcome all perspectives. Our team is composed of individuals with unique backgrounds, points of view and experiences. These perspectives create a rich and diverse culture in which we learn from one another through empathy and inclusion.

Evolving the sports world and being the best partner for players, athletes, and our community is no small task. We are continually looking to add enthusiastic, ambitious, team-first individuals who desire to make a difference —and who love to help others win. Together, we will create a better world through sport. Join us.

The Merchandising Manager, EvoShield Apparel will be an integral part of the Commercial Team, working to establish and build the emerging EvoShield Apparel business within the wholesale channel in the USA with a focus on capturing the off-field apparel market for competitive ballplayers. Segments include licensed apparel, lifestyle apparel, and uniform basics.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Lead the creation and execution of overall merchandising strategy, product assortment, and financial planning roadmaps to optimize EvoShield’s growth and business unit development.
• Define seasonal and long-term merchandising strategies for sales, margin, and inventory turnover to result in product assortments that exceed customer expectations and the business unit’s financial and operational goals.
• Evaluate market trends, competitor moves, and consumer insights to uncover new opportunities and guide strategic product assortment and pricing decisions.
• Work closely with product design and development teams, production leads, PLM, sales, and inventory managers to create the best possible assortment of products and levels of inventory to optimize our growth and profitability. Optimize production cycles to ideally complement the custom uniform and apparel business.
• Develop a meaningful feedback loop with consumers to ensure PLM’s, creatives, and stakeholders are developing for emerging trends at the front end of the cycle.
• Partner with supply and demand planners to analyze and manage inventory levels. Channel-right assortments and efficient use of base garments across the business are essential.
• Collaborate with the full Omni-Channel organization to determine short- and long-term direction of the product line. Lead and develop in-store merchandising strategies with key customers to ensure our brands show up at their best.
• Specifically responsible for wholesale channel pricing, revenue targets, and PGP, product line assortment, introduction of products, launch dates, product life cycle, exit strategies for apparel designed for the retail shopping environment.
• Collaborate with key dealers/retailers on seasonal sales opportunities.
• Ensure product timelines are in harmony with launch targets and strategies for collaborative decision making.
• Other duties as assigned.

We are seeking candidates with a Bachelor’s Degree in Merchandising, Business, Marketing, or a related discipline (advanced degree preferred) and a minimum of 5 years of apparel merchandising industry experience. The ideal candidate will also have a deep understanding of the competitive ballplayer and their off-field interests and habits in addition to their apparel merchandising experience.

Other qualifications include:

• Great consumer insights – a deep understanding of the habits of our distinct consumers:
  • Competitive ballplayers, age 10-18 that identifies with being a ballplayer as a central tenet in the expression of their sense of self.
  • Recreational ballplayers age 5-12 that are just learning about the sport and acquire the basics at their preferred place of purchase
  • BananaBall™ aficionados of all ages that follow the sport via social media, broadcasts, and at events
• Strong analytical and financial acumen
• An eye for the apparel market trends for this consumer base, which will be a factor in guiding our product team on how to use our on-field expertise to translate to off-field appeal.
• Entrepreneurial spirit – ability to work effectively in a fluid environment and willingness to wear multiple hats, as necessary.
• Startup Mindset – ability to recognize and fill the gaps in an emerging business, keeping projects and product lines on task and on time
• Resourcefulness – self-directed and always seeking new applications and opportunities.
• Collaboration – demonstrated skill in building cross-functional and cross-cultural/international relationships.
• Demonstrated business acumen and the ability to apply sound business decisions to growing a global business.
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Powerpoint, Word), as well as collaboration/ communications platforms like MS Teams.
• Ability to travel domestically and occasionally internationally up to 30% of the time.

What We’ll Provide

A reasonable estimate of the pay range is $110,000 - $130,000 per year at the time of this posting. Within the range, individual pay is determined by factors such as job-related skills, relevant experience, education, and/or training. Please note that the range details reflect the base pay only and does not include our competitive bonus program.

Located in the vibrant, sports-centric city of Chicago, Wilson Sporting Goods Co. global headquarters sits along the lakefront with first-class access to a burgeoning creative, innovative, energetic and active professional community. We offer an open, collaborative, high tech work environment with best in class amenities and perks, including:

• Medical, dental and vision
• Pre-tax transit discounts
• 401(k) with company match
• Life insurance
• Paid maternity/paternity leave
• Professional development opportunities
• Volunteering programs
• Team building outings
• Discounts on Wilson and Amer Sports products
• On-site health club
• Summer hours
• Company-sponsored sports leagues/teams
• Fun, active company outings around major sports events

Wilson Sporting Goods Co. is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristics