VP Global Product Merchandising (Speedo)

We’re Pentland Brands; a dynamic, global family business, and proud owners and licensees of many iconic active and footwear brands. With a community of over 1,300 team members worldwide, we embrace diversity and inclusion, and champion growth and development. Our success is built on teamwork, courage, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.

WHAT’S THE MISSION FOR THIS ROLE?

The VP Global Product Merchandising (Speedo) will be pivotal in developing and executing a consumer-centric product roadmap that aligns seamlessly with our brand vision. This strategic role is responsible for leveraging comprehensive insights, foresight, and data analytics to optimize our global pricing and range architecture, ensuring we meet our ambitious growth targets across diverse regions.

This role will lead a high-performing team dedicated to innovation and excellence, championing sustainability practices that resonate with our values and the expectations of today’s consumers. By fostering a culture of collaboration across various functions this role will enhance our product offerings and drive market success. You will be instrumental in identifying emerging trends and consumer preferences, enabling the company to adapt and thrive in a competitive landscape. This position not only requires a keen analytical mindset but also strong leadership skills to inspire and guide a team toward achieving shared objectives.

WHAT DOES THIS ROLE DO?

As our VP Global Product Merchandising (Speedo), you will be responsible for:

Product Strategy Development

• Collaborate with brand teams to create a consumer-centric product roadmap. Use insights, data analytics, and market foresight to establish a global pricing strategy and range architecture that aligns with brand and regional growth objectives, directly supporting global financial targets.

Global Seasonal Range Planning

• Manage balanced seasonal product offerings to meet regional needs while achieving margin and productivity targets. Identify Key Marketing Styles (KMS) for phased product launches and develop lifecycle plans to align seasonal offerings. Utilise dashboards to track product performance, ensuring visibility from concept to market launch.

Global Alignment and Collaboration

• Integrate regional feedback into seasonal plans to enhance SKU and style productivity, improving adoption of the global line and minimising reliance on region-specific Special Make-Up (SMU) requests. Work closely with regional teams, DTC channels, and marketing partners to align strategies with global financial objectives.

New Product Development (NPD) and Innovation

• Partner with design, materials, and product development teams to create detailed product briefs. Collaborate with the New Product Innovation (NPI) team to establish effective go-to-market strategies, ensuring new products meet consumer demands and align with targeted KPIs.

Margin, Productivity, and Financial Management

• Oversee brand KPIs and leverage performance measures, including gross margins and line adoption rates, to develop profitable offerings across markets. Monitor performance against global financial targets and develop strategies to maximise productivity in line with these objectives.

SMU and Exclusive Process Governance

• Set guidelines for the SMU process, clarifying timelines and validating submissions. Work with market merchandising partners to ensure SMU requests enhance the global line and align with brand direction, while identifying opportunities for regional developments to expand into the mainline.

End-to-End Calendar Management and Best Practices

• Lead pre-season activities with cross-functional teams to share insights and align on long-term strategies. Champion the adoption of best practices and the Ideal State Go-To-Market (GTM) process, utilizing data and analytics in decision-making to ensure milestones are met.

Leadership, Team Development, Support, and Sustainability Advocacy

• Empower team members by delegating responsibilities, fostering ownership, and encouraging initiative.
• Create an inclusive environment that promotes collaboration among team members and across departments.
• Commit to mentoring and developing team members’ skills and careers, providing guidance and feedback.
• Foster a culture of continuous feedback, where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas and receiving constructive criticism.
• Lead the team to remain agile and adaptable in response to changing market dynamics or internal challenges.
• Facilitate the setting of clear, measurable goals for the team and align them with overall business objectives

WHAT DO I BRING TO THE ROLE?

You just might be our next superstar if you have the following skills and experience:

• Over 10 years of experience leading global merchandising strategies, effectively aligning diverse teams toward common business objectives. Preferably sport apparel/equipment industry.
• Expertise in developing product strategies that align with business goals, utilizing financial metrics such as gross margin and profitability for decision-making.
• Experience overseeing new product development and familiarity with sustainable merchandising practices to meet modern consumer expectations.
• Proven ability to work across departments, fostering teamwork and ensuring merchandising aligns with broader business goals.
• Strong analytical skills for interpreting pricing models and deriving insights, with advanced Excel proficiency (formulas, pivot tables, data visualization) and attention to detail for accurate pricing and margin reviews.
• Effective problem-solver for pricing discrepancies, with excellent verbal and written communication skills for collaboration and efficient task management.

We want you to live our company principles, bringing a strong consumer focus, while always looking for ways to improve and grow in your role. Take ownership of your work and be proactive in solving problems whilst communicating openly and treating everyone with respect and kindness. And, of course, let your creativity shine by bringing your unique style and individuality to the Pentland Brands Team.

VP Global Product Merchandising (Speedo) | Nottingham | Permanent, full time

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

• Competitive Salary + discretionary bonus
• 25 Days Holiday: Increases with length of service and the option to purchase additional days to suit your needs.
• Discounts: Brand discounts (including friends and family and JD Sports), Sample Sales, and other retail discounts and perks.
• Family-Friendly Benefits: Generous enhanced parental leave policies
• Health Perks: Choose from a variety of health-related perks including medical cash plan, critical illness cover, life assurance, gym and fitness discounts, dental insurance, eye care, and health screening to maintain your wellbeing.
• Travel Perks: Take advantage of our season ticket loan, cycle to work schemes, electric car schemes, and discounts on home charging units to support eco-friendly commuting.
• Flexible Working: We offer hybrid working and flexible working hours, allowing you to start your day earlier or later to help with commute costs or personal commitments.
• Chance to join our Charity, D&I and Sustainability employee networks.

As an equal opportunity employer, we’re committed to fostering diversity and creating an inclusive culture across our business, stores, and office environment.

We warmly welcome your application.