Divisional Merchandise Manager, Ski & Snow Hardgoods

About the Role

Join a dynamic team passionate about outdoor adventure and culture, where you will play a pivotal role in guiding one of Backcountry's key categories focused on ski, snowboard, and backcountry hardgoods. Reporting directly to the VP of Merchandising Hardgoods, this full-time remote opportunity based in British Columbia offers the chance to lead category strategy and assortment planning with a focus on a seasonal, competitive market.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive multi-year category strategy for ski, snowboard, and backcountry hardgoods, attending to regional differences such as East vs. West mountain preferences.
• Utilize deep industry insight to recognize market trends, strengthen vendor relationships, and lead the creation of exclusive and strategic merchandise units.
• Manage tiers of product assortments tailored to different customer segments, optimizing lifecycle through a balanced approach to pricing and inventory including full-price, off-price, and closeout offerings.
• Take full ownership of vendor negotiations, including on-site meetings and business reviews to secure exclusive product offers and maintain competitive positioning.
• Champion customer experience integration across retail and digital platforms, ensuring cohesive product presentation and supporting initiatives like demo and seasonal rental programs.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Inventory Planning, Finance, Marketing, and Digital teams to align purchase decisions and financial goals with real-time sales data and market demands.
• Lead and mentor a merchandising team to achieve defined business objectives, promoting a culture of accountability and innovation.

Required Qualifications

• Expert knowledge of ski and snowboard hardgoods categories, along with the global vendor and brand ecosystem.
• Proven strategic merchandising skills with successful management of seasonal product life cycles and inventory.
• Ability to craft product assortments that address nuanced regional and customer expertise distinctions.
• Experience partnering with vendors to develop exclusive and SMU product lines.
• Familiarity with retail service models, including demo fleets and rental programs.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration experience, particularly in integrating digital merchandising, finance, and inventory planning.
• Solid analytical skills using sell-through rates, conversion metrics, and forecasting to make informed buying decisions.
• Demonstrated leadership in managing and growing a merchandising team.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in ski or snow hardgoods management in multi-channel retail environments (digital and physical).
• Established connections with major ski and snowboard brands.
• Experience expanding demo and rental programs at scale.
• Knowledge of e-commerce merchandising tools and on-site product presentation.
• History of working with SMU programs on a national or global level.

Employee Benefits and Culture

This position offers executive interaction opportunities, including mentorship from top leaders in outdoor retail. Employees gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge AI and analytics tools for skills enhancement. Fast career growth is emphasized, with competitive benefits including paid time off, retirement plan matching, health coverage, and employee discounts across associated brands.

Recruitment Process

• Initial 30-minute screening with recruitment personnel to share your experience and discuss the role.
• A detailed interview with the VP of Merchandising Hardgoods focusing on category expertise and seasonal business management.
• A take-home exercise evaluating your approach to product assortment, vendor prioritization, and financial trade-offs.
• Panel interviews with leadership from Merchandising, Inventory Planning, and Finance teams, conducted in-person or remotely.
• Reference checks alongside final interview stages.
• Swift offer process for selected candidates.

Additional Information

Annual compensation for this role ranges from $150,000 to $160,000. The organization is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. Reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified individuals with disabilities during the application process. AI tools may be utilized to assist in reviewing applications, although all final hiring choices are made by humans.