lululemon Director, Global Merchandising - Women's Lifestyle

Description & Requirements

who we are

lululemon is an innovative performance apparel company for yoga, running, training, and other athletic pursuits. Setting the bar in technical fabrics and functional design, we create transformational products and experiences that support people in moving, growing, connecting, and being well. We owe our success to our innovative product, emphasis on stores, commitment to our people, and the incredible connections we make in every community we're in. As a company, we focus on creating positive change to build a healthier, thriving future. In particular, that includes creating an equitable, inclusive and growth-focused environment for our people.

about this team

The Merchandising team creates and executes transformative global product strategies that ensure we have the right assortment in the right place at the right time, and at the right price, to serve global guests, grow our brand and deliver on our long-term enterprise goals. We possess deep awareness and intuition of global marketplace dynamics and guest needs and use this knowledge to identify opportunities to maximize demand.

a day in the life

The Global Merchandise Director is a seasoned product and market strategist who works with the SVP Merchandising to build the global Women's strategies that grow our brand and deliver on our long-term enterprise goals, and then ensure their team is supported to carry it through the Go-To-Market process and tasks. This person often works on exception-based opportunities and issues in the business to resolve for the business and the function and is a representative of Women's merchandising on critical topics. This requires that the Global Merchandise Director leads the team through the creation, management and execution of the global product line plan (for their categories) by effectively leading their teams in collaborative work and partnerships with the Regional Merchandising, Design, Brand/Marketing and Guest Experience teams. This person is responsible for the development and coaching of the managers to deliver product needs that reflect brand consistency and regional relevance to maximize profitability and sales across product classes, key items and channels.

• Responsible for overseeing a team of Global Merchandising Managers who report directly to the Director. They inspire, coach and guide their team members to develop their skills and deliver on business priorities
  • Design and manage the global merchandising strategy for all product categories
• Responsible for the successful execution of a line plan of assigned product categories, that deliver our design vision in addition to sales, gross margin and sales productivity goals across all channels
• Responsible for the successful execution to drive the delivery of our omni-channel product assortment and digital growth strategies
• Responsible for the product lifecycle and go to market process of assigned product categories through effective teamwork and partnership with all Product teams
• Lead the seasonal line planning process and style count in partnership with Design, Development and Planning for seasonal alignment
• Drive pricing architecture for the assigned product categories, collaborating with other Directors of Merchandising and Design to ensure consistency across the brand
• Collaborate closely with international buying teams to ensure that regional needs are incorporated into the global line plan and global roadmap comes to life in all regions
• Partner with all cross functional teams outside of Product including Global Brand & Community, Strategy, Operations Excellence, and Supply Chain teams to ensure the design vision is delivered to our guests
• Inform Design team (at key internal milestones) with strategic insight and identify additional product assortment or business growth opportunities

qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in a merchant/buyer role, with 5 years management experience, including 1-2 years as a Director or Senior Manager
  • Understanding and experience in working for a Global Brand
• Vertical retail experience required. Omni channel experience highly desirable
  • Aware of macro lifestyle and fashion trends and how this relates to the active and wellness industry
• Strong understanding of global marketplace, major shifts in trend and activity
• Mastery of retail mathematics and Open to Buy, and ability to interpret and apply financial insights on current business performance and leverage insights to guide and inform future range plans
• Proven ability to work with and lead a cross functional team, and Ability to lead and influence creative (and all) partners
• Excellent communication skills - interpersonal, written and verbal
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously; Self-starter approach to work, with an eagerness to consistently meet and exceed objectives and take on more responsibility
• Entrepreneurship - an ability to make decisions and take calculated risks
• Focus on creating an extraordinary guest experience, organizational and time management skills
• Strong knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) and working knowledge of Adobe Illustrator
• Willingness to travel (domestic and international)

must haves

• Acknowledge the presence of choice in every moment and take personal responsibility for your life
• Possess an entrepreneurial spirit and continuously innovate to achieve great results
• Communicate with honesty and kindness and create the space for others to do the same
• Lead with courage, knowing the possibility of greatness is bigger than the fear of failure
• Foster connection by putting people first and building trusting relationships
• Integrate fun and joy as a way of being and working, aka doesn't take yourself too seriously

additional notes

Immigration support is potentially available for this role.

compensation and benefits package

lululemon's compensation offerings are grounded in a pay-for-performance philosophy that recognizes exceptional individual and team performance. The typical hiring range for this position is from $201,000 - 263,800 CAD annually; the base pay offered is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and internal equity. As part of our total rewards offering, permanent employees in this position may be eligible for our competitive annual bonus program and equity offerings, subject to program eligibility requirements.  

At lululemon, investing in our people is a top priority. We believe that when life works, work works. We strive to be the place where inclusive leaders come to develop and enable all to be well. Recognizing our teams for their performance and dedication, other components of our total rewards offerings include support of career development, wellbeing, and personal growth:

• Extended health and dental benefits, and mental health plans
• Paid time off
• Savings and retirement plan matching
• Generous employee discount
• Fitness & yoga classes
• Parenthood top-up
• Extensive catalog of development course offerings
• People networks, mentorship programs, and leadership series (to name a few)

Note: The incentive programs, benefits, and perks have certain eligibility requirements. The Company reserves the right to alter these incentive programs, benefits, and perks in whole or in part at any time without advance notice.

workplace arrangement

Hybrid

In-person collaboration and connection is important to our culture. Work is performed onsite, minimum 4 days per week.

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