Director, Merchandising Strategy
Job Description
About the Role
The Director, Merchandising Strategy at Athleta reports to the Head of Merchandising. In this role, you will help shape and drive long-range product and category strategies, identify growth and innovation opportunities, and support the development of seasonal strategies and execution plans that advance Athleta’s long-term goals.This is a highly collaborative and visible role that partners closely with leaders across the Athleta Product organization, as well as cross-functional teams such as Brand strategy, Customer Insights, Design, Inventory Management, Marketing, and Finance. Success in this role requires strong strategic thinking, analytical rigor, and the ability to connect insights across data, customer trends, and business priorities. You will need to balance big-picture thinking with hands-on execution, while influencing cross-functional partners and helping drive strategic initiatives from concept through action.
What You'll Do
• Partner with leaders to develop annual and seasonal category strategies that are
clear, actionable, and aligned to brand and business priorities.
• Translate strategic ideas into practical plans and recommendations that influence
key business decisions, including pricing, assortment architecture, productivity,
and growth opportunities.
• Support Athleta’s innovation agenda by leveraging customer insights, market
trends, and competitive intelligence to help shape product strategies and go-to-
market plans.
• Identify pricing, productivity, and assortment opportunities that support both
brand relevance and profitability.
• Develop strategic presentations and narratives that clearly communicate
business opportunities, recommendations, and progress against goals to senior
leadership.
• Analyze business issues and use strategic, analytical, and financial frameworks
to evaluate options and inform decision-making.
• Partner cross-functionally to support and improve innovation pipeline processes
and ways of working.
AOP support, leadership team meetings, and transformation initiatives.
Who You Are
• 8+ years of experience in strategy, merchandising strategy, management
consulting, corporate strategy, or a related field, with strong knowledge of
apparel, retail, customer, and digital.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to structure
ambiguous questions and generate insights through data and analysis.
• Experience translating consumer, market, and business insights into strategic
recommendations.
• Strong collaboration and influence skills; able to work effectively across functions
and levels in a matrixed organization.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to tell clear,
compelling stories grounded in data.
• Comfortable working both strategically and tactically, with a willingness to roll up
your sleeves and drive execution.
• Demonstrated ability to lead projects, influence stakeholders, and contribute to a
high-performing team environment.
• Experience in apparel, retail, or consumer-focused industries.
• Familiarity with category strategy, innovation planning, pricing, and go-to-market
strategy.
• Experience working with senior leaders and cross-functional teams to drive
strategic initiatives.
• Passion for the Athleta brand, customer, and growth journey.