Category Merchandising Manager

Category Merchandising Manager | Sports & Lifestyle Brand | Global Powerhouse | Superb Culture | Real Growth Potential | £60,000 - £72,000 + Benefits | 6 Month FTC

Zachary Daniels are delighted to be partnered with one of the globe's most recognisable sports & lifestyle brands in the recruitment of a Category Merchandising Manager.

Our client has a brilliant reputation in the market and is continuously improving; whether that be their product, their training or their facilities, they are improving and they are growing. Their head office culture is phenomenal which is a main selling point to anyone joining this global powerhouse. They give responsibility, they develop and they reward! Plus you get great discount and very good hybrid working and flexi hours....

This is the perfect time to join the business as they plan to double in size over the next 3 years.

The Role:

Our client is seeking an experienced merchandising professional to lead their key Channel Merchandising team across EMEA, driving the delivery of commercially successful and seasonally relevant assortments across all channels.

Acting as the key voice of Direct-to-Consumer merchandising within the region, you will play a central role in influencing both regional and global decision-making throughout the trading and GTM cycle.

This is a 6-month fixed-term contract opportunity.

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as the key link between Channel Merchandising and the DTC commercial teams, ensuring seasonal brand priorities and product stories are fully supported across all channels.

• Own and define the assortment strategy across e-commerce, full-price retail, outlet and marketplace channels, covering both performance and lifestyle categories.

• Deliver commercial targets across all DTC channels, including sales, volume, productivity and style efficiency metrics.

• Lead the seasonal planning process from a bottom-up perspective, ensuring plans support both immediate trading opportunities and longer-term merchandising objectives.

• Drive and evolve the DTC segmentation strategy across all channels.

• Provide clear visibility and communication around DTC plans across regional stakeholders.

• Lead seasonal performance reviews with commercial and marketing teams, using clearly defined KPIs to evaluate performance throughout the GTM process.

• Conduct seasonal debriefs with local merchandising teams, identifying opportunities, learnings and performance drivers.

• Manage merchandising input across key GTM milestones and account-facing meetings.

• Define and implement channel-specific product assortments throughout the merchandising lifecycle.

• Represent the regional DTC merchandising perspective during key global merchandising milestones and planning sessions.

• Develop detailed DTC range plans at SKU level, ensuring assortments are commercially balanced and channel appropriate.

• Collaborate closely with regional counterparts to maximise alignment, efficiency and commonality across both inline and exclusive product strategies.

• Ensure DTC priorities remain central to the wider local merchandising and range planning process.

• Build strong relationships with market teams, maintaining regular communication to manage product feedback, queries and commercial requirements effectively.

• Work effectively within fast-paced timelines and deliver against key merchandising deadlines and milestones.

Why Join This Brand?

• Be part of a brand with global reach and unstoppable energy

• Collaborate with passionate, forward-thinking professionals

• Enjoy a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits

• Access to exciting employee perks, including product discounts and exclusive events

• Opportunity to make a real impact in a fast-moving, high-growth business

BH36290