Director, Brand & Innovation

Implus Footcare, LLC is an industry-leading global consumer packaged goods company with 20+ brands in footwear accessories, hosiery, specialty running, outdoor, fitness and movement categories. Implus is headquartered in Research Triangle Park in Durham, NC with locations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Europe, Hong Kong, and South Africa. Our brand family includes Balega, Harbinger, TriggerPoint, Perfect, Sport-Brella, DryGuy, SKLZ, RockTape, Sof Sole, Stabil, Spenco, Yaktrax, Apara, Airplus, Sneakeralls, Sof Comfort, Little Hotties, Forcefield. From insoles, socks, and shoe care to fitness equipment and seasonal accessories, Implus' products are sold in over 80,000 retail locations across North America and in over 70 countries worldwide.

At Implus we are committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive culture. We encourage & value different perspectives and are seeking a Director, SKLZ Brand & Innovation, who shares our commitment to inclusivity and enjoys working collaboratively with colleagues from diverse backgrounds.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The SKLZ Brand Director is the key leadership role responsible for developing and executing the SKLZ brand development, product line architecture, pricing strategy, and packaging/product innovation agenda. This role partners with the geographically based commercial teams to ensure SKLZ’s positioning, innovation pipeline, brand narrative, and product line development is driven into action in our markets around the world.

This person needs to have a proven track record of managing up (with leadership) and cross functionally with senior commercial and digital commerce leaders, product/packaging engineers and developers, social media and influencer management experts and sourcing leaders to deliver SKLZ business results. 

As a director-level player-coach, this role is expected to bring the experience and judgment to act as a thought leader for the brand while also leading the team to execute with excellence. The role is central to improving portfolio focus, strengthening launch discipline, and ensuring SKLZ’s strategic priorities are integrated across the business.

Essential Job Function:        

Brand Strategy & Positioning

• Lead the implementation of SKLZ’s brand positioning, purpose, and narrative to ensure clarity, consistency, and relevance with athletes, parents, coaches, customers, and internal teams.
• Translate consumer insights, market trends, and competitive intelligence into actionable brand strategies, messaging frameworks, and category priorities.
• Serve as the brand steward, ensuring alignment across product, sales, digital, and marketing touchpoints.
• Partner with Shared Services Marketing to shape campaign strategy, content development, and go-to-market planning in support of business priorities.
• Champion internal understanding of the brand strategy so cross-functional teams and leadership are aligned on SKLZ’s positioning, strategic focus, and growth opportunities.

Product Line Strategy & Coordination

• Own the SKLZ product line, including portfolio focus, lifecycle planning, SKU optimization, and seasonal line architecture.
• Analyze sales, margin, inventory, and market performance to inform assortment decisions and improve portfolio health.
• Partner with internal teams to align roadmaps and product strategies with consumer needs, brand positioning, and commercial priorities.
• Help shape innovation planning by identifying assortment gaps, evaluating opportunities, and supporting disciplined progression from ideation through launch.
• Ensure product information, positioning, and selling tools are accurate, current, and ready to support global go-to-market execution.

Cross-Functional Integration

• Act as a strategic liaison between business leadership, Product Development, Commercial, Digital, and Shared Services teams.
• Ensure alignment between brand strategy, product plans, and the broader go-to-market rhythm across seasonal and annual planning cycles.
• Support the development of retail storytelling, trade marketing tools, and sell-in materials in partnership with Sales and Marketing teams.
• Help drive launch readiness and milestone execution by ensuring brand and product strategies are clearly integrated, communicated, and activated across functions.

People Management

• Lead and develop the Product Line Management role(s) reporting into this position, providing clear direction, prioritization, and coaching while setting a high bar for performance and execution.
• Operate as a director-level player-coach who brings the experience, judgment, and credibility to serve as a thought leader for the brand while remaining close to the work and advancing key priorities.
• Strengthen the team’s talent base by raising capability, adding leadership depth, and building bench strength over time.
• Build a high-performing team environment that balances strategic thinking, strong ownership, and effective day-to-day execution.

Minimum Qualifications: Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• 7+ years of experience in brand strategy, product management, product marketing, or integrated marketing roles.
• Strong understanding of brand positioning, consumer insights, storytelling, and competitive strategy.
• Experience with portfolio management, product lifecycle planning, SKU optimization, and business analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional work, manage and develop talent, influence stakeholders, and communicate clearly across functions and levels.
• Proven ability to operate as a director-level player-coach, combining strategic leadership, hands-on execution, and talent development.
• Highly collaborative, organized, and adaptable in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
• Experience in sports, fitness, or consumer products and familiarity with athlete training categories is strongly preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:      

MBA degree with a concentration in Marketing, Communications or a similar relevant field is preferred.

Education & Experience:

A Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Communications or a related field of study is required.

Relevant Working Conditions & Physical Demands:                    

• Visual Abilities: Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus, read reports, create presentations and use a computer system.
• Hearing: Hear well enough to communicate with co-workers, vendors, and students.
• Dexterity, Grasping, Feeling: Write, type and use the telephone, copier, and computer systems.
• Mobility: Open files and operate office machines; move between departments and attend meetings.
• Talking: Frequently convey detailed or important instructions and ideas accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Lifting, Pulling, Pushing: Exert up to 50 pounds for force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.
• Using a standard computer keyboard and monitor
• 25 lbs. with/w/o reasonable accommodation
• Work has deadlines, multiple interruptions and may be stressful at times.
• Work may require occasional travel
• Standard climate-controlled office setting

Implus is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and committed to creating a diverse and inclusive company culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion/belief, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other protected status under the law. Individuals needing a reasonable accommodation should contact [email protected].