Product Line Manager, Apparel

Who We Are:

At Brooks, we believe movement is the key to feeling more alive. That’s why we’re driven to create gear and experiences that take people to the place that makes them feel more alive — whether it’s a headspace, a feeling, or a finish line.

Everyone who works at Brooks is propelled by a company culture that sparks excitement, fuels collaboration, inspires creativity, and ignites innovation.

Our brand values help bond us together and drive our success:

·  Runner First  

We act in the best interest of the runner

· Word is Bond

We do what we say we’ll do

· Champion Heart  

We give our all in everything we do

·  There is no “I” in Run

We stay generous with our humanity

· Keep Moving

We find ways to move every day, because joy is kinetic!

We welcome everyone from every walk of life looking to inspire others through the power of movement — because we’re all moving towards something. Let’s run there.

Product excellence is at the heart of Brooks’ success. Achieving a leadership position in the marketplace requires innovative thinking and the ability to inspire all product creation shareholders. The primary focus of the Product Line Management (PLM) team is to meet the unique apparel product needs of all who run. The PLM Team is the ‘authority’ on the consumer mindset, motivations, product needs/wants, and shopping behaviors.

The Product Line Manager is responsible for the seasonal direction of Brooks performance apparel and product expertise while monitoring the processes through ongoing interaction with internal and external cross-functional teams. From brief to commercialization, the PLM provides product expertise with a comprehensive understanding of the consumer, competitive landscape, trends, and innovation. You will foster a collaborative work relationship with Design, Development, Merchandising, Sales, Operations, Marketing, and Footwear counterparts. This position reports to and works closely with the Director, Apparel Product Management & Merchandising.

Your Responsibilites:

• Consumer Knowledge/Analysis/Empathy
• Work with the Run-Sights Lab to mine consumer insights, uncover latent needs, and sharpen understanding of consumer groups. This includes curating time in the market with key apparel team members, analyzing and interpreting data, and interacting directly with consumers including leading focus groups, consumer one on ones, and rapid prototyping.
• Interact frequently with internal and external sales and marketing teams to identify insights and opportunities.
• Keep up-to-date on consumer trends, competitors, and product innovations and make recommendations to the team.




• Product Line Planning/Briefing
• Utilize consumer expertise along with regional market opportunities to build comprehensive product briefs alongside the Director that kicks off the product creation process.
• Challenge the status quo at the product & category level and provide new solutions to better serve the consumer.
• Provide Design and Development with visual and factual consumer and marketplace cues to motivate and inspire the cross-functional triad team.
• Ensure a highly collaborative triad process and interaction with shared ownership of an entire project, from brief to design to prototypes to production.




• Process Leadership/Product Confirmation
• Collaborate with and challenge all service and interlinked departments (Design, Operations, Development, Merchandising) to create an industry-leading product range.
• Communicate product vision and strategy in confident and persuasive way.
• Work with the Design and Development team, to make day-to-day product decisions aligned with the apparel roadmap.
• Execute the approval process for materials, fit, and prototype sign-off.
• Ensure key calendar milestones are met for on-time delivery and adoption of styles.
• Work with PLM & Merchandising Team and cross functional teams (Sales, Marketing, Direct) to build collateral that supports the Go-To-Market process with input on key concept development.




• Product Presentation/Communication
• Present apparel line to both internal and external audiences, adapting as required to the needs of each audience. Ensure an intuitive presentation of technologies and aesthetics with a keen eye for trends, business metrics, and an ability for storytelling.
• Develop partnerships for Brooks apparel through account meetings, pre-lines, and sales meeting presentations.




• Product Costing and Profitability/Business Acumen
• Ensure products meet forecast, revenue, and margin targets while optimizing global opportunities.
• Work with PLM Team & Director on creation of the seasonal pricing structure of their product segment while assessing consumer price elasticity in order to maximize product adoption and sell-through.
• Monitor & report sell-in, sell-through, market acceptance, and postmortem on SKU productivity to influence the effectiveness of future line plans with PLM & Merchandising Team.




• Leadership
• See beyond the apparel team, understand the impact across functions within the company, and connect the dots to create alignment and ensure efficiencies.
• Empower teammates and triads to perform their jobs at a high level. Demonstrate empathy for each function.
• Share experience and knowledge with other PLMs and Associate PLMs.
• Deliver presentation excellence in apparel to elevate the quality and consistency of presentations to both internal and external audiences.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in a relevant product-related role
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, demonstrating effective listening through concise, clear verbal and written communication.
• Effective presentation skills and interpersonal communication skills
• Strong business orientation, analytical aptitude, retail math, and computer skills
• Creativity and passion for product
• Keen attention to detail in planning, organization, and execution of tasks, while still seeing the big picture and understanding how all the pieces fit together and affect one another.
• Ability to anticipate how a decision is made can affect our customers, our partners, our products, or other departments’ operations and/or morale; “connecting the dots.”
• Demonstration of innovation and initiative – always looking at improving our products and processes while also displaying a willingness to dive into the details and help wherever necessary.
• Passionate participation in Brooks’ sports activities is a plus, overridden by the ability to understand and empathize with the runner to develop loyal, engaging relationships with our customers and the Brooks community.
• Embraces and lives the Brooks values!
• Proficiency in Microsoft applications, including Microsoft Word, Excel & PowerPoint
• Experience with Illustrator and Photoshop is preferred.
• Travel 25% of the time, including internationally.

Compensation: The pay range for this position, based out of the Brooks Seattle HQ, is $84,210 - $126,367 per year. Base pay offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Other:

Brooks is proud to offer a robust benefits package to our employees and their families!

At Brooks, we celebrate diversity & equity. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment, and encourage people of all backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and skills to apply. Brooks is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, two-spirit identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, sensory, physical, or mental disability, marital status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), honorable discharge or military status, protected citizen status, actual or perceived victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, HIV or Hepatitis C infection, political ideology, use of a trained guide dog by a person with a disability, or on any other basis protected by federal, state or local law, or any other non-merit based factors.