Director of Mens M&D

Role Summary The Prominent Surf Brand Director of Merchandising, Design and Product Development is responsible for the overall product vision, merchandising strategy, direction, and seasonal execution of the Mens product.

This role leads the Mens Design team and owns the product line from market analysis and consumer insights through line planning, concept development, product creation, and final assortment.

The Director establishes the seasonal product strategy, determines category priorities and product opportunities, and ensures the line delivers a cohesive balance of brand relevance, innovation, commerciality, and financial performance.

Working closely with Sales, Planning, Production, Marketing, and senior leadership, this role serves as the central owner of the Mens product calendar and ensures the organization is aligned around what product is being developed, why it matters, when it needs to happen, and how it will perform.

The ideal candidate combines strong creative and design leadership with sophisticated merchandising, analytical, and business skills and has a deep understanding of mens surf, action sports, lifestyle, and performance markets.

Key Responsibilities & Job Duties 1.

Mens Merchandising Strategy Own the overall merchandising strategy and product vision for the Mens business.Develop seasonal category strategies based on consumer insights, market trends, competitive analysis, historical performance, and business objectives.Identify category opportunities, product gaps, emerging trends, and whitespace within the marketplace.Define key product initiatives, franchises, newness, carryover, and category priorities.Balance brand building product with commercially productive core and seasonal offerings.

2.

Business & Market Analysis Analyze historical sales, sell-through/Sell-in, margin, pricing, inventory, category performance, and product productivity to inform future assortments.Translate business and consumer data into actionable product strategies.Conduct regular market shopping and competitive analysis across surf, action sports, streetwear, fashion, and performance.Monitor competitor product, pricing, assortment, positioning, and innovation.Use market intelligence to identify opportunities before they become mainstream.Create seasonal hindsight reviews and apply learnings to future line strategies.

3.

Line Planning & Assortment Architecture Own the Mens seasonal line plan from initial strategy through final assortment.Establish category breadth, depth, SKU targets, price architecture, and product mix in partnership with Planning and Sales.Determine the appropriate balance of core, seasonal, fashion, innovation, and commercial product.Establish key items and product stories within each season.Ensure the line has a clear hierarchy and cohesive point of view.Partner with Planning to align the line with financial targets, inventory strategy, and sales expectations.Make informed recommendations regarding continuation, modificat...