REI is committed to becoming a fully inclusive, antiracist, multicultural organization. To fulfill our brand promise of enabling a life well-lived outside for everyone, we are seeking candidates who demonstrate shared values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism. 

The Category Merchandising Manager is accountable for the financial performance in their assigned category. They contribute to REI’s success by developing strategic business plans and driving key company financial metrics including sales, turn, margin and in-stock goals for a department or collection of departments. Manages assigned product categories, including assortment designs, product development, promotional product selection, and product selection for Retail and Direct Marketing customers. Builds and maintains excellent relationships between vendors and REI in order to achieve mutual goals of sales and profitability. Supervises, coaches and mentors Assistant Category Merchants while working closely with Forecast Analysts and Category Planning Managers. Models and acts in accordance with REI’s guiding values and mission.

Leading the Way

• Identifies and communicates key responsibilities and practices to ensure the organization promotes a successful attitude, confidence in leadership, and teamwork to achieve business results.
• Supports the implementation of company programs, procedures, methods and practices to promote REI key messages.
• Challenges and inspires employees to achieve business results.
• Ensures employees adhere to legal and operational compliance requirements.
• Oversees training and development of employees directly and indirectly managed and makes effective staffing decisions.
• Conducts and ensures the completion of performance reviews.
• Provides coaching, direction and leadership support to employees in order to achieve department, company and customer results.
• Establishes and maintains visibility within the department.
• Monitors operational statistics, reports trends, variances and issues, and takes appropriate action.

Planning & Navigating

Assortment and Product Planning Process

• Create assortment strategies and partner with Category Planning Manager to develop initial sales forecast for product category based on corporate and specialty shop strategic objectives; financial, market and industry trends; item and vendor performance (sales, margin, markdowns, quality and in-stocks).
• Identify target customers and their needs by product category through market sensing and trend spotting across the industry (to include Customer Insight reports, industry market share analysis, direct feedback from retail directors). 
• Build compelling assortments that meet the needs of our target customers by considering product attributes, intended end use, activity levels, pricing ladder, REI Brand Frame and market trends.
• Reconcile style plan and Marketing continuities with financial and space plan at class and departmental level.
• Set retail prices in accordance with market needs as well as corporate and vendor policies.
• Review and resolve in-season assortment requests.
• Work with Visual Merchandising on product presentation issues and opportunities.
• Communicate final assortment and department direction to other stakeholders within the company, such as the Leadership team, departmental teams, Marketing, Visual Merchandising, Digital and Retail. Include information about cost, terms, price, distribution and marketing as needed. Coordinate and disseminate product information to Marketing through product review process and to Retail through appropriate communication processes.
• Work with Business Analysts to develop and improve consistent systems and processes for assortment and financial planning.
• Formulate REI Private Brands assortment strategies in partnership with Product Line Manager, including target cost and retail, initial forecast, seasonal delivery timelines by item, communicating market trend, product sales histories, product lifecycle, style targets, and customer.
• Give direction to REI Private Brands Product Line Manager & team to ensure REI Private Brands quality standards, competitive pricing and long-term availability adhere to REI corporate sourcing guidelines. 
• Support new category launches.

• Build and maintain relationships with vendors to ensure profitability.
• Develop strategic business plans with key vendors to include paths to differentiated products for REI (First to Market or Exclusive).
• Negotiate with vendors for best costs, terms, discounts, freight, co-op and marketing support.
• Continually seek out new vendors and innovative product opportunities.
• Gain vendor support for corporate inventory and terms initiatives.
• Integrate Vendor Collaboration into negotiations regarding vendor marketing fund agreements with product vendors and follow up on collection as required. 

• Understand strategic Merchandising plan, linkages with assortment planning and execution of the specialty shop product strategy.
• Contribute to the development of short and long-term specialty shop strategic and business plans.
• Understand, fully use and continuously improve processes and systems.
• Know and monitor competitive, specialty shop and industry trends.
• Coordinate with Category Planning Manager and Forecast Analyst about forecasting of new products, initial delivery information, product life cycles and service level strategies.