General Manager, Category Lifestyle Merchandising, North America

Who We Are:


Since 1906, New Balance has empowered people through sport and craftsmanship to create positive change in communities around the world. We innovate fearlessly, guided by our core values and driven by the belief that conventions were meant to be challenged. We foster a culture in which every associate feels welcomed and respected, where leaders and creatives are inspired to shape the world of tomorrow by taking bold action today.

JOB MISSION:

The GM Category Merchandising Lifestyle is a strategic leadership role responsible for driving the merchandising vision, strategy, and execution for the Lifestyle portfolio across the North America region. Based in Boston, MA, the position leads a team of Merchandising Managers and partners cross-functionally to deliver consumer-right assortments that meet brand and commercial goals and elevate brand positioning across multiple channels. Operating as a critical bridge, this leader regionalizes global strategies by ensuring local marketplace nuances are seamlessly incorporated to deliver maximum regional impact. The role balances the art and science of merchandising to bring the company's goals to life with a Brand-Led and consumer-first mindset, driving the health of key product franchises and influencing both brand and commercial functions on all merchandising related deliverables.


MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Strategic Leadership & Global-to-Regional Landing

• Regionalize Global Strategy: Translate global brand direction into regionally relevant assortments and product plans, ensuring local North American consumer nuances and marketplace trends are seamlessly integrated to deliver maximum impact.
• Commercial Alignment: Lead alignment of the commercial strategy across all distribution points of our Lifestyle business in the North America region, inclusive of Wholesale and Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) channels (Retail Stores and Ecommerce).
• Long-Range Franchise Planning: Drive the creation of long-range 3-year plans with clarity on how market share is impacted and how long-range plans and key franchise plans track to objectives.
• Go-To-Market Execution: Leads the creation and presentation of quarterly distribution/segmentation guidelines with key cross-functional partners (Sales leadership, Planning, Marketing, and Operations) and coordinate development calendar events around Key Go-to-Market milestones and deadlines. Assortment Architecture & Commercial Influence
• Directed Assortments: Guide the creation and refinement of Directed Assortments for different channels of distribution, inclusive of capsules, clusters, and online-specific opportunities
• Franchise & Lifecycle Management: Oversee seasonal line planning, assortment architecture, franchise health, and SKU productivity across footwear, apparel, and accessories.
• Drive Commercial Sell-In & Sell-Through Optimization: Act as a key partner and influencer with Commercial teams to manage and optimize plan depth. Strategically influence sell-in quantities to ensure that healthy consumer sell-through goals are always kept ahead of sell-in, maintaining marketplace premium level and inventory health.
• Channel Mapping: Partner with Apparel team, leverage geographic location mapping, tiering strategy and cluster mapping to deliver best-in-class head to toe consumer experience. In-Season Partnership & Marketplace Insights
• Demand & Supply Integration: Partner cross-functionally to align demand and supply by monitoring forecasts, incoming orders, and supply timing, ensuring direct assortments land with precision and support the broader seasonal strategy.
• Risk Identification & Mitigation: Anticipate and surface in-season risks across channels, identifying structural gaps or emerging issues early and driving decisive, brand-aligned actions with cross-functional teams to protect both performance and long-term strategy.
• Hindsight, Insight, Foresight: Shape the end-to-end learning agenda by leading monthly and seasonal launch reviews, distilling consumer and marketplace insights, and translating them into strategic guidance that informs in-season decisions and sets the direction for future franchise and category growth. Culture, Leadership & Building for the Future
• Team-First Leadership: Foster an authentic, team-first mindset that prioritizes collaboration, inclusivity, and shared success across the matrix.
• New Balance Culture Alignment: Serve as a champion of New Balance culture, ensuring everyday operations reflect a dedication to performance, continuous learning, integrity, and community.
• Talent Coaching & Mentoring: Manage, train, and coach merchandising staff, actively promoting professional development to build a high-performing talent pipeline for the future.
• Accountability & KPIs: Leads the team to create respective Directed Assortment KPIs and shared KPIs with commercial teams relative to respective areas of business, establishing high standards for results.

REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESS:

• 10+ years' experience in ecommerce at a leading consumer brand
• Deep knowledge of lifestyle footwear business landscape ideally in same industry
• A bachelor's degree, preferably with a focus in business
• Experience in managing large, high-performing teams
• Proven track record of business problem-solving, collaboration, and translating complex and unstructured data into clear strategic recommendations
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, strong executive presence, and ability to credibly deliver recommendations to senior leadership
• Consumer-obsessed, data-driven, and results-oriented, but comfortable in breaking from past and building the new.
• Overall planning and organizing competency; ability to hold multiple parties accountable to deadlines and deliverables
• Ability to plan strategically and make merchandising decisions 1-2 years in advance
• Advanced skills in Excel and PowerPoint; proficient in Adobe or Google Analytics • Strong financial, analytical, and retail math acumen
• Proactive, "can-do" attitude and fit to New Balance culture is a must

Boston, MA Headquarters - (NB) Only Pay Range: $173,100.00 - $223,300.00 - $273,600.00 Annual (actual base pay varying based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, time in role, internal equity, geographic location, and more.)

Regular Associate Benefits


Our products are only as good as the people we hire, so we make sure to hire the best and treat them accordingly. New Balance offers a comprehensive traditional benefits package including three options for medical insurance as well as dental, vision, life insurance and 401K. We also proudly offer a slate of more nontraditional perks - opportunities like online learning and development courses, tuition reimbursement, $100 monthly student loan support and various mentorship programs - that encourage our associates to grow personally as they develop professionally. You'll also enjoy a yearly $1,000 lifestyle reimbursement, 4 weeks of vacations, 12 holidays and generous parental leave, because work-life balance is more than just a buzzword - it's part of our culture.

Temporary associates are provided three options for medical insurance as well as dental and vision insurance and an associate discount.

Part time associates are provided 401k, short term disability, a yearly $300 lifestyle reimbursement and an associate discount.

Flexible Work Schedule

For decades we have fostered a unique culture founded on our values with a particular focus on in-person teamwork and collaboration. Our North American hybrid model encourages rich in-person experiences, showcasing our commitment to teamwork and connection, while maintaining flexibility for associates. New Balance Associates currently work in office three days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday). Our offices are fully open, and amenities are available across our North American office locations. To continue our focus on hybrid work we have introduced "Work from Anywhere" (WFA) for four weeks per calendar year. This model will help us enhance our culture while continuing to maintain elements of flexibility.

Equal Opportunity Employer

New Balance provides equal opportunities for all current and prospective associates to ensure that employment, training, compensation, transfer, promotion and other terms, conditions and privileges of employment are provided without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, handicap, genetic information and/or status as an Armed Forces service medal veteran, recently separated veteran, qualified disabled veteran or other protected veteran, or any other protected status.