
Product Merchandising Specialist
Key Skills
Job Description
Summary:
The Product Merchandising Specialist supports the EMEA Product Merchandising function by coordinating seasonal merchandising activities, gathering marketplace insights, and ensuring the successful execution of product milestones throughout the product creation process. This role collaborates with teams across Local and Global Product, Sales, Marketing, Operations, distributors, and owned markets to translate fan, commercial, and marketplace insights into actionable recommendations, supporting seasonal assortments, go-to-market planning, product storytelling, and regional product feedback.
Responsibilities:
- Support the Director, Product Merchandising EMEA in executing seasonal merchandising activities, including assortment reviews, product positioning, pricing recommendations, line planning, and preparation for key global product milestones and seasonal business reviews.
- Coordinate EMEA go-to-market planning by managing seasonal milestone calendars, tracking cross-functional deliverables, preparing product meetings, and ensuring alignment across EMEA Product, Sales, Marketing, and Operations teams.
- Lead regional market intelligence by monitoring competitor assortments, pricing, consumer trends, retail developments, and product launches while gathering actionable insights from Germany and key distributor partners to inform future product decisions.
- Own the regional product sample process, including seasonal sample ordering, tracking, inventory management, and coordinating samples for sales meetings.
- Support seasonal milestone forecasting by consolidating market feedback, sales insights, and product performance data to help identify opportunities, risks, and regional assortment recommendations.
- Coordinate collaboration projects by managing timelines, product information, sample requests, internal approvals, contracts, and communication between regional teams, Product teams, and external partners to ensure successful launches.
- Prepare high-quality merchandising presentations, product storytelling materials, seasonal reports, and business updates that support internal decision-making, product reviews, customer meetings, and executive presentations.
- Build strong partnerships across Global Product, Planning, Sales, Marketing, and regional teams while acting as the operational hub for EMEA Product Merchandising, ensuring projects remain organized, deadlines are met, and regional priorities are effectively represented throughout the product creation process.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising, Product Management, Fashion, or related field.
- 2 to 5 years of experience in merchandising, product management, buying, category management, retail, or marketing.
- Experience within footwear, outdoor, sporting goods, or lifestyle brands preferred.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data into recommendations.
- Excellent project management and organizational skills.
- Comfortable working across multiple deadlines and seasonal calendars.
- Strong Excel and PowerPoint skills.
- Excellent communication skills in English.
- Passion for outdoor culture, lifestyle footwear, and consumer trends.
- Highly organized and detail-oriented.
- Curious about consumer behavior and market trends.
- Comfortable working with data as well as creative product teams.
- Proactive and able to manage multiple priorities.
- Collaborative across functions and international teams.
- Passionate about footwear, outdoor culture, and product innovation.
Core Responsibilities
The Product Merchandising Specialist supports seasonal merchandising activities, including assortment reviews, pricing, and go-to-market planning. They also manage regional market intelligence, sample processes, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure successful product launches.
Requirements
Candidates must hold a bachelor's degree in a relevant field and possess 2 to 5 years of experience in merchandising, buying, or product management. Strong analytical, project management, and communication skills are required, along with proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.
About KEEN Footwear
Industry: Apparel & Fashion
Company size: 201-500 employees
KEEN is a values led, outdoor footwear brand with a mission to responsibly create original and versatile products, improve lives, and inspire outside adventure. Founded in 2003, KEEN ignited a revolution in the footwear industry with the introduction of the Newport sandal, launching the concept of Hybrid footwear into the market and setting KEEN on a path of driving consistent product innovation that exists today. As a company, we strive to live by our values, from the products we make to the actions we take, and by activating communities and individuals to protect and preserve the places where we work and play. We passionately endeavor to live fulfilling lives, challenge the status quo, do good, give back, and inspire others. Looking ahead, our vision is to be the most trusted outdoor footwear and lifestyle brand in the world. Discover more about KEEN at keenfootwear.com, facebook.com/keen and twitter.com/keen.