Merchandising Manager, Wrangler & Lee Graphics

Who We Are:

Kontoor Brands, Inc. (KTB) is the parent company of Wrangler®, Lee® and Rock & Republic®, with owned manufacturing facilities in Mexico and Nicaragua. Kontoor also owns and operates over 140 retail stores across the globe. Our global company employs more than 15,000 people in 65 countries, with world headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina, and regional headquarters in Geneva and Hong Kong.

Job Posting:

Kontoor Brands came onto the scene in 2019, bringing Wrangler and Lee Jeans, two of the most iconic American heritage denim brands with a collective 212 years of legendary apparel history under one organization. With a world class house of talent Kontoor is confident in its commitment to grow these iconic brands through innovation, design, and sustainable performance strategies. Strategies that will grow the brand’s consumer fandom exponentially.

Inspired by the opportunity to engage with consumers through graphic knits that celebrate the brand’s loyalist, lifestyles, and maintain relevance in emerging trends, the teams at Kontoor have become a major player in printables category.

Kontoor has developed signature fits, durable and comfortable fabrics, with unique treatments that make each graphic feel like a piece of the brand story. Kontoor is also a licensing powerhouse, with distribution rights to major properties across multiple pop culture categories.

We are currently seeking a Merchandising Manager for our Graphics Business team located in Greensboro, NC. This role will report to the department VPGM and will be responsible for the development and execution of all product strategies for both Lee and Wrangler printable assortment categories.

This team leader will partner closely with sales, design, marketing, art production, product development, licensing, and finance to ensure products deliver Kontoor KPIs and are successful for our wholesale customers. The merchandising manager is responsible for the department P&L, coordination of GTM and CTM activities, key account growth strategies, sell-in execution, health of inventory management, and the effectiveness of control related standards and procedures.

Being a team player is not a concept, rather it’s an ideal that we expect everyone to embrace in our drive to deliver results.

Responsibilities: 

• Manage, develop, and create a consumer and market-focused global product offering that supports the overall strategy to meet or exceed corporate financial requirements.
• Drive Seasonal Business plan – Create and deliver a measurable and consumer-focused seasonal Merchandising strategy that positions our Brands to win in the marketplace with clear growth milestones.
• GTM & Line Management: Facilitate GTM calendar at each milestone meeting. Manage the creation, development, and delivery of seasonal assortments and the life cycle for always on product skus.
• Guide the product creation process from a global merchandising perspective to ensure price positioning and margins are met for each region.
• Ensure the team and internal partners have a strong understanding of the graphic business objectives regarding volume, value targets, and margins.
• Establish and maintain product architecture for the product segment, including concept planning, value and profitability targets, delivery phasing, style/SKU productivity, margins, and RRP positioning.
• Oversee and drive the creative process for the respective product segment towards brief and goals, including innovation.
• Manage the costing process (target, brief, prototype, bulk samples), including lead times, minimums, and upcharges, and identify opportunities for improving cost.
• Analysis of product performance to evaluate strengths and weaknesses to aid future line development and utilize past season sales, product performance data, current marketplace information, and trends to define product strategies.
• Ensure the Operations & Sourcing team is kept informed of all line decisions relevant to the product offer and work together on achieving financial and inventory objectives.
• Ensures marketing assets (packaging, sell-in support) are briefed on time to Marketing Teams
• Makes all overall decisions for product line, from fabric, finishes, etc. to assortment plans for accounts. Makes pricing decisions and other decisions affecting P&L.
• Responsible for building strategic plans to deliver against licensing deals GMR commitments, and identify when to end deals, renew, and sign additional properties.
• Serves as liaison with Operations, Technical Services, Manufacturing, Sourcing, Sales, Marketing and Finance for issue resolution.
• Responsible for direct Reports management & development and performance oversight.
• Serves as key communicator to VPGM for departmental issues.

Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent Minimum 7 years’ experience in apparel Merchandising, with experience in the graphic knit category and wholesale experience.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in margin analysis.
• Experience managing people and cross-functional team partnerships.
• Ability to travel to account meetings and tradeshows.
• Comfortable presenting product lines in front of a group of people with good oral communication skills.
• Strong acumen in garment and art construction, with an ability to connect content, brand, customer, and consumer through product storytelling.
• Passion for the apparel industry and competitive drive to deliver results.
• Proactive process management and problem-solving skills.
• Strategic thinking skills.

Why Kontoor Brands?

At Kontoor, we offer a comprehensive benefit package to fit your lifestyle and our benefits are crafted with the same care as our products.

When our employees are healthy, secure and well, they bring their best selves to work. Kontoor Brands supports you with a competitive benefits program that provides choice and flexibility to meet your and your family’s needs – now and in the future. We offer resources to support your physical, emotional, social and financial wellbeing, plus benefits like discounts on our apparel. Kontoor Brands also provides four weeks of Paid Parental Leave to eligible employees who are new parents, Flexible Fridays and tuition reimbursement.

Our Kontoor D&I Mission

At Kontoor, we believe that D&I is a key enabler to a culture that empowers us to work with passion and confidence, shaping our brand and future. 

Our Kontoor D&I Commitment

• Create a global workforce of high-performing teams that both unlocks our individual uniqueness and harnesses our collaborative talents
• Ensure an equitable environment that attracts & promotes diverse workforce
• Foster inclusivity, ensuring employees feel they can bring their whole selves to work

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