Footwear Merchandising Contractor

About the Role

The Footwear Merchandising Contractor supports and develops a specific business category by helping drive category strategy managing the product lines look and feel and delivering financial and efficiency targets. The role partners closely with Product Managers on organization line planning product strategy development and launch activities while evaluating category performance and building deep product knowledge across current lines upcoming launches and the development pipeline.

Youll Make a Difference By

Product Strategy:

• Responsible for managing a category subject to review of the category lead
• Making decisions for the category subject to review and approval
• Developing footwear product line vision and strategy that integrates with the overall long-term vision for the ARIAT brand
• Identifying market opportunities for Ariat in various market segments
• Taking primary responsibility for maintaining and updating all merchandising-related documents utilized by the product manager
• Taking lead in managing product samples for the Product Manager
• Partnering with PM team with pricing margin-related initiatives and accuracy of all printed & online materials
• Handling packaging for the Product Manager
• Overseeing product assortment and support with marketing and tradeshow coordinators
• Gathering market data via selling reports industry publications events and shows to help identify and expand on Ariat market opportunities
• Supporting the team in creating the strategy to present to product teams including: product boards focus groups event participation competitive pricing analysis and customer profiles
• Participating in product brainstorms and assisting in setting up project lists and briefs in support of project list
• Presenting product to various groups of company VPs and sales team members
• Performing market research of various brands both western and mainstream keeping a pulse on western brand launches and brand sites
• Being the centric & SAP master- support PM on all centric and SAP requirements
• Collaborating and helping articulate target consumer demographics psychographics and how Ariat footwear will fulfill unmet needs

Product Line Planning:

• Collaborating and helping create and manage seasonal merchandising plans and manage projects through the development process.
• Partnering with seasonal market research and brainstorming
• Partnering with seasonal merchandising plans
• Partnering with seasonal creative product briefs
• Partnering with the product management team on the management of line reviews pre-lines/market feedback final line decisions and launch plans

Marketing:

• Responsible to deliver data for packaging hangtags catalog web site and B2B
• Coordinating with Product Manager to ensure product is correct and available for photo shoots requirements
• Partnering with Product Manager with prep for sales meetings events and customer visits.
• Managing requesting and accuracy of Product Sell Sheets.

Sales Support:

• Contacting Sales Reps for follow-up on product meetings
• Attending pre-lines on an as needed basis

Business Management:

• Analyzing each seasons selling by style and color as well as channel distribution.
• Partnering with Product Manager to identify close out or phase out opportunities and plan lifecycles of product
• Completing weekly and monthly analysis on bookings

About You

• Bachelors degree or equivalent work experience required.
• Adapts quickly to change and growth.
• Maintains a professional and collaborative work environment with others.
• Requires problem-solving skills through gathering information and feedback from management and team members.
• Ability to multitask and adjust to shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Possesses and executes exceptional organizational and communication skills.
• Exhibits exceptional writing skills.
• Works within a collaborative Team Environment.
• Maintains Exceptional Interpersonal skills.
• Critical thinking and strategic planning needed to execute Principal Duties of position.
• Complies with company policies and procedures.
• Proficiency in MS Office especially Excel.
• Knowledge of western industry is a plus but not necessary.
• Interest in product merchandising and fashion preferred
• Detail-oriented

About Ariat

Ariat is an innovative outdoor global brand with roots in equestrian performance. We develop high-quality footwear and apparel for people who ride work and play outdoors and care about performance quality comfort and style.

The hourly range for this position is $30.00 - $35.00 per hour.

The salary is determined by the education experience knowledge skills and abilities of the applicant internal equity and alignment with market data for geographic locations. Ariat in good faith believes that this posted compensation range is accurate for this role at this location at the time of this posting. This range may be modified in the future.

This contract position may be eligible for select benefits through the payrolling agency. Benefits may include medical dental and vision insurance options and 401k.

Ariat will consider qualified applicants including those with criminal histories in a manner consistent with state and local laws. Ariat is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers applicants for employment without regard to race color religion sex orientation national origin age disability genetics or any other basis protected under federal state or local law.

Ariat is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to candidates with disabilities. If you need an accommodation during the application process email

Please see our Employment Candidate Privacy Policy at to learn more about how we collect use retain and disclose Personal Information.

Please note that Ariat does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment the absence of a signed Agreement Ariat will not consider or agree to payment of any referral compensation or recruiter/agency placement the event a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously signed Agreement Ariat explicitly reserves the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited resumes including those submitted directly to hiring managers are deemed to be the property of Ariat.