Sr. Manager, Shoes & Collaborations

About REEF: 

Reef was born in 1984 out of an idea by entrepreneur brothers from South America, Fernando and Santiago Aguerre. They founded Reef with a love for the beach, surfing, and a passion to create high-quality products to fit their active lifestyles. Now more than 35 years later, Reef is the global footwear and apparel brand that connects us to the fun freedom, and spirit of the beach. 

Reef draws on the spirit of the beach to offer instant comfort, style, and versatility for the core surfers and beach lovers alike. Designing casual footwear and apparel that combines function and fashion with technology and eco-friendly materials. 

As an organization, Reef is comprised of a diverse group of beach enthusiasts, surfers, artists, and innovators all driven by the same passion and relentless spirit of our founders. That same spirit is what attracts some of the greatest surfers in the world like Mick Fanning, Rob Machado and Mason Ho to be our Ambassadors, partners and design consultants.

As an industry leader, Reef is committed to setting the standard for environmentally and socially responsible innovation and outreach. We are committed to the environment through our design and production by the use of water based glues, recycled materials, and other low-environmental impact materials, along with our support of activist organizations like the Surfrider Foundation. As a company, we encourage and empower our employees and brand advocates to give back and make an impact.  

Start your journey at Reef.

Job Summary:

REEF is seeking a Sr. Manager or Director level candidate to drive shoe merchandising and collaborations at REEF. The position will, along with the Head of Product and Merchandising and the Senior Director, Women’s, be responsible for the strategic direction of REEF’s men’s and women’s closed-toe footwear collections to deliver upon company objectives.  

The position will develop positive cross-functional relationships, respecting what the teams have accomplished while bringing creative thinking and researched solutions to improve the performance of the category’s business. A nuanced understanding of consumer and channel needs is critical to the role, as is translating this understanding into identifiable product direction. The position will be responsible to clearly communicate the vision cross-functionally to marketing and commercial teams.

This is a full-time, exempt position, reporting to the Head of Product & Merchandising. The position will be required to work a hybrid schedule meaning 3 days in-office and the remaining workdays remotely. 

Job Responsibilities:

• Oversee the strategic direction of REEF’s men’s and women’s close-toed shoe business 
• Remain knowledgeable of market trends within the industry with special focus on competitive awareness 
• Be the shoe market and channel expert within the building and educate others 
• Direct and develop merchandising plans and operational systems to achieve financial objectives
• Develop merchandise plans and pricing that support key strategic initiatives, seasonal campaigns, and market trends
• Utilize sales, research, and trend analytics to develop strategies for merchandise categories and optimize product assortments
• Drive and direct merchandise assortments that meet global, digital, regional, and channel needs
• Lead product presentations to varying audiences inclusive of peers, external partners, and executive leadership
• Partner closely with design and development teams to monitor product progress, calendar, samples, etc.
• Partner with marketing and digital teams to drive product vision from creative kickoff through GTM
• Drive and execute brand collaborations with product and marketing partners
• Ability to travel up to 15% of the time.

Education & Experience Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Merchandising, Business or related field.  
• 7+ years’ of footwear line management or merchandising experience required

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: 

• Knowledgeable in current cultural, fashion, footwear and related trends; ability to apply them appropriately and translate them to guide product direction across genders and channels.
• Highly organized with the ability to adapt quickly to changing business needs and initiatives. 
• Ability to plan and execute strategic business plans.
• Comprehensive knowledge of footwear design and constructions.
• Excellent presentation skills, ability to present to all audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to predict and maximize trends.
• Ability to efficiently communicate strategically and respond to questions from management and other employees of the organization.
• Ability to be a team player and motivated self-starter.
• Exceptional attention to detail.
• Motivated interest in fashion and lifestyle.
• Must be proficient with MS Office.
• Proficient in Mac OS, Adobe Illustrator. 
• Must be able to carry, lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. 
• While performing the duties of this position, the associate is subject to an office environment and must adhere to the rules and safety regulations of the facility.

Compensation: 

• The salary range for this position is $110K-140K. 
• The final offer amount will be determined by multiple factors, including prior experience, expertise, and impacted area, and may vary from the amount above. This range also does not represent additional compensation benefits.