WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH
This role sits within the EMEA Nike Sportswear Men’s Footwear Merchandising team, a consumer-obsessed function responsible for assorting and adapting products to meet the needs of consumers across the EMEA marketplace. The team plays a critical role in translating brand and product strategy into consumer-right assortments grounded in marketplace realities.
As a Lead Merchant, the role shapes the future of the EMEA marketplace by translating Global vision and local consumer insights into clear marketplace direction and product strategies. The position partners closely with cross-functional teams across EMEA and Global Merchandising, Planning, Marketplace, Product Creation, Brand Marketing, Finance, Operations, and Insights & Analytics.
The team leverages both qualitative and quantitative insights - including consumer behavior, marketplace trends, sales performance, and inventory to inform decision-making and long-term direction.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
At Nike, everything begins and ends with the consumer. The Merchandising team blends art and science to create relevant, differentiated assortments that bring Nike’s vision to life across channels, rooted in cities, communities, and culture.
The ideal candidate is a strategic, consumer-first merchandising leader with strong curiosity, a passion for sport and style, and a commitment to data-informed decision-making. This role requires a highly collaborative leader who thrives in a fast-paced, matrixed environment and is comfortable owning and influencing end-to-end processes.
This individual is energized by working upstream: defining future product direction, influencing Global teams, and building long-term franchise strategies that serve the EMEA consumer.
What you bring
- Strong experience in merchandising, product creation, retail, or related fields within vertical or wholesale environments
- Experience in footwear, apparel, and/or equipment merchandising
- Strong understanding of retail KPIs, profit-based metrics, and retail math
- Ability to balance creativity with analytical rigor in decision-making
- Strong strategic thinking skills that support both seasonal execution and long-term growth
- Effective communication skills with the ability to influence peers, cross-functional partners, and senior stakeholders
- Forward-looking, curious, and solution-oriented mindset with a bias for action
- Ability to translate complex strategies into clear, actionable plans and execute within tight timelines
- Willingness and ability to travel regularly for marketplace visits, key account engagements, and Global seasonal gates and cross-Geo forums
WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON
- End to End Merchandising Leadership: You will own the full merchandising process from future line planning and insight sharing to seasonal adoption, pricing, segmentation, forecasting, and in-season performance reviews. You will represent the EMEA merchandising voice, shaping upstream line planning decisions and long-term marketplace direction.
- Consumer Right, Differentiated Product Lines: You will build and deliver merchandising plans grounded in consumer insights and aligned to strategic priorities and growth objectives. You will ensure clear, consumer-right product journeys across franchises and price/value dimensions. You will drive marketplace and channel segmentation across Nike Direct and wholesale partners, balancing innovation, franchise evolution, and commercial performance.
- Franchise & Portfolio Management: You will lead franchise and portfolio management across EMEA, ensuring the right balance of innovation, energy, and commercial results. You will drive sustainable growth by managing product lifecycles, reading marketplace signals, and responding at the pace of the consumer.
- Marketplace & Performance Leadership: You will own merchandising KPIs through disciplined use of sell-through, bookings, and market insights. You will connect long-term strategy with in-season performance and overall business health.
- Global influence & Local Creation Partnership: You will deliver clear, insight-driven EMEA input to Global Consumer Merchandising teams to shape product journeys, dimensions, and expressions. You will partner closely with Local Create teams to ensure products are created for the EMEA consumer and aligned with marketplace needs.
- Marketplace Engagement & Global Connectivity: You will stay closely connected to the marketplace through regular travel across key EMEA cities, gaining first-hand consumer and retail insights to inform decisions. You will help define the future direction of Men’s NSW Footwear across EMEA, ensuring alignment between Global vision, local insights, and marketplace opportunities.
The role is open for applications until 22nd of June.
