Job Description

🔝 Reports to: Sorel Business Director

📑 Permanent contract

📍 EMEA HQ, Geneva, Switzerland

👩‍💻🏡 Hybrid mode (2 days/week home office)

📆 Start date: at the earliest convenience

OUTGROWN YOUR OWN BACKYARD? COME PLAY IN OURS.

At Columbia Sportswear, we’re as passionate about the outdoors as you are. And while our gear is available worldwide, we’re proud to be based in the Pacific Northwest, where natural wonders are our playground.

Every product we make and every task we undertake is inspired by the famous words of our founder Gert Boyle: “It’s perfect. Now make it better.” As pioneers of relentless improvement, we are constantly evolving

Discover a world of diversity within our team of 700+ across 13 European countries, united by the common goal of elevating Columbia to the pinnacle of outdoor brands in Europe. Our omnichannel approach seamlessly integrates Columbia and Sorel brands' engaging in-store and online experiences.

Nestled at the heart of the Alps in Geneva, Switzerland, our European headquarters hosts the Executive Committee, go-to-market functions, and Planning and Logistics teams. In Schiltigheim, near Strasbourg, our shared services center thrives with over 100 professionals managing Finance and Operations/Customer Service. Our distribution center in Cambrai ensures swift delivery to customers, while our 35+ Columbia stores adorn major European outlet centers. Finally, the Sales and Trade Marketing teams are displayed in 3 regions across Europe, close to their customers and markets.

We believe the outdoors is ours to protect and strive to keep our planet healthy. We believe in empowering people to experience the outdoors to the fullest.

And we believe in you.

ABOUT THE POSITION

We are creating this role to build a genuine merchandising function for SOREL to provide European customers and consumers with the right product at the right place. Reporting directly to the Sorel Business Director, you will take full ownership of the region's merchandising strategy, from constructing seasonal assortments to leading the regional Go-to-Market process through to the Sales Meeting.

This is an individual contributor role that combines strategic thinking with genuine hands-on execution. You will spend a large part of your first months building the function and its basics from the ground up, while also making the most of what already exists. You will represent the voice of the European market to Global Product, influence international product decisions with regional data and insights, and act as the go-to merchandising expert for Sales, Marketing and Ecommerce teams across Europe.

HOW YOU’LL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

Build the SOREL Europe merchandising function

• Construct seasonal European assortments from the ground up, aligned with regional business objectives and consumer insights
• Define collection size, category and gender mix by season, based on revenue potential
• Rationalize the current offer to make it focused and channel-right
• Maintain accurate product information in our business systems, staying close to the operational details

Own regional pricing and assortment performance

• Provide regional pricing recommendations and support margin optimization
• Monitor assortment productivity and profitability throughout the season
• Identify market opportunities, risks and assortment gaps through consumer, competitive and marketplace analysis

Influence Global Product

• Represent the European market throughout the Global Go-to-Market process
• Bring market insights, consumer feedback and competitive intelligence to Global Product teams
• Influence product decisions and advocate for regional priorities, backed by data

Lead the regional Go-to-Market process

• Own and drive the European Go-to-Market calendar through to the Sales Meeting, in close co-ownership with the Sales Manager
• Coordinate cross-functional partners, including Planning, Sales, Ecommerce/Buying and Finance, through each seasonal milestone
• Ensure timely delivery of all Go-to-Market milestones

Support Sales and commercial teams

• Act as the regional product expert for Sales, Marketing and Ecommerce teams
• Support account presentations, pre-line reviews and sell-in meetings
• Manage the Sorel showroom in Geneva

YOU ARE

• A thinker and a doer: as comfortable shaping a merchandising strategy as you are rolling up your sleeves to make it happen
• Energized by building something new, and comfortable with the ambiguity that comes with a newly created position in a small, fast-moving business
• Confident engaging with senior stakeholders, and skilled at influencing without formal authority
• Structured and rigorous, with a genuine interest in the operational detail that makes merchandising work in practice
• Curious about the European footwear market, and driven to translate market insight into product decisions

YOU HAVE

• Solid experience in merchandising, or in an adjacent function such as buying, product or sales, with real exposure to the Go-to-Market process, assortment building and margin management
• Strong knowledge of the European women's and men's lifestyle footwear markets
• A track record of structuring or significantly shaping a function, team or process, and aligning stakeholders around it
• Project management skills, with the ability to coordinate cross-functional partners through a complex seasonal calendar
• Fluency in English; an additional European language is a plus
• Willingness to travel regularly across Europe, and several times a year to our headquarters in Portland (US)

PERKS & BENEFITS

🎁 Significant discounts on Columbia and Sorel products

🌍 Soft mobility policy (Geneva office only)

👩‍⚕️ Health insurance allowance for employees in Switzerland

🧘‍♀️ Pilates and yoga classes on our premises, and running groups or sports activities

📚 Unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning

📖 A monthly Learning Hour for training, discovery and learning

👩‍🏫 Unlock your potential: access to in-house training courses (feedback, leadership, Insights®...)

🌈 DEI initiatives to exchange and strengthen our involvement around these themes

ABOUT THE CULTURE

• At Columbia Sportswear, we value an inclusive and open culture that emphasizes the absence of barriers between team members. We are committed to fostering a sense of belonging by encouraging personal connections at all levels, which creates a cohesive and supportive work environment.
• Team members serve as ambassadors for our brand, finding motivation in being part of an organization dedicated to activities they are passionate about. This dedication reflects our commitment to building a team that takes pride in our products and values.
• We offer the opportunity to work for a US-based company within a multicultural environment, where your job has an impact across different countries.
• Our “Always Be Learning” culture of continuous learning enables our employees to identify and develop skills that will enable them to continue to grow within the company.
• “Unlock Your Potential” is the spirit that characterizes our vision of employees' development: to offer them opportunities to grow, in their job, in their team or even to change jobs completely. We grow our people to grow our business.

To learn more about us and our culture, visit our page on Welcome To The Jungle: https://bit.ly/49bl1i5

ABOUT THE HIRING PROCESS

1️⃣ Ready to unlock your potential at Columbia Sportswear Company? Apply now to help us connect active people with their passion! The hiring team will review your application in the following weeks.

2️⃣ If your application is selected: a 30-45mn introductory interview with our Talent Acquisition Team to talk about yourself, your motivations and the role

3️⃣ Interview with the hiring manager

4️⃣ Interview with the hiring manager and cross-functional leaders, including case study

5️⃣ Your unique strengths align perfectly with our team: we are thrilled to extend you an offer!

This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities, but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function in the company.

At Columbia Sportswear Company (CSC), we’re committed to creating an inclusive and respectful workplace where everyone has the same opportunity to thrive. We welcome talent from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on age, gender, nationality, race, religion or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.​

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the heart of our success as a global brand. We aim to recruit, develop, and retain exceptional people,ensuring fair practices and transparency in line with evolving standards. We are committed to equal pay for equal work and make employment decisions based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.

Expected Pay: CHF131 880 - CHF184 800 *Pay decisions are determined by multiple factors, including job competitiveness within the market, a candidate’s capabilities and skills, years of experience, and internal equity.

The expected pay listed on this job posting reflects the gross expected pay for Full Time positions.

This pay disclosure will not apply to roles subject to different pay structures due to age or employment category (such as minors, apprentices, or interns) permitted under applicable law/CBA