LEAD MERCHANT, NIKE CANADA MERCHANDISING

NIKE, Inc. does more than outfit the world’s best athletes. It is a place to explore potential, obliterate boundaries and push out the edges of what can be. The company looks for people who can grow, think, dream and create. Its culture thrives by embracing diversity and rewarding imagination. The brand seeks achievers, leaders and visionaries. At Nike, it’s about each person bringing skills and passion to a challenging and constantly evolving game.

WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH

For Nike Inc. Merchants, everything begins and ends with the consumer! The Merchandising team understands consumer needs and market opportunities to craft a productive, profitable product mix for the Canadian marketplace. We blend art with science to bring Nike’s vision to life in all retail environments. The team has the unrivaled ability to see beyond trends and identify new market opportunities, delivering the right product, at the right price, in the right place, at the right time

You will report directly to the Director of Merchandising for Nike Canada Inc. and collaborate with fellow merchants across Nike Canada & North America Merchandising, as well as work closely with cross-functional teams such as Nike Canada Operations, Planning, Sales, and Marketing. Your responsibilities will include leveraging insights and analytics data and utilizing business reporting within your area, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative metrics related to sales, inventory, and consumer behaviour.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We’re looking for a consumerist with an affinity for product, love of Sport(s) and enjoys the energy of moving at the pace of retail and the consumer. The successful candidate will thrive and contribute to a positive and progressive team dynamic, as well as manage and guide in a way that elevates the team.

This role manages building and executing the creation of a Product Line Offering with Channel assortment point of view for the Canadian Marketplace, using historical data, analytics and real-time market feedback to inform the future (coming seasons) while winning in season.

This candidate should possess solid retail acumen and analytical skills, an understanding of retail environments including both brick and mortar and digital commerce, while bringing a consumerist perspective to the team and business. They are comfortable guiding with and through peers and driving end to end strategies with ownership of their respective business unit.

• Bachelor's degree in Fashion Merchandising or Buying, Fashion Business & Tech, or related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience and training
• 6+ years of merchandising experience in Footwear, Apparel, Equipment, or similar consumer categories
• Deep commercial acumen with command of key wholesale, retail, and digital KPIs (sell-through, margin, AUR, UPT, etc.)
• Strategic and future-focused thinker who shapes business direction through insight and innovation
• Skilled communicator who drives alignment and influence across cross-functional and Geo teams
• Proven peer leader with experience mentoring teams and elevating performance through clarity and accountability
• Values diversity of thought and leads with cultural awareness and collaboration
• Operates with agility, sound judgment, and bias for action in dynamic, fast-paced environments
•  Ability to travel up to approximately 25% annually

WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON

You will develop seasonal plans, encompassing product, pricing, flow, concept, and initiative intent. In formulating these plans, you will integrate comprehensive business and marketplace insights, collaborating effectively with your respective Sport Category colleagues and brand partners (Nike and/or Jordan) to ensure alignment across footwear, apparel, and equipment.

You’ll adopt and build Canadian Line Plans tailored to the Canada Marketplace and consumer base which will reflect an informed perspective on Channel Assortments, including Nike Direct’s marketplace role, blending data-driven analysis with strategic intuition.  Participation in NA & CA Merchandising seasonal review CODE gates (such as LSR, SAM, CKO), pricing evaluations, forecast consolidations, and performance reviews for your designated Sport category will be required.

As a Lead Merchant within the Canadian Merchandising team, you will leverage marketplace data, consumer insights, and retrospective research to guide decision-making and influence the creation of seasonal plans that address Canadian consumer needs. You will communicate both qualitative and quantitative findings to cross-functional teams and guide the management of merchandising KPIs through detailed evaluation of retail data and performance metrics.

Building positive, trustworthy relationships with all internal partners, particularly Nike NA Merchandising, Canadian Sports Marketplace Directors and Sales Teams—is essential to build and land assortments that fulfill consumer needs, advance market positioning, and differentiate the key distribution channels across the marketplace. Collaboration with your cross-functional team will be crucial to maintaining an effective equilibrium between pull and push market strategies.

Please note: This is an individual contributor or People Leader/ Hybrid role based out of our Nike Canada Downtown Toronto HQ (Mondays to Thursdays on-site and Fridays, remote )

(In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), 2005, and the City of Toronto’s Accommodation Policy, accommodation will be provided in all parts of the hiring process. Applicants can make their needs known when contacted for interviews.)