Product Category Manager

Company Description

Sea to Summit is an award-winning Australian brand in the outdoor industry. We design, manufacture, and distribute innovative, meticulously engineered outdoor equipment for adventures at every altitude.
Sea to Summit was established in 1990. As an expanding global brand, we currently have offices in Australia, North America, Germany, Switzerland, Norway and China. We are a motivated group of experienced, creative, and forward-thinking professionals. We are connected by our shared passion to create frictionless gear so you can enjoy limitless adventures.

Our promise is to be your relentless ally in every adventure.

Job Description

The Product Category Manager is responsible for shaping the strategic direction, commercial performance, and market success of assigned Sea to Summit product categories.

This role owns the category vision from long term range planning through to product launch and in season performance management. Acting as the voice of the consumer and retailer, the Product Category Manager ensures that every product aligns with consumer needs, market trends and Sea to Summit’s brand strategy.

Working cross functionally across Marketing, Product Development, Sales, Finance and Operations, the role drives category growth through strong market insight, clear product positioning and compelling go to market strategies that deliver both successful sell in to retail partners and strong sell through with consumers.

A successful Product Category Manager combines analytical rigour with deep consumer understanding and strong story telling skills - identifying both articulated needs and unmet frustrations of outdoor users to guide product innovation and category growth.

Are you ready for the new adventure with Sea to Summit in Perth Head Office? Apply and submit your portfolio!

Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Planning

• Develop and maintain multi year category strategies and revenue growth plans aligned with Sea to Summit’s global brand and product strategy.
• Lead long term range planning, identifying assortment gaps, product opportunities and channel specific requirements.
• Represent the voice of the retailer and consumer to guide product development that is both commercially viable and highly relevant to end users.
• Partner closely with regional sales teams to ensure category plans meet the needs of key retail partners.
• Monitor consumer trends, competitive landscapes and channel dynamics to inform innovation and maintain category leadership.

Product Lifecycle Management

• Introduce product concepts and business cases into the Stage Gate process informed by consumer insights, market data and strategic priorities.
• Lead seasonal range reviews and conduct category performance analyses to inform future product direction.
• Identify opportunities for SKU optimisation, range expansion or rationalisation.

Product Marketing & Positioning

• Define product positioning within the broader category including target consumer, key benefits and value proposition.
• Partner with Brand and Marketing teams to translate product features into compelling consumer messaging and storytelling.
• Key stakeholder in category pricing discussions with regional teams to ensure pricing meets margin expectations while aligning with consumer willingness to pay.
• Support the development of product launch narratives and sell in tools that clearly articulate category value to retail partners.

Trade Marketing, Retailer Engagement & Channel Support

• Engage with regional sales teams and key retail partners to gather insights that inform category planning.
• Develop category trade marketing including line presentations, sell in materials and retail staff education tools.
• Work with GTM team to develop category merchandising guidance and point of sale strategies that communicate product benefits clearly and drive in store conversion.
• Provide category expertise to support retailer range reviews and category growth discussions.

Commercial Performance & Financial Accountability

• Track and report on category performance including revenue, margin, product mix and inventory health.
• Support pricing strategy, forecasting and SKU rationalisation decisions.
• Provide actionable insights based on sell through data, retailer feedback and market dynamics to continuously improve category performance.

Qualifications

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Product Management or related field.
• 5+ years experience in category management, product marketing, merchandising or product management.
• Experience in outdoor, sporting goods, travel gear or consumer lifestyle brands is highly desirable.
• Good understanding of product lifecycles, retail environments and go to market processes.

Key Skills

• Strategic thinking with strong commercial awareness.
• Excellent communication and storytelling capabilities.
• Proven ability to translate consumer insights into product and category strategy
• Cross functional leadership and collaboration.
• Analytical and data driven decision making.
• Strong proficiency in Excel, range planning tools and sales analytics platforms.

Preferred Attributes

• Personal passion for outdoor adventure and product innovation.
• Experience working with specialty outdoor and global retail partners.
• Exposure to international markets or global product planning environments.

Additional Information

Our Value Proposition

• Working alongside an international team with passion for outdoors
• Discounts & Gear allowance
• Volunteering Day Off to play an active role in giving back to the community.
• Continuous learning and development for your personal growth
• Employee Assistance Program as part of our commitment to improve your holistic wellbeing
• Competitive salary package
• Paid 16 weeks parental leave
• Hybrid work

Equal Opportunity Employer

Sea to Summit is committed to building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and everyone is encouraged to apply. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, disability, national origin, protected veteran status, age, or any other status protected by applicable national, federal, state, or local law.

NOTE: This job posting is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualification associated with the job. The successful candidate will be expected to perform all functions from administrative processing to leading change initiatives.