Lead Merchandiser, Apparel - APAC

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Lead APAC Apparel Merchandiser serves as a strategic, cross-functional regional merchandising leader responsible for connecting the needs of China, South Korea, and Japan with Global Product Creation. This role partners closely with APAC country merchandising teams to identify regional commonalities, market-specific needs, emerging trends, and growth opportunities, translating these insights into clear and actionable direction for Global teams.

With Columbia's deep-rooted presence and ambitious growth plans across China, South Korea, and Japan, deep merchandising experience within the APAC region is essential. The Lead APAC Apparel Merchandiser plays a pivotal role in shaping the seasonal framework for Global Product Creation, ensuring APAC consumer insights, market dynamics, and business opportunities are represented in future product direction.

The role serves as a critical two-way connection between Global and APAC markets - influencing Global teams to address regional opportunities while partnering with China, South Korea, and Japan to drive alignment around Global strategies and initiatives.

HOW YOU'LL MAKE A DIFFERENCE

• Partner with China, South Korea, and Japan merchandising teams to identify regional commonalities, market-specific needs, assortment gaps, and emerging growth opportunities.
• Synthesize consumer insights, marketplace trends, competitive intelligence, and business performance across APAC to influence Global Product Creation and seasonal line planning.
• Identify new product opportunities and ensure relevant APAC consumer and marketplace needs are represented in the Global seasonal framework.
• Partner with country merchandising leaders to build understanding and alignment around Global product strategies and initiatives, connecting Global direction with regional marketplace realities.
• Support APAC-specific product creation initiatives and regional exclusives, ensuring opportunities are grounded in consumer needs, business potential, and clear commercial justification.
• Use sell-through, bookings, margin, SKU productivity, forecasting, and other business analytics to identify opportunities and support fact-based decision-making.
• Support the seasonal Go-To-Market process across APAC, ensuring accurate and complete execution of key merchandising deliverables and milestones.
• Represent APAC Apparel during key seasonal meetings and product checkpoints, consolidating perspectives across China, South Korea, and Japan into a clear regional point of view.
• Partner cross-functionally with Product, Planning, Sales, and Marketing to connect seasonal product direction with marketplace needs.
• Help determine where regional commonalities can create greater scale and where market-specific product solutions are required.

YOU ARE

• A seasoned merchant with deep experience across the Asia Pacific region and a strong understanding of its diverse consumers, markets, and retail landscapes.
• A strong connector who can bring together different market perspectives and turn them into a clear regional point of view.
• A strategic influencer who can advocate for APAC needs with Global stakeholders while building regional alignment around broader Global strategies and initiatives.
• A product-focused merchant who connects consumer insights, market dynamics, and business performance to identify future product opportunities.
• Commercially driven with strong analytical and financial acumen.
• Comfortable operating at both a strategic and executional level - able to influence future product direction while managing seasonal execution with precision.
• A collaborative partner who builds strong relationships across functions, markets, and cultures.
• An effective communicator and storyteller capable of influencing stakeholders without direct authority.

YOU HAVE

• 8+ years of apparel merchandising experience within the sportswear, outdoor, or action sports industries.
• Demonstrated merchandising experience within the Asia Pacific region, with direct experience working across China, South Korea, and/or Japan required.
• Strong understanding of APAC consumer behavior, retail dynamics, competitive landscapes, and market differences.
• Strong expertise in apparel merchandising, assortment analysis, sell-through analysis, pricing, and SKU productivity.
• Proven ability to translate consumer, marketplace, and business insights into actionable product recommendations.
• Experience working across regional and Global organizations and influencing stakeholders across different functions, markets, and cultures.
• Strong business management capabilities with demonstrated financial and analytical acumen.
• Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• A bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Merchandising, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Ability to travel internationally as required.

#Hybrid

#LI-LC1

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.