Director, Category Management - Sandals

Overview

We are looking for a Director, Category Management – Sandals to lead the global strategy and product vision for one of Crocs’ most important categories. This leader will shape a compelling multi-season roadmap that builds on the strength of our established product franchises while identifying meaningful opportunities to expand consumer relevance and drive future growth.

As Director, you will connect consumer, cultural, competitive, marketplace, and business insights to a clear category vision and product strategy. You will guide the global sandals' portfolio with thoughtful choices about what to strengthen, how to evolve, and where targeted newness can add meaningful value.

You are a product leader with exceptional judgment and deep consumer and marketplace instincts. You understand the global sandals' landscape, can distinguish short-term trends from durable opportunities, and know how to thoughtfully evolve proven franchises while staying alert to changing consumer needs and cultural shifts.

You thrive in ambiguity, creating clarity and driving progress even when all inputs are not yet known. You confidently navigate a global, highly cross-functional organization, align teams around a shared vision, and develop talent through a culture of curiosity, ownership, collaboration, and accountability.

What You'll Do

• Own and evolve the global Sandals category strategy and multi-season roadmap, building on established product franchises while finding opportunities to expand relevance and drive future growth.
• Translate consumer, cultural, competitive, marketplace, and business insights into a clear product vision, strategic choices, and category priorities.
• Shape the portfolio architecture for Sandals, strengthening established franchises through thoughtful evolution while identifying targeted opportunities for newness across consumer needs, wearing occasions, price points, and emerging trends.
• Lead the seasonal product briefing and line-planning process, establishing clear direction across consumer targets, product stories, price architecture, franchise roles, lifecycle, color and material strategy, and newness.
• Bring exceptional product instincts and a discerning point of view, determining what is consumer-relevant, brand-right, differentiated, and additive to the strength of the existing portfolio.
• Partner cross-functionally to connect product strategy with marketplace opportunity, incorporating commercial and consumer insights into product decisions while maintaining clarity around the global category vision.
• Use category and franchise performance, consumer response, and marketplace insights to inform portfolio choices and the thoughtful evolution of the business over time.
• Balance global consistency with differing consumer and marketplace needs, ensuring the portfolio can flex appropriately while maintaining the integrity of the category vision.
• Navigate ambiguity with confidence, using strong product and business judgment to create clarity, establish direction, and maintain momentum.
• Communicate the category vision and strategic priorities through compelling storytelling, building confidence and alignment with senior leaders and cross-functional partners.
• Develop, coach, and inspire talent through clear expectations, meaningful ownership, timely feedback, and mentorship.

What You'll Bring to the Table

• Bachelors degree or equivalent experience
• 10+ years of progressive experience in category management, product management, merchandising, product creation, or a related consumer product field, ideally within footwear, fashion, lifestyle, or adjacent consumer categories.
• Deep understanding of global consumers, culture, marketplace dynamics, competition, and emerging footwear trends; Sandals experience is strongly preferred.
• Exceptional product instincts and strong commercial judgment, with the ability to determine what is consumer-relevant, brand-right, differentiated, and capable of delivering meaningful business results.
• Demonstrated success developing global category strategies and stewarding established product franchises, with the judgment to build on proven equities while identifying targeted opportunities for future growth.
• Strong commercial savvy and the ability to use consumer insights, marketplace data, and business performance to inform product strategy and portfolio choices.
• Demonstrated ability to operate successfully in ambiguity, independently creating clarity, establishing priorities, making decisions, and driving action.
• Strong cross-functional leadership and influencing skills, with experience working effectively in a global, highly matrixed organization.
• Excellent communication, storytelling, and executive verbal communication skills, with the ability to simplify complexity and build alignment around a clear vision.
• Experience leading, coaching, and developing talent.
• Ability to travel globally.

#LI-TG1