ABOUT US
The North Carolina Courage, a member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), is seeking a Sr. Director, Merchandise to join our team. We hire people who help us work smarter, sharper, and more Courageous and this position plays a critical part in driving revenue, strengthening the brand, and deepening fan engagement.
As a member of our Club, you will contribute to an environment grounded in our Operational Standards: Set the Standard. Own the Results. Lead the Club. We are looking for individuals who embody Integrity, Community, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence in everything they do and who are motivated to elevate the Courage through their work, attitude, and professionalism.
Position Overview
The Sr. Director, Merchandise is responsible for leading the organization’s merchandise business and developing a comprehensive strategy that drives revenue, strengthens the brand, and deepens fan engagement. This role owns the merchandise business from strategy and assortment planning through product development, purchasing, inventory management, gameday and retail operations, e-commerce and retail marketing, and performance analysis.
The Sr. Director will balance commercial performance with brand stewardship, using consumer insights, market trends, and business performance to identify opportunities, optimize the merchandise portfolio, and deliver products and experiences that resonate with fans.
This role requires a strategic, commercially minded leader who can move seamlessly between high-level business strategy and execution, anticipate market and consumer trends, build strong internal and external relationships, and create scalable processes that drive sustainable, long-term growth. The Sr. Director will serve as a strategic partner across the organization, connecting merchandise strategy to broader business objectives, fan experience initiatives, and brand priorities.
This role reports to the Senior Vice President, Strategic Marketing
Key Responsibilities
Merchandise Strategy & Business Ownership
- Develop and lead the organization’s overall merchandise strategy, aligned with business, brand, revenue, and fan engagement objectives.
- Own merchandise revenue, margin, inventory, and profitability targets, using data and business insights to drive decisions.
- Analyze performance across product categories, channels, seasons, events, and customer segments to identify opportunities and risks.
- Develop annual and seasonal merchandise plans, including assortment, pricing, purchasing, inventory, promotional, and sales strategies.
- Establish scalable processes, tools, and reporting that improve business visibility, accountability, and decision-making.
- Evaluate the long-term business implications of merchandise decisions and build strategies that support sustainable, repeatable growth.
Product Development & Assortment
- Lead the development of compelling merchandise assortments that reflect the organization’s brand, team, players, history, culture, and fan interests.
- Identify emerging consumer, fashion, sports, and lifestyle trends and translate them into relevant product opportunities.
- Develop product strategies across core, seasonal, premium, limited-edition, event, player, anniversary, and collaboration collections.
- Partner with creative and licensing teams to ensure products are differentiated, on-brand, and commercially viable.
- Identify opportunities for exclusive products, collaborations, local partnerships, and limited-edition releases that create demand and urgency.
- Develop and create inclusive sizing and women's-fit strategy for all product lines and collections.
Retail & E-Commerce
- Oversee merchandise strategy across gameday retail, e-commerce, pop-ups, events, and other sales channels.
- Optimize assortment, pricing, placement, promotions, and inventory across channels based on customer behavior and performance.
- Partner with e-commerce and digital teams to improve the online shopping experience, conversion, merchandising, and customer journey.
- Identify opportunities to expand distribution and develop new revenue channels.
Inventory & Financial Management
- Lead merchandise forecasting, purchasing, inventory planning, and allocation to optimize sales while minimizing excess and aged inventory.
- Establish and manage budgets, open-to-buy, inventory targets, and financial forecasts.
- Monitor sell-through, margin, inventory turns, average order value, and other key performance indicators.
- Develop strategies to manage inventory risk while maintaining appropriate product availability.
- Partner with finance and operations to ensure accurate forecasting, reporting, and financial accountability.
- Lead all fulfillment, logistics, and 3PL initiatives, aligning operational execution with business growth objectives.
Enterprise Leadership & Cross-Functional Influence
- Serve as a strategic business partner across the organization, contributing beyond day-to-day merchandising to broader club initiatives.
- Partner with marketing, ticketing, partnerships, community, creative, fan experience, game presentation, communications, and operations to integrate merchandise into organizational priorities.
- Develop merchandise strategies that support major campaigns, tentpole events, player moments, milestones, community initiatives, and partnership activations.
- Identify opportunities for merchandise to enhance the overall fan experience and create additional touchpoints with the brand.
- Communicate recommendations with clarity and conviction and build alignment among senior stakeholders and cross-functional partners.
Proactive Leadership & Forward Planning
- Anticipate market, consumer, business, and organizational changes and proactively develop strategies to address them.
- Use historical performance, market trends, consumer insights, and scenario planning to inform future merchandise decisions.
- Establish contingency plans for key business risks, including inventory, supply chain, product demand, timing, and major events.
- Continuously identify opportunities to improve the merchandise business, customer experience, and operating model.
Partnerships, Licensing & Vendor Management
- Build and manage relationships with key vendors, manufacturers, licensors, designers, and strategic partners.
- Lead negotiations and business discussions that support quality, margin, product availability, and commercial objectives.
- Identify and develop strategic collaborations that expand the brand and create incremental merchandise opportunities.
- Ensure compliance with league, team, licensing, and brand standards.
- Oversee NWSLPA and player-likeness licensing compliance, ensuring all brand standards are met.
Team Leadership
- Lead, develop, and retain a high-performing merchandise team by establishing clear goals, accountability, performance expectations, and professional development opportunities. Directly oversee the Merchandise Manager, Gameday & Retail Operations; Merchandise Manager, E-Commerce & Retail Marketing; and gameday merchandise staff.
- Establish priorities, processes, and operating rhythms that enable the team to execute effectively.
- Delegate effectively while maintaining accountability for overall business outcomes.
- Foster a culture of strategic thinking, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Qualifications
- 8+ years of progressive experience in merchandising, retail, e-commerce, consumer products, sports, entertainment, or a related field.
- Demonstrated experience owning a merchandise, retail, or consumer-products business, including revenue and financial responsibility.
- Strong understanding of assortment planning, product development, purchasing, inventory management, pricing, and retail/e-commerce operations.
- Proven ability to use data and consumer insights to drive commercial decisions.
- Experience developing and executing long-term business strategies while managing day-to-day priorities.
- Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing stakeholders at multiple levels.
- Strong negotiation, vendor management, and relationship-building skills.
- Excellent financial acumen and ability to translate business data into actionable strategy.
- Experience leading and developing teams.
- Strong communication, presentation, organizational, and project-management skills.
- Experience in professional sports, collegiate athletics, entertainment, lifestyle, or another consumer-facing brand environment preferred.
- Schedule and travel expectations: Must be able to work nights, weekends and holidays for gameday retail, travel for sourcing and vendor trips, when needed.
OUR VALUES
We hire through the lens of our Club Values:
Integrity – Transparent, trustworthy relationships with our fans and ourselves.
Community – Creating a sense of belonging in a diverse, inclusive environment
Accountability – Responsible for our words, our actions, and our results.
Respect – Regard for treating others with dignity and acceptance.
Excellence - Strive towards greatness in ourselves, club, and community and culture.
Why It’s Better at the Courage
- Comprehensive Health Benefits. Choose between PPO or HSA options because your health matters on and off the pitch.
- Flexible PTO - We trust you to take the time you need to recharge, reset, and perform at your best. It’s simple: do great work, take great breaks.
- Work-From-Anywhere (2x per year) - Whether it’s visiting family or a change of scenery, enjoy the flexibility to work remotely outside the Raleigh area twice a year.
- Hybrid Work – In office work environment with flexibility to work from home for the 2026 season. The perfect balance for productivity and connection.
- 401(k) - Build your future with our 401(k) plan. Enrollment eligibility starts at 3 months.
- Courage Swag - Rep the badge with pride. Staff receive exclusive team apparel and gear throughout the season plus 4 season tickets to share with friends & family.
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.