At Backcountry, our mission is to connect people to their passions. Our four online stores—Backcountry, Competitive Cyclist, MotoSport and, SteepandCheap—aim to supply our customers with the gear, knowledge, and inspiration necessary to get out there and chase down life’s greatest moments. We do this by providing the biggest and best assortment of premium outdoor products, superior shopping experience, personalized Gearhead expertise, lightning-fast and accurate fulfillment, and inspirational, informative, and community-centered content.
Backcountry is seeking a high-performing, strategic, and results-driven Director of Merchandise, Hardgoods to lead the Outdoor division. This is a critical leadership role focused on profitably growing the business by leveraging market insight, data analysis, and cross-functional collaboration. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in both e-commerce and the outdoor industry, proven capability in team leadership, and a forward-thinking approach to AI and advanced analytics. The Director of Merchandise -- Outdoor will define and execute both long-term strategy and day-to-day merchandising decisions for the Outdoor division, ensuring product assortments and vendor partnerships align with financial targets and Backcountry branding. This leader will own a multi-million dollar open-to-buy budget, direct a team of buyers across technical and lifestyle outdoor categories, and work closely with Planning, Marketing, and Creative to drive unique consumer engagement and revenue growth. The scope of the role will include all the digital channels including Backcountry, Competitive Cyclist, Steep & Cheap and Market place. What you get to do:
- Drive financial performance, achieving aggressive sales, margin, and inventory turn goals across all channels and platforms.
- Develop and maintain the optimal outdoor assortment strategy, integrating technical expertise, industry trends, and customer insights.
- Build and nurture strategic relationships with vendors, negotiating pricing, terms, and key buys to maximize gross margin and support differentiated product stories.
- Harness advanced analytics, including AI-powered demand forecasting, inventory optimization, and consumer trend modeling to inform merchandising and financial decisions.
- Lead and mentor a high-performing merchandising team, fostering accountability, professional development, and a rigorous, results-oriented culture.
- Oversee the flow of inventory, ensuring optimal stock levels, high velocity turns, and minimal waste through predictive analytics and agile buying practices.
- Partner with Planning on annual and seasonal budgets, forecasting, and KPI reporting, leveraging AI and data science for enhanced accuracy and opportunity identification.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing and Creative, developing promotions and campaigns that drive brand engagement and capture emerging industry narratives.
- Uphold and advance category content standards, visual merchandising, and taxonomy for improved customer experience and conversion rates.
- Monitor team and category KPIs, utilizing advanced reporting platforms and AI-powered data visualization to detect trends and prescribe action plans.
What you bring:
- Bachelor's degree (Business, Supply Chain Management, or related field preferred); Master's degree a plus.
- 10+ years in retail buying/merchandising, with extensive e-commerce and outdoor industry experience.
- Demonstrated record of strategic sourcing, vendor negotiation, and assortment development in fast-paced, multi-channel environments.
- Deep analytical and presentation skills; fluency in Excel; experience with purchasing, planning, and reporting systems.
- Results-oriented leadership style with a passion for fostering high-performing, data-driven teams.
- Track record of leveraging AI, machine learning, or advanced analytics for merchandising, planning, or consumer insights.
- Outstanding communication and negotiation capability.
- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and time management.
- Genuine enthusiasm for the outdoor industry and deep understanding of key brands, trends, and consumer behavior.
- Experience or demonstrated aptitude integrating AI-powered forecasting, inventory optimization, and consumer data analytics into merchandising decisions and reporting workflows.
- Ability to identify, adopt, and champion new technologies and platforms that advance our competitive position.
- Strong understanding of how machine learning and data science can transform buy plans, assortment curation, and personalized marketing.
What’s in it for you? Joining Backcountry isn’t just about having a seat at the table—it’s about helping redesign the table entirely. You’ll be challenged, stretched, and supported as you grow faster than you thought possible. In addition to competitive compensation, we offer:
- Executive Access: Work directly with brand CEOs and senior leadership, solving real business problems and earning mentorship from top operators.
- AI-First Skill Building: Get hands-on with the most advanced AI tools in the market. From automation to prompt engineering, you’ll build a modern tech stack that sets you apart in any industry.
- Accelerated Career Path: High performers are quickly entrusted with greater responsibility, new challenges, and leadership opportunities across our portfolio of brands.
- Competitive benefits: Paid time off policies, 401(k)/RRSP match, medical/dental/vision and a variety of supplemental policies, and employee discounts at our portfolio companies
Our interview process:
- 📞 Step 1: If you align with our vision and meet the qualifications, we’ll reach out to schedule a conversation and introduce Backcountry.
- 🧠 Step 2: You’ll complete a short AI or product-building challenge so we can understand how you approach problems and execution.
- 💬 Step 3: Participate in deep-dive interviews with Backcountry leadership focused on your experience, product mindset, and operational thinking.
- 📩 Step 4: Offer. We’ll move fast for the right candidate.
The CSC family of brands provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, provincial, state or local laws.
The CSC family of brands is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact [email protected]. 