Role: Category Director- Oceans
Team: Product Business Categories

Scope: People Leader, M5

Years of Experience: 10+

Location: Ventura, CA

At Patagonia, we don’t just have product category leaders – we have business activists responsible for building a healthy business in service to the community and supporting the movement to save our home planet. The Category Director of Oceans at Patagonia is a strategic, highly cross-functional leadership role responsible for developing and delivering a product plan for surf apparel, wetsuits, and surfboards that increases profitability and market share, considers our impact footprint, drives technical product leadership, and serves our brand purpose through the product experience. This role will lead the strategic direction, product development, and overall performance of our Oceans category.

In this position, you will drive our position on technical performance and environmental innovation for the Oceans category. You will build relationships with our Oceans community based on authenticity and trust and serve as an evangelist for sustainable practices and ocean conservation. You will collaborate with internal teams and external partners to ensure our products not only meet the highest standards of quality and performance but also align with our mission to protect the environment. Your leadership will be pivotal in inspiring both our team and our customers to engage in and support our purpose to save our home planet.

What You’ll Do

• Oversee the performance, strategy, and development of the Oceans division. Ensure the success of the product line within their category in terms of sales, profitability, and market positioning.
• Develop and execute long-range Ocean Category product strategy, including seasonal line planning, to drive global product business, achieve revenue and margin targets, uphold brand values, reduce product impacts, and strengthen market position and technical brand impact.
• Lead cross-functional product creation and production planning, focusing on technical performance, impact reduction and innovation.
• Mentor and lead a team that includes a Surf Apparel Product Line Manager, FCD Surfboard Production and Operations teams, and a Wetsuit Repair Team, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture.
• Collaborate with the Integrated Business Planning team to guide decisions on global sales mix, growth opportunities, vulnerabilities, supply planning, and allocation priorities.
• Collaborate with the Australian Regional teams to connect the global strategy with the Oceans focus and point of view in Australia
• Maintain expertise on the global Outdoor market and macro-economic factors, including key trends, competitive and emerging brands, and market shifts, to inform product planning, positioning, sell-in strategy, and internal communications.
• Present category and product-level vision, strategy, and tactical plans to support strategic and go-to-market needs, including multi-year and annual strategy, Seasonal Line Reviews, and Sales Meetings.
• Engage with regional merchants, planners, channel leads, and sales teams to ensure the global product mix and strategy meet customer needs and expectations.
• Collaborate with the Marketing Department to craft tools and implement marketing messages for the Surf community.
• Guide PLMs in seasonal product planning, drafting product briefs, and driving implementation through product creation, merchandising, and color, ensuring accurate product information in all databases and tools.
• Partner with other Category Directors to drive process and ensure operational excellence in integrating Line Management with key teams globally on go-to-market processes, communication, calendar, and key deadlines

Who You Are

• Passionate: Active and passionate multi ocean sports athlete (Kite, foil, wing, sailing, surf, etc) who understands the sport culture, community, market, and products. Deeply committed the Patagonia ethos of “the right gear for the right conditions”.
• Strategic: Creative and critical thinker who drives vision, develops and presents strategies, and transforms them into actionable plans.
• Communicator: Skilled at clearly communicating complex ideas and issues, using various methods to build understanding and engagement.
• Influential: Tactful and persuasive leader, capable of driving cross-functional teams to action on new initiatives.
• Collaborative: Diplomatic, fosters a collaborative culture, encourages feedback, and constructs effective strategies as a team.
• Decisive: Aggregates information, consults stakeholders, assesses outcomes, makes judgements, and executes decisively.
• Accountable: Takes responsibility for addressing challenges, owns decision outcomes, and recognizes others’ contributions.
• Adaptable: Works well in dynamic environments, supports directives, and remains flexible to change within their scope

Experience You Bring

• Extensive experience in the Surf industry and familiarity with the outdoor market landscape.
• 10+ years of relevant experience and a proven track record in product management.
• Well-versed in the business utility, operational demands, and collaborative workflow of an omni-channel and global business, with a complex international supply chain.
• Exceptional understanding of business, product, and performance objectives with a proven record of delivering against KPIs.
• Proven time management and project management skills with the ability to prioritize and de-prioritize on a daily basis.
• Experience setting and driving strategy, working in a team-based structure, and leading across functional teams you don’t directly manage.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite programs.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and make data-driven decisions.
• Experience with sustainable product development and a commitment to environmental responsibility.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively at all levels of the organization with strong presentation skills on stage, in small group sessions and with all sizes of audiences.
• Knowledge of current trends and innovations in the Surf industry and outdoor market.

Hiring range: $200,000 - $230,000 USD Annual

At Patagonia, pay ranges are assigned to a job based on the location specific market median of similar jobs according to 3rd party salary benchmark surveys. Individual pay within that range can vary for several reasons including skills/capabilities, experience, and available budget. Note the full pay range for this role ranges from: $179,100.00- $268,700.00USD Annual. The Hiring Range reflects where in the range we intend to hire for this role. 

Employee Conduct
It is the responsibility of every employee to contribute to a positive, inclusive work environment through cooperative and professional interactions with co-workers, customers and vendors.

Equal Employment Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by law.