JOB DESCRIPTION
Title: Product Manager, Merchandising (Youth & LOVB Inc.)
Department Code & Name: 305, Merchandise
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Remote (U.S.-based) with occasional travel for site visits and business-related events
Job Level & Type: Individual Contributor
About LOVB (League One Volleyball):
League One Volleyball (LOVB) is reimagining women's sports. Launched in 2019, our company is a mission-led sports performance, training and media enterprise that will change the game of volleyball in the USA and empower new generations of female athletes.
It is a groundbreaking time for volleyball in the US with our historic triple Olympic Gold medals in Women's Indoor, Beach and Sitting Volleyball. Volleyball is already the #1 most played girls' youth sport. There are 38M current and former players today. Of major sports, it's the only one that is women-first (~90% of players are female). But the volleyball market has been almost entirely missed by traditional sports investors, brands, and media.
LOVB is capturing this opportunity by creating a strong club business, and from that built-in audience and fandom, is creating the best Pro League in the world and a digital ecosystem that will connect all aspects of LOVB. This community-up approach will drive participation and fandom, while enabling greater empowerment for girls and young women living this amazing sport. In this role, you will join a mission-driven, roll-up-your-sleeves team of innovators and builders who have come together to change the paradigm of professional volleyball and women’s sports.
Job Summary:
The Product Manager, Merchandising will own the end-to-end product strategy and execution for the Youth and LOVB Inc. segments of the business. This role is responsible for building compelling, brand-right assortments that serve athletes and fans across the youth-to-pro ecosystem, while driving revenue, margin, and brand affinity.
This individual operates at the intersection of product, merchandising, and consumer insight—while also directly managing vendor relationships to bring product to life. In the absence of a dedicated sourcing and production team, this role will be critical in ensuring quality, timelines, and cost targets are met through strong vendor partnerships.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Product Strategy & Assortment
- Own seasonal product strategy and line architecture for Youth and LOVB Inc.
- Build assortments that ladder across price tiers (good/better/best) and distribution channels
- Identify whitespace opportunities across youth athletes, families, and community-driven consumers
- Partner with design and brand teams to ensure product aligns with LOVB’s voice and aesthetic
Merchandising & Financial Ownership
- Drive category-level revenue, margin, and sell-through performance
- Develop pricing strategies and margin targets aligned with overall P&L goals
- Partner with planning to forecast demand and manage inventory flow
- Analyze performance and optimize assortments based on real-time insights
Vendor Management & Product Execution
- Own day-to-day relationships with domestic and international vendors
- Manage product development timelines from concept through production and delivery
- Negotiate costs, MOQs, and pricing to meet margin targets
- Ensure product quality, consistency, and on-time delivery across all channels
- Partner with vendors on innovation, materials, and construction to elevate product offering
- Act as the primary point of contact for troubleshooting production or delivery challenges
Go-to-Market Execution
- Lead product lifecycle from concept through launch across digital and in-venue channels
- Collaborate with marketing on product storytelling, launches, and key moments (tournaments, camps, national events)
- Ensure strong product representation across website, pop-ups, and partner channels
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner closely with youth programming and LOVB Inc. stakeholders to align product with program needs
- Collaborate with league/team merchandising counterparts to ensure cohesion across the ecosystem
- Work cross-functionally with design, marketing, and operations to deliver a seamless consumer experience
Consumer & Market Insight
- Develop a deep understanding of the youth athlete and family consumer
- Monitor trends in sport, retail, and culture to inform product direction
- Gather feedback from events, athletes, and community touchpoints to continuously improve product
Education and Experience:
- 5-7+ years of experience in merchandising, product management, or retail (preferably in apparel or sports)
- Direct experience working with vendors, factories, or manufacturing partners required
- Strong business acumen with experience managing or influencing P&L performance
- Proven ability to build assortments and drive product strategy
- Experience owning product development timelines end-to-end
- Strong negotiation and relationship management skills
- Analytical mindset with the ability to translate data into actionable insights
- Passion for sports, youth culture, and building community-driven brands
Personal Attributes
- Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with shifting priorities.
- Solutions-oriented and able to identify when to escalate issues or challenges.
- Strong collaborator with excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Capable of working independently while effectively partnering with a distributed, remote team.
- Positive, proactive, organized, and creative - brings fresh ideas to problem-solving.
- Highly adaptable and eager to learn in a rapidly evolving environment.
Work Environment & Physical Requirements (Remote):
- Ability to operate a computer and use a keyboard, mouse, and video conferencing tools.
- Ability to clearly communicate via video, phone, and written channels.
- Occasional travel may be required for site visits and events.
What Success Looks Like
- High-quality, on-brand product delivered on time and on budget through strong vendor execution
- Clear, differentiated assortments that resonate with youth athletes and families
- Strong revenue growth and margin performance across Youth and LOVB Inc. categories
- Seamless execution of product launches tied to key events and programming
- Trusted, productive vendor relationships that enable speed, innovation, and scale
