Head of Collection Merchandising – International Sports & Lifestyle Brand

Mode Search is supporting a leading international sports and lifestyle brand with the search for a Head of Collection Merchandising .

Based in Paris , this is a hands-on leadership position within a lean, fast-moving and entrepreneurial organisation. The role reports directly to the Chief Business Officer and will work cross-functionally with Product, Design, Buying and Commercial teams to ensure the collection is commercially focused, well balanced and positioned to deliver sustainable growth.

The role

• Own and evolve the global collection and range architecture across Apparel, Footwear and Accessories.
• Shape the overall assortment strategy, ensuring an effective balance between seasonal innovation, newness and established core products.
• Improve SKU and option productivity through rigorous assortment planning and range rationalisation.
• Define clear pricing structures, option frameworks and volume expectations across categories.
• Analyse sell-through, sell-out, margin and wider commercial performance data to inform collection and assortment decisions.
• Translate commercial insights into clear recommendations around product mix, depth and future range development.
• Establish and manage collection phasing, product drops and launch cadence across the season.
• Oversee the merchandising approach for capsules, collaborations and other strategic product initiatives.
• Work closely with Product and Design teams to connect creative direction with commercial opportunity and consumer demand.
• Partner with Buying and Commercial teams to ensure collection decisions reflect market needs and business objectives.
• Build and develop the merchandising tools, processes and frameworks required to improve visibility, decision-making and collection performance.
• Take a highly involved approach to the function, combining strategic leadership with a willingness to work directly with product and data.

Requirements

• Significant experience in a senior merchandising or collection merchandising role within sportswear, lifestyle, fashion or a closely related consumer environment.
• Strong experience working across multiple product categories, with exposure to both Apparel and Footwear highly desirable.
• A proven understanding of range architecture, assortment planning, SKU productivity and collection optimisation.
• Strong commercial judgement combined with a genuine instinct for product.
• Highly analytical, with the ability to interpret trading and performance data and translate insights into clear commercial actions.
• Experience developing pricing architecture, option plans, volume frameworks and seasonal assortment strategies.Strong understanding of the relationship between product newness, carry-over, core ranges and overall collection productivity.
• Comfortable operating in a lean, entrepreneurial and fast-paced business where leaders remain close to

Please note: Due to the volume of applications, we are unable to provide individual feedback at this stage. Successful applicants will be contacted in due course.