Brand Marketing Director
WOLVERINE WORLDWIDE INC, Rockford, IL, United States
Merrell exists to share the simple power of being outside with everyone. We believe the ‘outdoors’ is a much broader space than just the mountain summit; it’s any space beyond your front door. Our mission is to help our community rethink the outdoors by building gear that works everywhere, from technical alpine ridges to urban city streets. We don’t just follow the trail; we help define where it goes next.
Merrell is in the midst of a defining brand transformation – launching its first‑ever global brand platform, “It Starts Outside”, to reframe the outdoors as accessible, human and culturally relevant. To help drive this journey, we are looking for a Global Brand Marketing Director who will be a critical leader bringing this platform to life – shaping how Merrell shows up across culture, sport, performance, and lifestyle building a modern, emotionally resonant brand.
This is a rare opportunity to share a global brand at an inflection point – where performance credibility, cultural relevance, and emotional storytelling are coming together in new ways. For marketers energized by movement and culture, Merrell offers the chance to build something enduring on a global stage.
Primary Duties
Define and own Merrell’s global brand marketing strategy across Hike, Trail Run, Lifestyle, and Apparel.
Architect a clear brand POV that connects performance credibility with cultural relevance and lifestyle expression.
Build strategic priorities, guardrails, and decision frameworks that guide regions, agencies, and internal teams.
Act as a senior thought partner to executive brand and commercial leadership, shaping long‑term brand direction and category bets.
Integrated Campaign & GTM Leadership (Global + US)
Own the development and delivery of integrated global campaigns that challenge category norms and redefine what the outside – and Merrell – mean in modern culture – from strategic brief through execution and performance assessment.
Lead U.S. integrated campaign planning and execution as the model market, ensuring excellence across DTC, wholesale, retail, media, digital, and experiential.
Define campaign architecture, messaging frameworks, and seasonal storytelling systems that scale globally while enabling local relevance.
Make clear tradeoffs across initiatives, timelines, and investments to maximize impact and speed.
Establish clear campaign documentation, calendars, and milestone tracking across global teams.
Strategy, Insights & Commercial Impact
Translate consumer, shopper, cultural, and competitive insights into differentiated brand and campaign strategies.
Partner with Global Insights, Merchandising, and eCommerce to connect brand strategy to product priorities, hero stories, and commercial outcomes.
Own campaign KPIs and brand health metrics; evaluate performance across sell‑through, brand equity, and ROI.
Apply learnings rigorously to optimize future strategies, investment allocation, and executional effectiveness.
Cultural Relevance, Partnerships & Brand Heat
Drive brand heat through culturally relevant moments, partnerships, and community‑led activations aligned to Merrell’s brand pillars.
Lead global brand moments that sit at the intersection of sport, performance and culture – from athlete‑edited storytelling and community experiences to global brand films and cultural partnerships that generate brand heat and relevance.
Stay ahead of cultural, category, and media trends to continuously evolve how consumers experience Merrell.
Team & Enterprise Leadership
Lead, develop, and inspire a high‑performing team of brand marketers, setting a high bar for strategic thinking, creative excellence, and accountability.
Architect the future operating model for global brand marketing at Merrell – establishing new ways of working, new creative standards, and a shared global language.
Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, quality and accountability across global and regional teams.
Create clarity, guiding and aligning cross‑functional partners (Creative, Media, PR, Retail, Digital, eComm, Merchandising) through compelling storytelling, strong direction and decision‑making.
Build scalable ways of working that improve speed, consistency, and impact across global marketing execution.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required
Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or equivalent experience preferred.
10+ years of experience in brand or integrated marketing within global consumer brands.
Proven experience leading global, cross‑functional marketing initiatives.
Demonstrated ability to lead brand transformation, evolving legacy brands while preserving core credibility.
Track record of challenging category norms and elevating brand relevance through bold, insight‑led ideas.
Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into high‑impact creative execution.
Strong understanding of consumer behavior, cultural trends, and global markets.
Fluent in marketing analytics, including sell‑through, brand metrics, and campaign performance.
Comfort leading through ambiguity and change, setting direction and momentum in fast‑moving environments.
Strong commercial acumen with experience connecting brand investment to growth and ROI.
Exceptional communication and storytelling skills; strong executive presence with ability to influence C‑suite level leadership.
Experience managing complexity in fast‑paced, high growth environments.
Working Conditions Normal office environment. Some travel required.
Workplace Flexibility Wolverine Worldwide has a flexible, hybrid work schedule, with three days in office and two days remote.
Equal Opportunity and Diversity Statement Wolverine Worldwide, Inc. is committed to creating a company that is as diverse as our consumers. We value the differences in one another and believe our differences make us stronger. Our diverse and inclusive corporate culture starts with the recruitment process. We are committed to being an equal opportunity employer. We aim to create equal opportunities for our associates, customers, and suppliers regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other legally protected characteristic.
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Merrell is in the midst of a defining brand transformation – launching its first‑ever global brand platform, “It Starts Outside”, to reframe the outdoors as accessible, human and culturally relevant. To help drive this journey, we are looking for a Global Brand Marketing Director who will be a critical leader bringing this platform to life – shaping how Merrell shows up across culture, sport, performance, and lifestyle building a modern, emotionally resonant brand.
This is a rare opportunity to share a global brand at an inflection point – where performance credibility, cultural relevance, and emotional storytelling are coming together in new ways. For marketers energized by movement and culture, Merrell offers the chance to build something enduring on a global stage.
Primary Duties
Define and own Merrell’s global brand marketing strategy across Hike, Trail Run, Lifestyle, and Apparel.
Architect a clear brand POV that connects performance credibility with cultural relevance and lifestyle expression.
Build strategic priorities, guardrails, and decision frameworks that guide regions, agencies, and internal teams.
Act as a senior thought partner to executive brand and commercial leadership, shaping long‑term brand direction and category bets.
Integrated Campaign & GTM Leadership (Global + US)
Own the development and delivery of integrated global campaigns that challenge category norms and redefine what the outside – and Merrell – mean in modern culture – from strategic brief through execution and performance assessment.
Lead U.S. integrated campaign planning and execution as the model market, ensuring excellence across DTC, wholesale, retail, media, digital, and experiential.
Define campaign architecture, messaging frameworks, and seasonal storytelling systems that scale globally while enabling local relevance.
Make clear tradeoffs across initiatives, timelines, and investments to maximize impact and speed.
Establish clear campaign documentation, calendars, and milestone tracking across global teams.
Strategy, Insights & Commercial Impact
Translate consumer, shopper, cultural, and competitive insights into differentiated brand and campaign strategies.
Partner with Global Insights, Merchandising, and eCommerce to connect brand strategy to product priorities, hero stories, and commercial outcomes.
Own campaign KPIs and brand health metrics; evaluate performance across sell‑through, brand equity, and ROI.
Apply learnings rigorously to optimize future strategies, investment allocation, and executional effectiveness.
Cultural Relevance, Partnerships & Brand Heat
Drive brand heat through culturally relevant moments, partnerships, and community‑led activations aligned to Merrell’s brand pillars.
Lead global brand moments that sit at the intersection of sport, performance and culture – from athlete‑edited storytelling and community experiences to global brand films and cultural partnerships that generate brand heat and relevance.
Stay ahead of cultural, category, and media trends to continuously evolve how consumers experience Merrell.
Team & Enterprise Leadership
Lead, develop, and inspire a high‑performing team of brand marketers, setting a high bar for strategic thinking, creative excellence, and accountability.
Architect the future operating model for global brand marketing at Merrell – establishing new ways of working, new creative standards, and a shared global language.
Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, quality and accountability across global and regional teams.
Create clarity, guiding and aligning cross‑functional partners (Creative, Media, PR, Retail, Digital, eComm, Merchandising) through compelling storytelling, strong direction and decision‑making.
Build scalable ways of working that improve speed, consistency, and impact across global marketing execution.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required
Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or equivalent experience preferred.
10+ years of experience in brand or integrated marketing within global consumer brands.
Proven experience leading global, cross‑functional marketing initiatives.
Demonstrated ability to lead brand transformation, evolving legacy brands while preserving core credibility.
Track record of challenging category norms and elevating brand relevance through bold, insight‑led ideas.
Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into high‑impact creative execution.
Strong understanding of consumer behavior, cultural trends, and global markets.
Fluent in marketing analytics, including sell‑through, brand metrics, and campaign performance.
Comfort leading through ambiguity and change, setting direction and momentum in fast‑moving environments.
Strong commercial acumen with experience connecting brand investment to growth and ROI.
Exceptional communication and storytelling skills; strong executive presence with ability to influence C‑suite level leadership.
Experience managing complexity in fast‑paced, high growth environments.
Working Conditions Normal office environment. Some travel required.
Workplace Flexibility Wolverine Worldwide has a flexible, hybrid work schedule, with three days in office and two days remote.
Equal Opportunity and Diversity Statement Wolverine Worldwide, Inc. is committed to creating a company that is as diverse as our consumers. We value the differences in one another and believe our differences make us stronger. Our diverse and inclusive corporate culture starts with the recruitment process. We are committed to being an equal opportunity employer. We aim to create equal opportunities for our associates, customers, and suppliers regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other legally protected characteristic.
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