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Product & Operations Director, Global Football
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Future Performance Sport (FPS) is building the next phase of the Mizuno Football business across the globe. FPS manages club partnerships, product creation, retail execution, sourcing coordination, and commercial activation for professional football clubs, with the ambition to create a stronger, more premium, and more commercially effective football platform.
Role Title: Product & Operations Director
Reports To: GM Football
Role Purpose:
The Product & Operations Director will lead the end-to-end product management and operational coordination function for FPS Football. This role is responsible for translating club, retail, and commercial needs into clear seasonal line plans, margin targets, forecasts, product calendars, and execution plans. The role will work in close partnership with Design, Development, Sourcing, Sourcing Operations, Retail, and Sports Marketing to ensure FPS delivers the right product, at the right margin, on time, and with clear communication back to the clubs. This is a critical leadership role that connects product strategy, development execution, sourcing follow-through, and club-facing service.
Key Responsibilities
Product Management & Line Planning:
- Own seasonal product management across kits, training, fanwear, retail ranges, and club-specific product opportunities.
- Build and manage seasonal line plans aligned to club needs, Mizuno brand direction, retail opportunities, and commercial targets.
- Partner with Sports Marketing & Club Activation to ensure club feedback, commercial opportunities, and partnership obligations are reflected in the product plan.
- Define product range architecture, price positioning, margin expectations, and key seasonal stories.
- Ensure each club has a clear product roadmap across match kit, training, travel, fanwear, retail, and special programs.
- Manage product briefs and ensure Design, Development, and Operations teams are aligned before work begins.
Margin Targets, Forecasts & Commercial Planning:
- Own product-level margin targets in partnership with Finance, GM Football, Retail, and Sourcing.
- Build and manage product forecasts by club, category, channel, and season.
- Support commercial planning by identifying product opportunities that improve revenue, margin, club satisfaction, and retail performance.
- Track product costs, target prices, buy plans, and margin risks throughout the development and sourcing process.
- Ensure line plans are commercially viable before moving into development and production.
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Calendar Management & Development Partnership:
- Own the master product calendar across seasonal planning, design, development, sample reviews, approvals, production handoff, and delivery milestones.
- Work in close partnership with Development to ensure tech packs, samples, fit approvals, materials, trims, and product decisions stay on track.
- Lead regular calendar reviews with Design, Development, Operations, Sourcing, Retail, and Sports Marketing.
- Identify delays, risks, decision points, and bottlenecks early, and drive resolution across teams.
- Ensure internal teams and club-facing teams have accurate, current information on product status and timing.
Team Leadership:
- Manage the FPS product team, including Europe-based Design, Development, and Operations Specialist functions.
- Provide clear priorities, direction, and accountability across product management, design execution, development, and operational follow-through.
- Ensure the team operates with strong documentation, disciplined calendars, clear communication, and consistent follow-up.
- Create a practical working rhythm between Europe-based team members and sourcing/sourcing operations support.
Sourcing & Operations Coordination:
- Own the working relationship back to Sourcing and Sourcing Operations, in partnership with the Operations Specialist.
- Ensure sourcing teams have clear product requirements, forecasts, margin targets, delivery needs, and club-specific expectations.
- Coordinate with the Operations Specialist to track production status, delivery dates, issues, risks, and resolution plans.
- Keep Sports Marketing & Club Activation consistently up to speed on delivery status, product issues, delays, and corrective actions.
- Ensure club-facing teams are never surprised by operational issues and always have a clear communication path back to the clubs.
- Partner with Sourcing Operations to improve visibility, reporting, production discipline, and escalation management.
Cross-Functional Leadership:
- Work closely with GM Football to align product and operations priorities with the broader football business strategy.
- Partner with Sports Marketing & Club Activation to support club relationships, product presentations, kit launches, and special commercial moments.
- Work with Retail & E-Commerce to ensure product plans support store, stadium, and online sales opportunities.
- Coordinate with Finance on forecasts, costs, pricing, margin targets, and commercial planning.
- Partner with Marketing / Brand Activation to support launch stories, product storytelling, and campaign readiness.
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Reporting & Communication:
- Maintain clear reporting on line plan status, product calendar, margin targets, forecasts, development progress, sourcing status, and delivery risks.
- Provide regular updates to GM Football and senior FPS leadership.
- Create clear product and operations dashboards for internal teams and club-facing communication.
- Ensure meeting recaps, action items, calendar updates, and issue logs are consistently maintained.
Ideal Candidate Profile:
The ideal candidate has strong experience in product management, sports apparel, football product, licensed product, or teamwear operations. They must be able to manage both the commercial product plan and the operational follow-through required to deliver it. They should be highly organized, commercially aware, product-driven, and comfortable working across clubs, internal teams, sourcing partners, and senior leadership. This person needs to bring structure, discipline, and visibility to the FPS football product engine.
Required Experience:
- Experience in product management, line planning, product operations, sports apparel, football/teamwear, licensed product, or related categories.
- Strong understanding of seasonal product calendars, forecasts, margin targets, costing, development timelines, and production handoff.
- Ability to manage product teams across design, development, and operations.
- Experience working with sourcing and sourcing operations teams.
- Strong cross-functional leadership across product, commercial, retail, finance, sourcing, and club-facing teams.
- Ability to communicate product and delivery status clearly to internal partners.
- Strong calendar management, reporting, problem-solving, and follow-up skills.
- Comfortable working in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment.
Location:
European based, with regular coordination across FPS, Mizuno, club partners, sourcing teams, and operations support.
Employment Type:
Full-time or consulting structure to be determined based on candidate profile and FPS business needs.
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