Director Apparel Merchandising

At L.L.Bean, we believe the outdoors brings out the best in all of us. We are committed to fostering a culture of belonging and creating safe, inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcome—both here and Outside. We value individual differences and are dedicated to maintaining an inclusive work environment where everyone can bring the best of their experience and talents and truly thrive.

L.L.Bean is seeking a dynamic Director of Apparel Merchandising to lead the strategic vision and execution of our apparel product line. In this role, you will shape the future of our assortment—driving product ideation, development, and merchandising strategies that inspire customers to embrace an active, outdoor lifestyle.

As a key leader, you will:

• Provide strategic direction and data-driven insights to optimize product performance and growth.
• Champion innovation and creativity in product development, ensuring alignment with brand values and customer needs.
• Build and mentor high-performing, action-oriented teams, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Lead succession planning and talent development to strengthen organizational capability for the future.

The ideal candidate brings:

• Proven success in merchandising leadership within apparel or related industries.
• A growth mindset and ability to translate vision into actionable strategies.
• Strong analytical skills combined with a passion for delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Responsibilities:

• Build and grow the business by identifying and executing on opportunities to positively affect department, customer engagement and the L.L.Bean Brand. 

• Own Merchandising strategies of the product line and product development process. Formulate strategies, both long term vision and short-term tactical plans that are cost effective, efficient and realistic. Prioritize tasks to support Division strategies and increase earnings. 

• Develop and maintain consistency of vision for category across all L.L.Bean channels and regions. 

• Oversee strategy & execution of the line plan to ensure the line is commercially viable, provides a customer experience that delivers on target customer and on brand expectations. Own seasonal calendar, line architecture, assortment reviews, pricing and margin targets for all categories. 

• Participate in product milestones and ensure product needs are met at concept stage through channel execution. Present clear, succinct, strong product stories and direction in milestones and cross functional Mind to Market & Commercial Planning milestones. 

• Ensure consistent consumer experience through execution of cohesive product vision via assortments, marketing content and visual merchandising presentation. 

• Own competitive analysis for all categories; identify voids in assortment, and white space within the competitive landscape. Continuously seek deep competitor insight and trend prediction of category. 

• Possess a clear fiscal understanding and accountability of gross margin goals, analyze and recommend pricing strategies to