Category Manager, Sunglasses & Kids

Born from a mission to make prescription eyewear affordable and accessible to everyone, Zenni Optical has been changing the way people see the world since 2003. With complete prescription pairs for adults and kids starting at under $10, we’ve grown into a global brand with over 51 million pairs of glasses sold — and counting!

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, we're proud to be the Official Eyewear of the San Francisco 49ers, Boston Celtics, Monster Jam, Ghost Gaming, TSM, Major League Pickleball and more. We've also partnered with tastemakers and designers like Chase Stokes, Jrue Holiday, and George and Claire Kittle to bring our brand to life in bold, meaningful ways.

Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at Zenni — from our revolutionary EyeQLenz™ with Zenni ID Guard™  glasses to our cutting-edge VR Vision Screener, we're constantly exploring new ways to improve vision and enhance lives. For more information, please visit zenni.com/press.

We’re looking to hire a Category Manager to help shape the development of Zenni’s category strategy, grounded in sales and shopper data to effectively achieve inventory and financial objectives. This role is responsible for defining overarching assortment strategies and tactics for Zenni's Sunglasses & Kids; analyzing market trends and consumer insights; developing and executing go-to-market plans; and driving innovation, including new product launches through lifecycle management. With a strong emphasis on data-driven decision-making, this position ensures alignment across key stakeholders to deliver core business objectives such as profitability, market share growth, and operational efficiency. This role will report to the Director, Category Management. 

• →Lead the product creation and assortment planning for Sunglasses & Kids collections, considering factors such as global market trends, consumer preferences and historical sales data
• →Create the seasonal NPI Roadmap and design briefs based on the product financial plan including global needs, carryover, new product introduction and product exits
• →Provides quarterly, pre-season category guidance to the Procurement team; to outline the product need to develop expansion opportunities to fill category gaps
• →Maximize sales and margin by setting volume and margin targets in the design briefs
• →Through cross-functional partnership and data collection establish key product initiatives and correlate investment plans to hit seasonal revenue and margin targets
• →Create product brief for Marketing Team, identifying hero and key product stories to drive product visibility and sales
• →Review all product photography to ensure photos represent the product accurately to the consumer
• →Responsible for outlining the execution of category initiatives for the Website and Mobile App to optimize sales
• →Partner with marketing and channel partners to develop sales driving actions including product placement, site merchandising, region specific assortment and ranges, and promotional strategies to achieve targets

• Define metrics to measure customer satisfaction and product performance, use these to analyze and make future decisions around the lifecycle of the product portfolio
• Manage effective product lifecycle planning and management that aligns to product performance expectations via the product financial plan, from product launch through end of life, avoid SKU proliferation
• Manage the reporting, capture and communication of product performance data and findings to inform business and commercial planning
• Identify areas from improvement and implement corrective actions when necessary

• Collaborate with key stakeholders to determine competitive pricing strategies by market for existing and new products optimizing sales and profitability while remaining competitive across the markets
• Set price and margin targets for new product introductions within the design brief
• Responsible for achievement of margin and revenue targets for assigned product categories
• Monitor global industry trends, competitor activity, and emerging market opportunities to inform strategic decisions.
• Support the Category Director and cross functional partners with competitive analysis, including pricing, promotional strategies, and marketplace trends.

• Demonstrate strong working relationship with the e-commerce, FP&A, Procurement, Demand Planning, Site Merchandising, Brand, Commercial Ops, Product Marketing, and Engagement Marketing.

• Bachelor’s degree in business, product management, merchandising, marketing, or related field
• 5+ years of category or product management experience within a fashion or eyewear brand, with strong knowledge of e-commerce and international channels
• Proficient in business, product, and financial acumen with the ability to translate data and consumer insights into actionable strategies
• High proficiency in G Suite and working knowledge of Microsoft and Adobe suites, Slack or something similar
• Travel Requirements: 20-30% travel, including domestic travel to the Novato office (3-4 times per year) and international travel to Italy, France, and APAC region (3-4 times per year)

• Bay Area-based candidates are a bonus! 

We strive to build a diverse team of individuals with a broad range of experience and perspectives. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t feel you meet all the qualifications.

Zenni Optical is an equal opportunity workplace and considers applications without regard to race, color, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.