Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. VF Corporation is dedicated to fostering a culture of belonging and innovation. The Senior Program Manager, Product Creation & Innovation will lead cross-functional initiatives that drive product innovation and commercialization, partnering with various teams to ensure successful project execution and alignment with enterprise priorities.
Responsibilities
- Lead a set of enterprise innovation special projects, setting priorities, sequencing work, and ensuring measurable outcomes across product creation, product special projects, digital capabilities, emerging technology initiatives, and consumer experience opportunities
- Establish program-level governance (cadence, forums, decision rights, escalation paths) and ensure alignment to strategy and business priorities
- Translate ambiguity into delivery plans with clear objectives, milestones, dependencies, and success metrics, including decision points and operational handoffs that support scale and commercialization readiness
- Drive cross-functional alignment across brands, regions, and functions; influence without authority to drive decisions and accountability while connecting enterprise priorities to product creation timelines and cross-functional ways of working
- Drive execution across initiatives spanning product special projects (footwear, apparel, and equipment), new product development, AI-enabled tools/services, and new business models, ensuring readiness to scale from concept validation through pilot, commercialization readiness, and broader adoption where appropriate
- Drive execution across initiatives spanning new product development (footwear, apparel, and equipment), AI-enabled tools/services, and new business models, ensuring readiness to scale
- Manage risks, issues, and interdependencies; lead mitigation strategies and scenario planning
- Create and deliver leadership-ready status updates, recommendations, and decision materials for key stakeholders and governance forums
- Manage external partners (vendors, startups, agencies, consultants) to accelerate discovery and delivery as needed
- Contribute to innovation best practices by creating playbooks, templates, and lessons learned; mentor project/program leads and peers to improve speed, consistency, and accountability across innovation delivery
Skills
- 6-10+ years of experience and professional achievements and experience leading complex, cross-functional programs, product innovation initiatives, product development operations, merchandising operations, or transformation work within a matrixed organization
- Demonstrated success driving strategic initiatives from concept through launch and scale enablement, ideally across product innovation, new product development, commercialization, or consumer-products environments
- Proven ability to influence and align Manager/Sr. Manager-level stakeholders and cross-functional teams, including facilitating trade-offs and decision-making in ambiguous environments (with exposure to VP-level audiences as needed)
- Experience developing business case inputs, defining value creation, and managing delivery against outcomes
- Track record of establishing strong delivery practices (plans, operating rhythms, reporting) across multi-workstream efforts
- Strong communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complexity into clear narratives and recommendations
- Experience leading work through influence across cross-functional teams; ability to support and enable contributors on project teams
- Experience working with global teams across multiple time zones and cultures
- Bachelor's degree required
- Familiarity with innovation and commercialization across new product development, digital platforms, and emerging technology initiatives (including AI/data-enabled solutions); strong understanding of how cross-functional product creation teams work across apparel, footwear, accessories, outdoor, active, sporting goods, or consumer products is highly preferred
- MBA or advanced degree preferred
- PMP, Agile, Lean, or equivalent certifications a plus; design thinking, innovation, change management, PLM/product lifecycle workflow, go-to-market, or seasonal product calendar experience is also valued
Benefits
- Eligible for additional compensation awards that may include an annual incentive plan, sales incentive, or commission potential
- Medical plan rates (details provided during the hiring process); see www.MyVFbenefits.com and “Looking to Join VF?” for detailed information
Company Overview
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