Sr. Director, NA Marketing - Utility

Job Summary

The Sr. Director, NA Marketing - Utility is responsible for shaping and driving Utility’s brand growth and integrated marketing strategy across North America. This role oversees brand, digital, product, DTC, wholesale, and channel marketing, leading consumer engagement, storytelling, and demand generation initiatives that strengthen brand affinity and drive sell-through to deliver short- and long-term growth.

This leader will balance creativity with data, purpose with performance, and brand building with commercial outcomes. They will partner closely across Sales, Product, Merchandising, DTC, Wholesale, and Global teams to deliver cohesive, consumer-first experiences that elevate the KEEN brand and Utility business across all channels.

Essential Functions

Description

• Lead the North America Utility marketing strategy and annual operating plan, aligned with the VP’s regional strategy, global brand and product direction, and Utility business priorities.
• Translate global product positioning, seasonal story architecture, and integrated plans into differentiated North America Utility campaigns, channel strategies, and go-to-market priorities; represent regional needs, insights, and execution requirements in partnership with the Global Sr. Director, Product & Integrated Marketing.
• Steward Utility brand positioning and storytelling across North America consumer touch points, ensuring a consistent expression of the KEEN brand that is relevant and compelling for regional consumers.
• Direct integrated, full-funnel Utility marketing across brand, digital, DTC, retail, wholesale, and experiential channels, balancing long-term brand building with demand generation and commercial outcomes.
• Serve as the senior marketing partner to Product, Merchandising, Sales, Ecommerce, Creative, and regional leadership to bring Utility products, seasonal priorities, and key initiatives to market effectively.
• Partner with Consumer and Fan Insights to shape North America Utility marketing strategy, define KPIs, and use market intelligence and performance data to refine plans, investment recommendations, and execution.
• Partner with Ecommerce leadership to shape Utility initiatives that strengthen traffic, conversion, customer engagement, and retention across digital channels.
• Lead and develop the Director, NA Wholesale Marketing, ensuring wholesale marketing strategy and activation plans are aligned to Utility priorities while maintaining clear ownership for wholesale program execution within that role.
• Lead and develop the Senior Marketing Manager, Utility, providing strategic direction and accountability for go-to-market execution across paid media, PR, influencer, partnerships, and events.
• Build senior relationships with key wholesale accounts and cross-functional partners to strengthen Utility brand presence, consumer impact, and commercial performance in the marketplace.
• Provide strategic direction for campaign briefs, creative development, channel orchestration, and seasonal execution to deliver cohesive, high-impact consumer experiences.
• Own Utility marketing budget planning and investment prioritization for North America, ensuring resources are aligned to strategic priorities, growth opportunities, and measurable business outcomes.
• Build, mentor, and retain a high-performing marketing team; establish clear priorities, accountability, decision rights, and effective ways of working across the Utility marketing remit.

Please note this job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without cause.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Merchandising, or related field required.
• Ten (10) years experience in product marketing, integrated marketing, or GTM leadership roles, preferably in consumer goods, footwear, apparel outdoor, or related categories
• Experience working across DTC and wholesale channels and in a global-to-regional marketing structure preferred
• Five (5) years people leadership experience managing managers and/or senior individual contributors in a global or multi-region environment.

Any equivalent combination of experience and education which clearly indicates the ability to perform the essential functions of the position may substitute on a year for year basis.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Deep understanding of North America consumer behavior, marketplace dynamics, and the commercial drivers of DTC, wholesale, and retail channels.
• Proven ability to translate global brand positioning and product priorities into differentiated, executable regional marketing strategies that balance global consistency with North America relevance.
• Broad and deep expertise across brand storytelling, integrated campaign development, digital marketing, PR, social, influencer, experiential marketing, consumer engagement, and demand generation.
• Strong command of wholesale marketing strategy, including account activation, in-store and digital programs, consumer insights, and the levers that influence sell-in and sell-through performance.
• Demonstrated ability to build authentic relevance for KEEN Utility within utility and outdoor culture through marketing that drives both brand affinity and sustainable commercial growth.
• Sophisticated business and creative judgment, with the ability to balance consumer insight, brand expression, commercial opportunity, and investment tradeoffs.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen, including the ability to establish meaningful KPIs, assess campaign and channel performance, and translate findings into clear investment and strategic recommendations.
• Ability to lead through direct reports and influence senior cross-functional partners across Product, Merchandising, Sales, Ecommerce, Creative, and Global Marketing.
• Strong strategic planning, prioritization, and operational leadership skills across complex seasonal go-to-market milestones and multiple channels.
• Exceptional communication, executive presence, stakeholder management, and cross-functional influence skills, including the ability to align diverse perspectives around shared priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to build, develop, and retain high-performing teams; establish clear accountability, decision rights, and effective ways of working in a dynamic, matrixed environment.

Travel Required: Yes, up to 25% of the time

Base Salary: $196,020 - $206,910

This range represents the low and high ends of this position's anticipated base salary range. The actual base salary will depend on numerous factors such as experience, knowledge, skills, and location. Our base salary is just one component of our competitive total rewards strategy, which includes numerous benefits and perks as well as specific health and welfare benefits.

Why Work at KEEN:  Driven by a passion for life outside, KEEN is a values-led, independently owned brand from Portland, Oregon, that’s on a mission to create original and versatile products, improve lives, and inspire outside adventure. Founded in 2003, KEEN launched a revolution in the footwear industry with the introduction of the Newport adventure sandal and has donated more than $18 million to non-profit organizations and causes around the world to promote responsible outdoor recreation, including conservation efforts to protect open spaces. KEEN strives to show the world through its products and its actions that a business for good can actually be good for business. By giving back, reducing impact, and activating communities and individuals to protect the places where we work and play, KEEN puts its values in motion and takes action to leave the world a better place.  

Fuerst Group, KEEN, and Chrome are equal opportunity employers.  We value an inclusive and diverse community. Qualified candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply and will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability.