Product Marketing Manager

The Manager, Product Marketing & Brand Partnerships leads the development and execution of high-impact strategies, integrated plans, and compelling messaging that elevate DSW’s brand, product and brand partner initiatives. This role owns the end-to-end marketing process—from gathering and synthesizing key inputs (including merchandise strategies, partner objectives, business goals, customer insights, and historical performance) to strategizing a clear point of view and translating it into cross-channel marketing plans. The Manager drives execution with authority, ensuring that messaging is delivered consistently and effectively across all customer touchpoints, and that every campaign is rooted in customer-centricity and business impact.

This role is a HYBRID position based in Columbus, OH.

Reports to: Director, Product Marketing

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Seasonal Strategy Development

• Strategize with merchant teams to deeply understand assortment, trend, brand, and product direction, and translate insights into compelling product positioning and messaging that differentiates DSW in the marketplace
• Lead product alignment strategy by evaluating merchant-selected assortments against prioritized storytelling and revenue goals; exercise authority to challenge selections that do not meet business objectives
• Co-Develop seasonal marketing strategy and GTM calendars that align with business objectives, merchandise strategies and consumer moments that lead to strongest revenue potential
• Define product messaging frameworks for merchandise strategies including priorities, frequency and segmentation
• Direct prioritized product stories across all owned and paid marketing channels based on audience insights and performance metrics
• Lead team through integration and execution of product and brand strategies at the channel level

Content Capture

• Own product prioritization for each content capture moment navigating through disparate opinions and business prioritizations to deliver on seasonal objectives

Vendor Strategy Development

• Own strategic vendor relationships, serving as the primary liaison to ensure alignment on marketing objectives, product positioning, and co-branded initiatives
• Own and steward vendor budgets across all channels, ensuring optimal allocation of resources to maximize ROI and support both vendor and internal priorities
• Leverage data-driven insights in partnership with the Analytics teams to evaluate vendor priorities alongside DSW’s strategic goals, and make informed recommendations that optimize marketing performance and deliver business objectives
• Partner with Epsilon to lead Retail Media Network (RMN) adoption and growth, aligning platform capabilities with DSW’s strategic objectives and vendor priorities
• Drive year over year growth in vendor contributions and OI delivered back to the business

REQUIRED SKILLS AND CORE COMPETENCIES

• Strategic Marketing Expertise: Proven ability to lead the development of retail marketing plans by synthesizing diverse inputs—including merchandise performance, business KPIs, customer insights, and analytics—to deliver results
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Exceptional collaboration and communication skills; adept at influencing and building relationships across all levels and departments to drive alignment and execution
• Executive-Level Storytelling: Skilled in crafting compelling narratives; able to translate complex strategies into clear stories that inspire action
• Confident, Data-Driven Presenter: Comfortable presenting to senior leadership and Marketing department; relies on a strong fact base and strategic rationale to support recommendations and decisions
• Operational Excellence: Highly organized and detail-oriented; demonstrates the ability to self-start, manage multiple priorities, and operate independently with minimal oversight
• Critical Thinking & Strategic Agility: Brings a high level of curiosity and analytical rigor; able to balance long-term vision with tactical execution, and pivot quickly based on evolving business needs