Lead, North America Nike Direct Sport Business
Nike · Beaverton
WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH
The North America Nike Direct Business Operations team drives operational excellence across the approximately $9B North America Nike Direct business. The Sport Business Lead, Nike Direct North America, elevates operational excellence within a dedicated Sport category (for example, Basketball or Kids). Reporting to the Senior Director, NA Direct Business Operations, this role helps set the standard for Sport strategy, execution, and business performance.
The Sport Business Lead serves as the primary Operations partner and integrator for NA Direct Sport Business Senior Directors. This role leads pre-season planning efforts, including CODE, go-to-market execution, and financial target management; enables in-season business performance through weekly read-and-react processes; and supports long-term strategic planning through quarterly business reviews and multi-year visioning. The successful candidate is a results-oriented connector who brings clarity, structure, and discipline to complex business challenges.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience and training
- At least 6 years of directly relevant experience
- Experience across Digital, Stores, Strategic Planning, Merchandising, Planning, Finance, or Marketing preferred
- Proven strategic thinker with the ability to translate consumer and business strategies into retail execution
- Demonstrated ability to lead and coordinate cross-functional teams; skilled at problem-solving, synthesizing diverse perspectives, and driving progress
- Ability to navigate ambiguity and influence across a matrixed environment while managing multiple priorities and competing business needs
- Experience developing, documenting, and operationalizing retail and go-to-market strategies, processes, and ways of working
- Proactive and solution-oriented mindset with the ability to anticipate challenges, identify opportunities, and maintain business momentum
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level presentation development in Keynote
- Familiarity with Nike seasonal offense and CODE
WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON
You will serve as the operational leader for a Sport category within North America Nike Direct, driving alignment, accountability, and execution across teams. You will lead recurring cross-functional forums that inform real-time business decisions and support world-class retail execution. You will design and optimize processes that bring Sport strategies to life through the right assortments, product depth, and channel activations. You will measure business impact, align stakeholders across Sport, Channel, and Functional teams, and foster a collaborative, high-performing team culture.
Responsibilities include:
- Lead CODE and GTM operations and readiness for the NA Direct Sport category by managing pre-season planning processes, meeting cadences, and key deliverables. This includes setting agendas, tracking actions, and ensuring alignment to seasonal Sport strategies. You will also drive cross-functional accountability for key CODE moments, synthesize business inputs and outputs, and integrate perspectives from Merchandising, Planning, Marketing, and other partners.
- Inspire and align cross-functional Sport teams to effectively manage the in-season business, partnering closely with Sport Business Senior Directors to drive execution and business results.
- Co-create, evaluate, and continuously refine Sport strategies to maximize consumer impact and business performance.
- Support the Nike Direct Sport GM in end-to-end business management and leadership of the cross-functional Sport team.
- Lead preparation for, and summarize outcomes from, Sport and Innovation milestones across NA Direct channels. Drive key Sport moments and Innovation launches, ensuring integrated execution across categories. Facilitate weekly Integrated Business Attack meetings and readiness forums, maintaining a relentless focus on operational excellence and execution.
- Lead special projects that advance operational excellence and support strategic priorities established by the VP/GM, NA Nike Direct.
We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.