I’m headed to Colorado for my bachelor party this weekend. We rented a ranch, and we’re planning on hiking, fishing, and eating meat. My hope was that we’d get shorts and t-shirt weather, but it’s looking more and more like we might need to bring along something from The North Face. It’s not that we’ll be doing any hardcore mountaineering during the trip–it’s just going to be cold. As much as we all know that The North Face, which is based in Alameda, CA, is about pushing “the boundaries of innovation so that you can push the boundaries of exploration,” we also know that a lot of their gear is purchased to keep suburban kids warm while they wait for the school bus. That’s not a slight The North Face. It’s just that when you make high performance clothing and outerwear that looks great and is relatively affordable, people are going to use it in all kinds of situations.

Head North

When I worked at Orvis, it was very clear that fly fishing and hunting products were only responsible for 20-30% of sales. But the brand image for the rest of the product lines was closely tied to the company’s sporting heritage. Almost every successful sports focused apparel/gear company has to grow beyond the true enthusiasts at some point. The North Face has done that extremely well while still staying honest to their 40+ years of experience working to “be the first choice of the world’s most accomplished climbers, mountaineers, extreme skiers, snowboarders, endurance runners, and explorers.” The last time I went into a The North Face retail store, I saw a backpack with an avalanche airbag system front and center. Even though most of the people in the store would never have a use for such a device, it builds a brand story that makes people trust The North Face to keep their kids (or themselves) warm. If you want to be part of The North Face’s next 40 years, take a look at their Careers page. Right now there are a few positions worth considering:

• Lab Coordinator
• Product and Community Representative
• Associate Retail Buyer

All of the job descriptions say 3-5 years experience, but when you look a little more closely, you see that the positions could be a great fit for a new or recent grad. There are also a ton of retail opportunities available.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• TheNorthFace.com
• Jobs at The North Face
• About The North Face
• The North Face News
• The North Face’s Blog

What do you own from The North Face?

We've identified The North Face as having career opportunities in the following categories:

• all employers
• apparel
• buyer
• California
• community management
• product management
• retail
• sports

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