Retail Visual Manager- Soho, Ny

REI is committed to becoming a fully inclusive, antiracist, multicultural organization. To fulfill our brand promise of enabling a life well-lived outside for everyone, we are seeking candidates who demonstrate shared values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism.

Your Job Map

The Retail Visual Manager (RVM) is a key member of the retail store leadership team. The RVM leads a team of retail visual staff to achieve high levels of employee engagement, and execution of customer experience to drive business results of sales, membership, and service goals of all the specialty shops within the store. The RVM supports REI through execution of floor sets, support of promotional events, visual adaptations and execution of special brand/shop concepts and prototypes. The RVM will assist the General Manager with the hiring, training, coaching and development of a team of hourly non-management retail visual staff, as well as teaching fellow managers on Visual Merchandising.

Your Planning & Navigating Requirements

• Train store management, visual team and sales staff on product story telling, merchandising standards, proper fixture utilization and physical expression of the REI brand within the store.
• Build a change agile service focused team that is comfortable with constant evolution.
• Overnight Travel outside of assigned store will be required 1-3 times annually.
• Collaborates with management team and reviews store reports to determine key business drivers and departments and direct department & product placement to maximize store sales.
• Directs, plans and coordinates visual merchandising trainings, floor moves, seasonal mapping and execution of our core standards and overall visual direction to maximize sales.
• Actively coach, train and develop future talent.
• Proactively spot talent and recruit diverse leaders from both inside and outside the organization.
• Lead and inspires the execution of the customer experience by recognizing and rewarding the store team.
• Skillful in project management, spatial productivity, product flow, brand styling and adaptations of company direction to stores assigned assortments & space to meet the needs of both employee and customer experience.
• Lead a team of retail visual staff and managers through dynamic and regular feedback on Visual Merchandising. The majority of your time spent on the sales floor leading, training and executing on visual expectations, with some planning and coordination time.
• Partners with Store Manager to build accountability for driving business objectives of employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and brand appropriate story telling through strong ownership of visual execution, training and maintaining visual standards.
• Communicates clearly, concisely, and proactively to ensure you have the right skill set among the staff, and provide clear direction and expectations through utilizing the performance management “just in time” feedback.

• Effective communication skills.
• Creative background with the ability to merchandise, create three-dimensional visual displays and make merchandising adaptations when appropriate.
• Creates a strong, mutually supportive work spirit and culture where people can do their best.
• Demonstrated dynamic leadership skills with the ability to lead, motivate and develop future leaders.
• Excellent problem-solving ability.
• Consolidates information from various sources including feedback from others to reach sound decisions.
• Uses business knowledge, innovative thinking, risk-taking, and sound judgment in the solution of problems or the pursuit of business opportunities.
• Considers the ultimate impact of decisions and actions on internal and external customers.
• Fosters change in company direction.
• Demonstrated ability to set standards and hold team members accountable.
• Delivers on commitments and holds others to same.
• Champions the organization and advocates solutions in the overall Company's best interest.
• Ability to read & manually edit architectural plans
• Makes effective organization and people decisions in a manner consistent with REI's values and ethics.
• Commitment to outstanding customer experience.
• Proficiency in interpreting and utilizing key retail financial metrics to drive key performance indicators.
• Effectively plans and executes changes.
• Establishes trust and inspires others.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of visual merchandising experience in a ‘large store’ retail environment.
• Proven ability to understand and drive store profitability through employee engagement and customer experience.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of successful retail management experience.
• Builds capacity of individuals and teams through effective employee development, involvement, communication, and leading from the front.