Sr. Manager Wholesale Visual Merchandising, North America

Who We Are:

Since 1906, New Balance has empowered people through sport and craftsmanship to create positive change in communities around the world. We innovate fearlessly, guided by our core values and driven by the belief that conventions were meant to be challenged. We foster a culture in which every associate feels welcomed and respected, where leaders and creatives are inspired to shape the world of tomorrow by taking bold action today. At New Balance, We Got Now.

JOB MISSION:

As the Senior Manager of Wholesale Visual Merchandising for North America, you will lead a dynamic team in enhancing Visual Merchandising activities tailored to support the North America wholesale business. This role, reporting to the Director of Visual Merchandising, includes developing and leading visual merchandising approaches for New Balance across multiple accounts within the marketplace. Collaborating with cross-functional partners, you will translate global guidelines into effective North American wholesale strategies, ensuring alignment with market dynamics. This Sr. Manager holds responsibility for the visual merchandising strategic direction, actively participating in the Go-To-Market process to provide sell-in and sell-thru guidelines for various accounts and door clusters. Job requirements also encompass supporting a cross-functional approach, collaborating with commercial leads, sales, product, merchandising, and multiple global teams. The successful candidate will be highly creative, possess a strategic approach, and excel in balancing creative and organizational thinking.

MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Wholesale Brand Experience

• Act as a brand ambassador, leading the execution of brand wholesale experience strategies across multiple North American wholesale accounts.

• Stay well-informed about the competition and current trends relevant to the New Balance brand, aligning strategies with market dynamics.

• Translate global brand and product campaign plans into actionable regional implementations for the wholesale market.

• Collaborate with the Field Brand Presentation team, assisting in workshops and virtual training sessions to develop the wholesale field team in visual merchandising techniques.

• Lead the strategic direction for all North America Wholesale Visual Merchandising directives, ensuring alignment with key product investments and brand initiatives for the wholesale market.

Wholesale Marketing

• Collaborate with the Creative Visual Merchandising and Operations team to adapt Wholesale Marketing kits for different accounts in the region.

• Develop creative briefs for all marketing requests, actively participating in the Creative Operations process for account-specific needs.

• Implement creative merchandising solutions in collaboration with Global VM Key Account leads to achieve KPI results and increase sell-through.

• Lead the execution calendar in collaboration with the Operational Visual Merchandising, Commercial Marketing, and Regional GTM teams.

Data Informed Decision Making

• Use selling reports to analyze business by account and create plans to drive business, focusing on visual merchandising perspectives.

• Use visual merchandising software (e.g., IWD) to inform all future visual merchandising decisions through heatmapping and SKU productivity reporting.

• Lead seasonal Visual Merchandising reviews to understand successful strategies and identify future opportunities for Visual Merchandising product placement within different accounts. Participate in sell-in meetings to help prepare for future activations within key wholesale accounts.

Cross Functional Partnerships

• Build and exert influence through cross-functional and upward senior-level relationships.

• Effectively run and inspire a team of direct and indirect reports, conducting performance appraisals, setting goals, and consistently maintaining communication.

• Recruit, hire, and retain top talent to build a bench for the region and brand.

• Train and develop teams on NB Brand aesthetic and VM practices.

• Plan and implement meetings and workshops that are collaborative, educational, and motivational.

• Refine existing process and procedures to enhance team, time and budget.

REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESS:

• 8+ years of relevant work experience in a visual merchandising environment, preferably within the Wholesale environment. Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in fashion design, visual merchandising, or retail marketing/management.

• Experience leading and mentoring a team. The ideal candidate should be a well-versed people manager with the capacity to coach, mentor, develop and reward teams.

• Creative and strategic problem solver with a quick, calm problem-solving approach. Positive, useful attitude with excellent communication skills.

• Takes ownership and accountability for project planning, oversight, and execution. Ability to engage key collaborators and gain respect across cross-functional teams. Ability to refine processes in an creative environment.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications; Adobe Creative Suites is a plus. Experience with Visual Merchandising software programs is ideal (IWD, Dtail, etc).

• Strong leader capable of creating trust, collaboration, partnership; always displaying a strong sense of ethics and integrity. Strong leadership skills, adaptability in a fast-paced environment, and ability to run multiple projects effectively.

• Strong industry understanding and shown creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills.

• Excellent taste level in areas including merchandising, styling, fixture design, store layout, and directives.

Regular Associate Benefits

Our products are only as good as the people we hire, so we make sure to hire the best and treat them accordingly. New Balance offers a comprehensive traditional benefits package including three options for medical insurance as well as dental, vision, life insurance and 401K. We also proudly offer a slate of more nontraditional perks - opportunities like online learning and development courses, tuition reimbursement, $100 monthly student loan support and various mentorship programs - that encourage our associates to grow personally as they develop professionally. You'll also enjoy a yearly $1,000 lifestyle reimbursement, 4 weeks of vacations, 12 holidays and generous parental leave, because work-life balance is more than just a buzzword - it's part of our culture.

Temporary associates are provided three options for medical insurance as well as dental and vision insurance and an associate discount.

Part time associates are provided 401k, short term disability, a yearly $300 lifestyle reimbursement and an associate discount.

Flexible Work Schedule

For decades we have fostered a unique culture founded on our values with a particular focus on in-person teamwork and collaboration. Our North American hybrid model encourages rich in-person experiences, showcasing our commitment to teamwork and connection, while maintaining flexibility for associates. New Balance Associates currently work in office three days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday). Our offices are fully open, and amenities are available across our North American office locations. To continue our focus on hybrid work we have introduced "Work from Anywhere" (WFA) for four weeks per calendar year. This model will help us enhance our culture while continuing to maintain elements of flexibility.

Equal Opportunity Employer

New Balance provides equal opportunities for all current and prospective associates and takes affirmative action to ensure that employment, training, compensation, transfer, promotion and other terms, conditions and privileges of employment are provided without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, handicap, genetic information and/or status as an Armed Forces service medal veteran, recently separated veteran, qualified disabled veteran or other protected veteran.