Director, Visual Merchandising

Saks Fifth Avenue•New York City, NY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

With oversight from the AVP of Visual Merchandising & Store Environment, the Visual Director is responsible for ensuring the implementation and execution of all visual merchandising creative direction and maintaining unparalleled environmental standards of excellence at the New York Flagship. The Visual Director is accountable for delivering the ultimate luxury customer experience, through dynamic team management, talent development, along with timeline oversight for all New York related initiatives, launches, and brand partnerships. The Visual Director is also responsible for driving measurable impact and growth within the Visual Merchandising pyramid at the New York Flagship. Who You Are: A deeply creative and driven leader, who demonstrates both artistic prowess and organizational vision. An individual who brings others together when needed, with an understanding of how to build morale and spirit in their team, and share wins and successes while fostering channels for open dialogue. Empowerment of others and the ability to create a sense of community and belonging is key in this role. Decisiveness and ability to effectively delegate are key skillsets to leverage in this role. Setting and communicating a clear vision, while driving for positive outcomes through objective reasoning will position you for success. You will be accountable for monitoring progress and results throughout the building, and delivering continuous feedback that leads to measurable output. In this role, an understanding of and possession of business acumen is paramount. Bridge building between all store teams and stakeholders is a vital indicator of success. Capable of a variety of approaches to solve challenging scenarios, including the ability to propose new and novel ideas. You are constantly looking for opportunities to improve and innovate how work is accomplished.

Requirements

5-10 years of management experience and a proven track record in leading a group of independent thinkers with successful end results
Demonstrated experience in strategic and creative visual merchandising
Proven leadership in directing others; ideally in multi-unit environment
Possession of advanced visual merchandising knowledge and an understanding how visual merchandising supports the customer experience.
Ability to independently learn applications and software to enhance work efficiencies (Google and Adobe suites, with adeptness in rendering development)
Willingness to support other stores as needed
Bachelor's degree required

Responsibilities

Ensure that the New York Flagship is in compliance with corporate standards and that creative direction is executed at an aspirational level, specific to the Flagship store.
Driving daily excellence across all VM teams, and maintaining the Saks Fifth Avenue brand image and messaging.
Demonstrate global leadership ability in directing visual managers in timely execution of fashion, trends, launches, corporate projects and store merchandising and visual standards, along with driving accountability in meeting budget targets and financial plans on a monthly basis.
Lead weekly workload planning meetings with the NY VM team, developing concrete action plans and communication touch points for both short and long term objectives.
Develop talent on exempt and hourly levels through effective and empathetic coaching, with an emphasis on providing timely feedback both positive and analytical in nature.
Create a succession plan for visual managers and staff by identifying talent, assessing abilities and providing managers and staff with comprehensive growth plans.
Work in partnership with merchandise division leaders, providing merchant team members and brand partners with timely support to drive alignment and results.
Partner with key stakeholders within the Saks Global organization to manage New York Flagship calendar complexities, maintaining order and organization to avoid overscheduling or brand partner conflicts.
Present with authority and presence on both the small and large scale, with internal and external audiences.
Review all merchandising strategies by floor, partnering in a vertical capacity with all internal teams to affect change and accomplish objectives.
Remain flexible at all times, pivoting between multiple priorities and projects while staying deadline oriented.