Vans: Manager, Retail Marketing (Americas)

Vans•Costa Mesa, CA

About The Position

The Retail Marketing Manager, Americas plays a pivotal role in driving incremental traffic, engagement, and conversion in brick-and-mortar retail, with primary accountability for the U.S. market and scalable activation across Canada and Mexico. This role leads the development and execution of integrated retail marketing strategies that translate global brand stories into compelling, localized, and culturally relevant store experiences. In close partnership with Regional and Global Marketing, Retail Operations, Merchandising, Digital, and Community teams, this role ensures Vans retail stores are destinations - not just points of sale - where consumers are inspired, immersed, and motivated to return. The role reports directly to the Head of Marketing, Americas, with a dotted-line relationship to the Director of Global Retail Marketing to ensure strong global alignment and scale.

Requirements

Progressive marketing experience, with significant focus on retail marketing, brand marketing, or consumer experience, preferably within apparel, footwear, or youth-culture driven brands.
Proven ability to drive measurable brick-and-mortar retail traffic through integrated marketing strategies, store activations, and localized experiences.
Deep understanding of the U.S. retail landscape, including diverse consumer segments and store formats, with experience developing programs that can scale across Canada and Mexico.
Strong experience translating global brand strategies into regionally relevant retail execution, balancing consistency, speed, and local nuance.
Highly skilled in cross-functional leadership and influence, with the ability to partner effectively across Global and Regional Marketing, Retail Operations, Merchandising, Digital, Creative, and Field teams.
Comfortable operating in a matrixed organization, with experience navigating dotted-line relationships and aligning regional priorities with global direction.
Strategic and analytical thinker with the ability to use traffic data, performance metrics, consumer insights, and cultural trends to shape decisions and demonstrate impact.
Strong project and program management capabilities, able to manage multiple initiatives and timelines in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Creative and consumer-obsessed mindset, with a passion for building immersive, culturally relevant retail experiences that drive engagement and repeat visitation.
Natural collaborator and communicator, able to clearly articulate strategy, inspire partners, and bring teams along the journey.
Deep passion for Vans, street culture, action sports, and the evolving role of physical retail as a brand-building and community platform.
5-7+ years of experience and professional achievements.

Nice To Haves

Formal education in a related field is great to have.

Responsibilities

Own and deliver a holistic Retail Marketing strategy for the U.S., with clear objectives tied to store traffic lift, engagement, and conversion, and frameworks that can be scaled across Canada and Mexico.
Actively participate in the regional Go-To-Market process, ensuring Global Marketing stories and product moments come to life in retail through seasonal launches, activations, promotions, and elevated in-store experiences.
Define and evolve a segmentation strategy across the Americas retail fleet, tailoring activations and experiences based on store type, market, consumer profile, and community relevance.
Link retail activations to digital ecosystems (including Vans Family), ensuring physical retail experiences are amplified through content, community engagement, and loyalty-driven touch points.
Stay deeply connected to macro and micro trends in retail, youth culture, action sports, and street culture, translating insights into innovative retail experiences that feel authentic and timely.
Concept and deliver memorable, immersive retail experiences that engage consumers emotionally and sensorially, reinforcing Vans’ brand ethos and encouraging repeat visitation.
Build strong partnerships across regional and global brand pillars, Retail Operations, and Field teams to unlock hyper-local activations, community moments, and market-specific opportunities.
Lead and support strategic initiatives tied to the future of Vans retail, including new store concepts, pilot programs, and next-generation retail experiences, ensuring learnings inform both regional and global best practices.