Sr. Director, Visual Merchandising

kate spade new york•New York, NY

17h•$150,000 - $200,000

About The Position

The Senior Director, Visual Merchandising will develop and implement compelling visual strategies and guidelines that drive brand awareness, support sales objectives, and maximize profitability. This role partners closely with cross‑functional teams to identify key messages, define clear goals, and continuously elevate the consumer experience across all touchpoints.

Requirements

Courage: Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.
Creativity: Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
Dealing with Ambiguity: Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
Interpersonal Savvy: Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
Learning on the Fly: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.
Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
Developing Direct Reports and Others: Provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments; holds frequent development discussions; is aware of each person's career goals; constructs compelling development plans and executes them; pushes people to accept developmental moves; will take on those who need help and further development; cooperates with the developmental system in the organization; is a people builder.
Building Effective Teams: Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in their team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.

Responsibilities

Define and lead the global visual merchandising strategy, ensuring alignment with brand positioning, commercial priorities, and long‑term growth objectives.
Manage the creation of monthly Window and In‑Store Global VM Guidelines, ensuring clarity, consistency, and ease of execution across all markets.
Partner with Global Merchandising, Marketing and Design to develop dynamic, innovative VM direction that elevates brand storytelling and drives commercial impact.
Collaborate with Buyers to ensure VM direction is relevant, locally resonant, and executable across diverse markets.
Oversee sample management, ensuring timely availability and accuracy for guideline creation, showroom builds, and seasonal presentations.
Manage all VM guideline content, ensuring high‑quality visual communication that supports flawless execution in stores.
Oversee VM Communications to develop effective training tools, communication materials, and execution standards for global and regional teams.
Lead the training and development of field visual leads, strengthening VM capabilities and ensuring consistent application of brand standards.
Manage visual merchandising for seasonal showroom installations, corporate functions, and special events, ensuring cohesive brand expression across all environments.
Partner cross‑functionally with Merchandising, Marketing, VM Production, and Store Design to support global initiatives related to fixtures, props, graphics, and product presentation.
Conduct seasonal trend hunting and inspiration research to inform VM direction and maintain a forward‑looking creative point of view.
Travel to support the launch of key seasonal initiatives in flagship locations and ensure execution excellence.
Analyze store performance, customer behavior, and product productivity to inform VM decisions and optimize commercial results.
Ensure operational excellence through calendar management, budget oversight, and coordination with production partners and vendors.
Partner with e‑commerce teams to ensure cohesive visual expression across physical and digital environments.
Lead, coach, and develop the VM team, fostering a culture of creativity, accountability, and continuous improvement.