VM Planner- Hybrid Seattle, WA

Nordstrom•Seattle, WA

2d•$93,500 - $155,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Visual Merchandising (VM) Planner is a strategic individual contributor and divisional subject matter expert responsible for developing and advancing customer-centric merchandising strategies that drive sales performance, strengthen brand presentation, and enhance the customer experience. This role establishes visual merchandising standards, department priorities, and execution strategies that ensure consistency, scalability, and excellence across the Nordstrom full-line fleet. The VM Planner translates business objectives, customer insights, and market trends into impactful merchandising solutions that support divisional growth while reinforcing brand integrity. Through the development of innovative tools, standards, and visual frameworks, this role drives alignment between merchandising strategy and store execution, enabling compelling and consistent customer experiences across all locations. Success in this role requires strong cross-functional influence and partnership with Merchandising, Planning, Marketing, Store Design, Regional Leadership, and Store Teams. The VM Planner serves as a trusted advisor, shaping divisional visual strategies and ensuring alignment between business priorities, product storytelling, and in-store execution. Additionally, the VM Planner leads capability-building initiatives through training, coaching, and field engagement, equipping store teams with the knowledge and resources required to execute visual strategies at a high level. Through strategic leadership, operational excellence, and deep merchandising expertise, this role drives continuous improvement, elevates visual standards, and contributes to achieving divisional and company performance objectives.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in Visual Merchandising management or equivalent required
Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent experience
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suites, Adobe Suites, and AutoCAD (SketchUp is a plus).
Experience building planograms.
Proven knowledge and experience in fashion trends, visual merchandising styling techniques and how they relate to specific customers
Experience delivering concepts from ideation to execution.
Experience in public speaking and delivering information, direction, and strategy to an audience.
Ability to communicate clearly both verbally and in written form
Ability to travel up to 30% of the time, work weekends, early AM shifts, and PM shifts as needed.

Nice To Haves

SketchUp is a plus

Responsibilities

Maintain current team reoccurring work cadence (department standard updates, seasonal product priorities, monthly refresh, planogram decks, training tools).
Develop and refine merchandising strategies aligned with divisional objectives and customer trends.
Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders, including leadership, merchants, store design teams, buyers, and planning directors.
Analyze data to inform strategic merchandising decisions and drive business outcomes.
Research industry trends, competitive landscapes, and customer preferences to enhance merchandising effectiveness.
Ensure brand consistency while integrating innovation into visual merchandising strategies.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams on signing, hangers, sensors, and store communications.
Manage numerous projects concurrently to ensure each aligns with the Nordstrom brand ethos, meets dead-lines, and business priorities.
Align merchandising strategies with marketing editorial calendars to reinforce brand messaging.
Drive fashion messaging across departments, providing styling guidance for visual merchandising teams.
Lead virtual and in person visual merchandising training sessions, sharing knowledge and best practices with store teams.