VP - Store Planning

Grocery Outlet Career•Emeryville, CA

About The Position

Grocery Outlet is seeking a VP, Store Planning to lead strategic store design planning, store layout development, visual merchandising planning, and space-to-sales analysis for Grocery Outlet stores. This role will support new stores, remodels, reflows, field operations remerchandising projects, and enterprise special projects that improve store execution and customer experience. The Sr. Director, Store Planning will partner closely with Construction, Facilities Management, Merchandising, Strategy, Field Operations, Operations Support, FP&A, Customer Insights, and executive leadership to develop effective store planning solutions and bring category strategies to life in store. The ideal candidate is a strategic and highly collaborative leader who can translate business priorities into practical store plans, manage complex cross-functional projects, and lead a high-performing team with a cost-focused mindset. The VP, Store Planning will report to the EVP, Chief Store Operations Officer.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in store planning, store design, retail merchandising, visual merchandising, store operations, strategy, or related support functions within a retail, grocery, and/or franchise environment.
Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred.
Strong understanding of store layout, fixture planning, category adjacency, merchandising execution, customer flow, and the development of store layouts, prototype designs, remodel plans, reflows, plan-o-grams, and visual merchandising guides.
Ability to translate merchandising and category strategies into practical, executable store plans and field merchandising solutions.
Strong project management, planning, analytical, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex initiatives and priorities.
Strong business acumen and a cost-focused mindset, with the ability to balance customer experience, operational needs, and financial impact.
Experience partnering cross-functionally with Construction, Facilities Management, Merchandising, Field Operations, Finance, Strategy, and other business partners to drive results.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, listening, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence, mentor, and build alignment across all levels of the organization.
Proven experience leading and coaching teams, including performance management, resource prioritization, and leadership of remote or field-based employees.
Innovative and solutions-oriented, with the ability to rethink processes and approaches to improve execution and business results.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with a high degree of change, ambiguity, and competing priorities.
Experience managing a team budget and ability to travel as needed.

Responsibilities

Lead space planning for new stores, remodels, store reflows, field operations remerchandising projects, and other store planning initiatives that support enterprise priorities and improve store execution.
Lead and oversee the Field Retail Merchandising team, establishing priorities, resource plans, and execution standards to support new store openings, remodels, store reflows, remerchandising efforts, and other enterprise and field initiatives. Ensure the team effectively partners with Field Operations, Merchandising, Construction, and other cross-functional partners to deliver projects on time and with strong store-level execution.
Develop and continuously refine store prototype design, including store layouts, adjacencies, customer flow, fixture planning, refrigeration planning, and other design elements that support an effective and scalable store experience.
Partner with Facilities Management and Construction to test, evaluate, and select new store fixtures, refrigeration, equipment, and store flow solutions that balance customer experience, operational practicality, and cost discipline.
Partner with Operations Support and Merchandising to bring category strategies to life in store through visual merchandising planning, holiday and incremental space planning, plan-o-gram support, and practical execution guidance.
Lead the planning and field merchandising execution of retail initiatives, new store priorities, remodels, reflows, and special projects. Determine the appropriate level of Field Retail Merchandising support, coordinate resources across projects, and ensure initiatives are successfully implemented in stores.
Lead both store planning and field retail merchandising capabilities, continuously enhancing team performance through coaching, accountability, workforce and resource planning, clear prioritization, and strong execution against enterprise and field priorities.
Coordinate closely with FP&A, merchants, and the Customer Insights team to develop effective space-to-sales analysis for plan-o-grams, incremental merchandising guides, and store planning decisions.
Partner closely with Construction, Facilities Management, Field Operations, Operations Support, Merchandising, FP&A, Strategy, and executive leadership to align store planning work with business priorities and field needs.
Build trusted relationships across the office and field, serving as a highly cross-functional partner who can connect teams, resolve tradeoffs, and move complex store planning work forward.
Lead projects with a high degree of flexibility, using test-and-learn approaches, project tracking, and pre/post improvement measures to support business transformation and improve the customer experience in store.