VP, Visual Merchandising

Verano•Chicago, IL

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Vice President of Retail Brand Experience will lead the design and execution of customer experience strategies across markets and stores. The Vice President of Retail Brand Experience will be responsible fostering a customer-first culture while everyone feels a connection to the brand, the shop, and its employees. This role will drive increased customer engagement, sales, loyalty enrollment, and impact vertical mix.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Hospitality, Retail Management, or related field (equivalent experience may be preferred).
Minimum 10 years of progressive leadership experience in retail, hospitality, or consumer-facing environment.
At least 5 years in multi-unit, regional, or enterprise-level leadership roles with accountability for customer experience, revenue, and team performance.
Demonstrated success leading customer experience, brand execution, or loyalty initiatives at scale.
Prior experience in regulated industries (e.g., cannabis, alcohol, healthcare, or highly regulated retail) strongly preferred.
Effective consultative and influencing approach, with proven ability to work effectively with all organizational levels.
Strong operational and financial acumen with the ability to interpret performance metrics and financial reports.

Nice To Haves

Proven ability to lead, influence, and inspire teams across markets.
Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder-management skills.
Customer-centric mindset with a passion for service excellence.
Proficiency with retail systems, reporting tools, and standard business technology.
Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion.
Demonstrated adaptability in fast-paced, evolving environments.

Responsibilities

Ensure exceptional customer experience across regardless of point of origin of transaction (store, e-commerce, app, and drive-thru) while accommodating local nuances. Partner with marketing, operations, and technology teams to create seamless brand defining experiences.
Incorporate customer feedback, operations and process improvement recommendations, design improvements, and customer service techniques into daily store operations.
Develop annual loyalty program targets by market, report on progress to achieving those goals on a quarterly basis and develop strategies to increase loyalty program enrollment when necessary.
Drive ROI through loyalty program, customer retention strategies and customer engagement campaigns.
Develop and implement strategies to enhance customer experiences, improve service, and increase profitability.
Work with regional leadership to identify and develop brand experience evangelists by market.
Work cross-functionally with the Product, Retail Operations, Retail Marketing, Brand Marketing, Retail Training, Merchandising, Wholesale and Procurement Teams to ensure excellence in the execution of all Verano product launches.
Develop specific retail training and education plans.
Develop market specific sales targets by week for 1st month of launch.
Identify engagement and rewards programs to support sales targets.
Partner with Market Directors on comprehensive go-live action plan.
Tour stores the week of launch.
Competitively shop other dispensaries and retailers and evaluate their service experience.
Conduct market visits to renew, assess and monitor issues, progress and opportunities.
Collaborate with Product, Marketing, and Procurement teams to ensure alignment of asset investments with storytelling focus.