Job Description

Austin, TX - This role is based in Austin, TX and will work out of the Store Support Office 5 days a week.

Job Description:

Reporting to the Vice President of Assortment, Space, and Forecasting Capabilities, the Executive Leader (Sr. Director) of Merchandising Presentation and Floor Planning is charged with defining, delivering, and driving adoption of space planning tools and processes to enable merchandising excellence and operational efficiencies. This work is cross-functional in nature, with key partnerships including merchant teams, product, technology, store development, supply chain, and operations. The role requires a total store approach that facilitates macro space, micro space, floor planning, and planogramming solutions in service to all categories within WFM's assortment.

This role will partner with store development and analytics teams to optimize macro space. Additionally, it will partner with product, tech, and store operations teams to enable store ordering and stocking efficiencies through planogram optimization.

Responsibilities:

• Lead merchandising enablement workstreams for merchandising presentation and space capability build as assigned.
• Champion Transformational Change Management: Lead initiatives to evolve legacy standards in merchandising, operations, and store environments, driving innovative solutions that deliver measurable sales growth and customer satisfaction.
• Leverage Customer Insights for strategic space planning optimization to create the best customer experience.
• Manage implementation and optimization of third-party software solutions for space.
• Author strategy, performance, and planning documents for merchandising presentation initiatives as assigned.
• Support the development of training and onboarding materials for merchandising presentation roles in partnership with relevant business partners.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational excellence and deliver expected operating and financial results.
• Deliver actionable recommendations relating to business strategy, financial performance, and effective utilization of resources.
• Ensure alignment between projects and work streams related to merchandising presentation dependencies in product, technology, store operations and store development.
• Earn trust, establish credibility, and build partnerships with leaders across the organization.

Qualifications:

• BA/BS degree and 8-10 years' relevant experience OR equivalent education and relevant experience.
• 4-6 years leadership experience.
• Industry expert in merchandising presentation and floor planning capabilities and operations.
• Proven history of inspiring and leading teams, motivating them to achieve exceptional results.
• A track record of success in recruiting top talent and cultivating a high-performing team.
• Skilled in identifying and attracting exceptional candidates and fostering an environment that nurtures individual growth and team collaboration.
• Successful track record of creative problem-solving in previous roles, demonstrating the ability to think innovatively and find effective solutions to complex challenges.
• Ability to leverage resources effectively to overcome obstacles and achieve successful hiring outcomes.
• Proven ability to align diverse stakeholders and execute on deadline-driven initiatives.
• Proven experience in actively listening to and understanding diverse perspectives, effectively disagreeing, and devising solutions that benefit the business, and all stakeholders involved.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams; familiarity with WFM or Amazon teams is a plus but not required.
• Executive Presence: Poised, credible, and confident demeanor that commands respect and aligns with Whole Foods Market's vision and values.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including executive presence. Demonstrated ability to craft concise narratives with clear purpose and informative data, ensuring clarity and impact in messaging.
• Proven experience synthesizing and dispersing information into effective strategies and innovative insights, translating complex ideas into simple, actionable recommendations.
• Proven ability to work under pressure, prioritize work, and deliver against timebound workstreams.
• Customer focused, operationally savvy, excellent communicator with strong business acumen, and the ability to influence without authority.
• Key success skills: Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Shared Fate with Self-Responsibility, Driving Execution, Inspiring Excellence, Be a Servant Leader, Establishing Strategic Direction.
• A passion for the Whole Foods Market mission, higher purpose, values, and leadership principles.
• Ability to travel up to 25%
• This role is based in Austin, TX and will work out of the Store Support Office 5 days a week.

The Company is an equal opportunity employer encouraging diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy), age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by law. If you require assistance or a reasonable accommodation in completing the application materials or any aspect of the application process, please contact the local Human Resources office at the worksite where you are applying for a position.

Whole Foods Market works with job sites like Indeed, LinkedIn, and ZipRecruiter to promote opportunities at our company. Please be aware that other career sites may not be accurate or up to date and may even be fraudulent. We encourage and recommend all candidates to apply via our site.