Manager, Product Experiences (12 Month Contract)

Holt Renfrew; Toronto; On-site; CAD 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Employee discount

Pension matching

Job summary

Holt Renfrew is seeking a Manager, Product Experience to lead pop-ups and visual experiences from concept to post-program evaluation. You will partner with Merchandising, Marketing, Visual Merchandising, Store Operations, Creative, Events, CRM, and external brand partners to drive compelling customer experiences and commercial outcomes.

The role requires 5+ years in experiential marketing and 2-3 years of people leadership, with strong project management and communication skills.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in Marketing, Visual Merchandising, Event Management, Business, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in experiential marketing, retail activations, project management, events, or related fields, leading complex cross-functional programs from strategy through execution and evaluation.
• 2-3 years of people leadership experience, with demonstrated success coaching, developing, and motivating high-performing teams.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven ability to build relationships, influence stakeholders, and drive alignment across cross-functional teams.
• Strong business acumen with experience managing budgets, evaluating performance metrics, and translating insights into action.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present recommendations and influence decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity, exercise sound judgment, and solve complex business challenges.
• Experience managing vendor and agency relationships, including scope, timelines, budgets, and negotiations.
• Passion for creating exceptional customer experiences and staying current with industry trends and best practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning and execution of pop-ups and enhanced visual experiences from concept development through implementation and post-program evaluation.
• Oversee project timelines, deliverables, budgets, approvals, and resource requirements to ensure seamless execution and alignment with business objectives.
• Manage vendor relationships and provide direction to partners from concept through execution, ensuring all programs are delivered in accordance with Holt Renfrew's build guidelines, brand standards, operational requirements, and program objectives.
• Ensure all programs are executed on time, within budget, and in accordance with brand standards, operational requirements, and customer experience expectations.
• Identify and proactively mitigate project risks, dependencies, and executional challenges to support successful program delivery.
• Serve as the primary Product Experience lead for assigned programs, fostering strong partnerships across Merchandising, Marketing, Visual Merchandising, Store Operations, Creative, Events, CRM, and external partners.
• Lead cross-functional stakeholder and vendor planning meetings, ensuring alignment, accountability, and effective communication throughout the program lifecycle.
• Provide recommendations on program requirements, floor plans, renderings, timelines, and execution strategies to ensure feasibility, consistency, and alignment with business needs.
• Monitor sales results, commercial targets, customer engagement metrics, operational feedback, and other key performance indicators to evaluate program effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Lead program recaps and post-mortem reviews, translating findings into actionable recommendations for future activations.
• Communicate results, insights, and recommendations to stakeholders to support informed decision‑making and ongoing optimization.
• Establish and maintain strong program governance, ensuring clear processes, documentation standards, stakeholder alignment, and executional readiness across all Product Experience initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflows, communication, planning practices, and operational efficiencies across the Product Experience function.
• Support the development and refinement of scalable tools, frameworks, and best practices that enhance program delivery and team effectiveness.
• Support the prioritization and allocation of Product Experience resources across multiple concurrent programs to maximize business impact and executional success.
• Ensure program documentation, reporting, and financial tracking are maintained accurately to support effective decision-making, governance, and knowledge sharing.
• Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and development support to Product Experience team members.
• Establish clear priorities, expectations, and accountabilities while empowering team members to independently manage their areas of responsibility.
• Provide ongoing feedback and mentorship to strengthen project management, communication, problem-solving, and leadership capabilities.
• Perform other duties, as assigned.

Skills

Experiential marketing

Project management

Cross-functional leadership

Vendor management

Budget management

People leadership

Education

Post-secondary degree or diploma in Marketing/Visual Merchandising/Event Management/Business

Job description

Holt Renfrew is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Our future success depends on the perspectives and contributions of all our employees -- their diverse backgrounds, abilities and experiences make our business stronger. If you are contacted for a job opportunity and require accommodation, please email [e-mail] and let us know so we can ensure you have an accessible candidate experience throughout the recruitment process. All requests are confidential and used only to meet candidate needs.

Hiring Range / Échelle salariale à l’embauche :

Holt Renfrew offers you an inspiring, fashion-driven environment with opportunities to learn and grow. From our incredible partnerships with iconic luxury brands, to our commitments to corporate social responsibility, you will be inspired every day.

The Manager, Product Experience plays a key role in bringing pop-ups and enhanced visual experiences to life, ensuring seamless execution from concept to implementation and post-program evaluation. Reporting to the Senior Manager, Product Experiences, this role leads the day-to-day delivery of Product Experience programs, driving cross-functional collaboration, operational excellence, commercial performance, and continuous improvement. The Manager partners closely with Merchandising, Marketing, Visual Merchandising, Store Operations, Creative, Events, CRM, and external brand partners to deliver impactful customer experiences that support both brand and business objectives. This role also provides leadership, coaching, and development to members of the Product Experience team.

Specific responsibilities include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Lead the planning and execution of pop-ups and enhanced visual experiences from concept development through implementation and post-program evaluation.
• Oversee project timelines, deliverables, budgets, approvals, and resource requirements to ensure seamless execution and alignment with business objectives.
• Manage vendor relationships and provide direction to partners from concept through execution, ensuring all programs are delivered in accordance with Holt Renfrew's build guidelines, brand standards, operational requirements, and program objectives.
• Ensure all programs are executed on time, within budget, and in accordance with brand standards, operational requirements, and customer experience expectations.
• Identify and proactively mitigate project risks, dependencies, and executional challenges to support successful program delivery.
• Serve as the primary Product Experience lead for assigned programs, fostering strong partnerships across Merchandising, Marketing, Visual Merchandising, Store Operations, Creative, Events, CRM, and external partners.
• Lead cross-functional stakeholder and vendor planning meetings, ensuring alignment, accountability, and effective communication throughout the program lifecycle.
• Provide recommendations on program requirements, floor plans, renderings, timelines, and execution strategies to ensure feasibility, consistency, and alignment with business needs.
• Monitor sales results, commercial targets, customer engagement metrics, operational feedback, and other key performance indicators to evaluate program effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Lead program recaps and post-mortem reviews, translating findings into actionable recommendations for future activations.
• Communicate results, insights, and recommendations to stakeholders to support informed decision‑making and ongoing optimization.
• Establish and maintain strong program governance, ensuring clear processes, documentation standards, stakeholder alignment, and executional readiness across all Product Experience initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflows, communication, planning practices, and operational efficiencies across the Product Experience function.
• Support the development and refinement of scalable tools, frameworks, and best practices that enhance program delivery and team effectiveness.
• Support the prioritization and allocation of Product Experience resources across multiple concurrent programs to maximize business impact and executional success.
• Ensure program documentation, reporting, and financial tracking are maintained accurately to support effective decision-making, governance, and knowledge sharing.
• Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and development support to Product Experience team members.
• Establish clear priorities, expectations, and accountabilities while empowering team members to independently manage their areas of responsibility.
• Provide ongoing feedback and mentorship to strengthen project management, communication, problem‑solving, and leadership capabilities.
• Perform other duties, as assigned.

The ideal candidate:

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in Marketing, Visual Merchandising, Event Management, Business, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in experiential marketing, retail activations, project management, events, or related fields, leading complex cross‑functional programs from strategy through execution and evaluation.
• 2-3 years of people leadership experience, with demonstrated success coaching, developing, and motivating high‑performing teams.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
• Proven ability to build relationships, influence stakeholders, and drive alignment across cross‑functional teams.
• Strong business acumen with experience managing budgets, evaluating performance metrics, and translating insights into action.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present recommendations and influence decision‑making.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity, exercise sound judgment, and solve complex business challenges.
• Experience managing vendor and agency relationships, including scope, timelines, budgets, and negotiations.
• Passion for creating exceptional customer experiences and staying current with industry trends and best practices.

#SSCSJ

Holt Renfrew is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Our future success depends on the perspectives and contributions of all our employees -- their diverse backgrounds, abilities and experiences make our business stronger. If you are contacted for a job opportunity and require accommodation, please email [e-mail] and let us know so we can ensure you have an accessible candidate experience throughout the recruitment process. All requests are confidential and used only to meet candidate needs.

Hiring Range / Échelle salariale à l’embauche :

$75,000.00 - $85,000.00 / 75.000,00$ - 85.000,00$ (per year / par an)

Final compensation for this position will be determined based on the candidate's unique skills, expertise, individual qualifications, and assessed contributions to the role following the completion of the interview process. The range stated is the starting range for this position. Offers may vary with experience, qualifications, performance, and local market conditions. We strive to offer competitive compensation that aligns with a candidate's contributions to our team, along with a comprehensive benefits package, enticing perks, pension matching, incentives, and our coveted employee discount. / La rémunération finale pour ce poste sera déterminée sur la base des compétences uniques du candidat, de son expertise, de ses qualifications individuelles et de l’évaluation de sa contribution au poste à l'issue de la procédure d'entrevue. La fourchette indiquée est la fourchette de départ pour ce poste. Les offres peuvent varier en fonction de l’expérience, des qualifications, du rendement et des conditions du marché local. Nous nous efforçons d'offrir une rémunération compétitive qui corresponde à la contribution du candidat à notre équipe, ainsi qu'un ensemble complet de garanties, d'avantages attrayants, de cotisations de retraite assorties par l'employeur, de primes d'encouragement et notre très convoitée remise d'employé.