Associate Creative Director, Retail Environments

Level Studios; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 105,000 - 166,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company as an Associate Creative Director, where you'll lead innovative retail merchandising strategies for a key consumer electronics client. This hybrid role allows you to blend creativity with strategic planning, ensuring optimal product placement and customer engagement in retail environments. You'll collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop and implement effective merchandising solutions that align with brand objectives. If you're passionate about enhancing the retail experience and have a keen eye for design, this is the perfect opportunity to make a significant impact in a dynamic setting.

Benefits

Paid Family Care

Tuition Assistance

Flexible Time Off

Work Your World Program

Employee Assistance Programs

Matching Gifts Programs

Health/Wellness Reimbursements

Paid Time Off

Volunteer Days

Business Resource Groups

Qualifications

• 7+ years in retail merchandising and shopper marketing required.
• Extensive experience in retail store planning and design needed.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple retail design projects focusing on planograms.
• Collaborate with teams to optimize store layouts and product displays.

Skills

Retail Merchandising

Creative Strategy

Project Management

Communication Skills

Attention to Detail

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Vectorworks

AutoCAD

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe InDesign

Job description

Company description

For 25 years, Level has developed marketing solutions for some of the world’s most innovative brands. We believe the best solutions come from collaborative working partnerships with our clients. Whether an established brand, or a start-up, we believe in the power of creative strategy, design, and technology to solve business challenges.

Overview

As an ACD aligned to a key consumer electronics client, you will be supporting the design and development of planograms and broader retail merchandising strategy for the physical space (store layout, product placement and visibility, consumer traffic patterns, etc.) as well as the implementation and installation of digital and traditional signage. Working in close partnership with dedicated cross-functional creative, production, and QA teams and our internal retail studio as well as client teams and executive stakeholders, you will develop and coordinate end-to-end merchandising strategies and related assets that are aligned with brand objectives while ensuring flawless implementation across multiple product categories and retail environments. A background in shopper marketing with specific expertise in the application of retail merchandising strategies and the design and optimization of physical spaces is critical to success in this role. The ideal candidate will have experience in specialized programs like Vectorworks and be comfortable reviewing, manipulating, interpreting, and explaining store planning documents both in digital and hard copy format.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a hybrid role based out of our San Francisco office and will require onsite engagement an average of 3 days/week. Candidates local to that market (including San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and similar surrounding locations) will be prioritized but highly qualified candidates in other markets may also be considered.

Responsibilities

• Independently and collaboratively lead multiple concurrent retail design projects focused on designing, developing, iterating, and distributing retail store and store-in-store planograms at large-scale volumes with a strong focus on product-driven updates.
• Work with creative and strategy teams to develop detailed schematics that determine where and how products should be displayed on tables, shelves, and fixtures as well as how stores should be laid out to optimize traffic flow, maximize sales opportunities, and improve the overall customer experience.
• Leverage an existing library of elements (desks, displays, etc.) to create, update, and modernize planograms, creating new elements as needed.
• Evaluate planograms and merchandising plans to confirm that they meet exacting specifications such as consistency, visual indicators, spacing/sizing, product placement, and volume accuracy.
• Partner with dedicated cross-functional creative, production, and QA teams and the agency’s internal retail studio as well as client teams and executive stakeholders to ensure alignment with brand standards and guidelines, consistency with merchandising strategy, and the flawless implementation of space planning strategies across multiple product categories and retail environments.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and key point of contact on environmental design and retail store space planning to ensure the successful integration of retailer programs, products, and merchandising strategies into planograms and other related deliverables.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; or equivalent combination of experience and education.
• 7+ years of prior experience supporting and leading creative initiatives with an emphasis on retail merchandising and in-store/shopper marketing, preferably within a large, complex advertising agency, in-house agency, or consultancy. Prior experience working in or alongside the consumer electronics industry is preferred.
• Extensive experience in retail store planning, design, and strategy including the design and development of large volumes of planograms, store traffic patterns, location of in-store signage, furniture and physical asset placement, and similar strategies.
• An understanding of how the retail customer experience affects space planning decisions as well as business drivers and considerations for merchandising teams, store planning teams, and retail partners worldwide to help optimize product placement, maximize sales, and enhance the overall shopping experience.
• Experience utilizing specialized tools such as Vectorworks, AutoCAD, Adobe Illustrator/InDesign, and other software used in the development of planograms, merchandise guides, retail floor/space diagrams, table/fixture layouts, and product icons.
• Experience managing client relationships to include creative ideation and iteration as well as presentation, explanation, and defense of work.
• Highly collaborative work style with an ability to develop relationships, build rapport, and drive success within cross-functional creative delivery teams across multiple geographies.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with an ability to tactfully navigate sensitive conversations, influence key stakeholders, and drive team consensus.
• An ability to manage and prioritize multiple concurrent projects while working quickly, efficiently, and accurately within tight deadlines.
• Incredible attention to detail.
• A portfolio and/or work samples may be requested as a part of the hiring process.

Additional information

The Power of One starts with our people! To do powerful things, we offer powerful resources. Our best-in-class wellness and benefits offerings include:

• Paid Family Care for parents and caregivers for 12 weeks or more
• Monetary assistance and support for Adoption, Surrogacy and Fertility
• Monetary assistance and support for pet adoption
• Employee Assistance Programs and Health/Wellness/Comfort reimbursements to help you invest in your future and work/life balance
• Tuition Assistance
• Paid time off that includes Flexible Time off Vacation, Annual Sick Days, Volunteer Days, Holiday and Identity days, and more
• Matching Gifts programs
• Flexible working arrangements
• ‘Work Your World’ Program encouraging employees to work from anywhere Publicis Groupe has an office for up to 6 weeks a year (based upon eligibility)
• Business Resource Groups that support multiple affinities and alliances

The benefits offerings listed are available to eligible U.S. Based employees, are reviewed on an annual basis, and are governed by the terms of the applicable plan documents.

Level Studios is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our employment decisions are made without regard to actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, medical condition as defined by applicable state law, genetic information, marital status, military service and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances.

If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact [e-mail]. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Compensation Range: $105,165 - $165,485 annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be March 28, 2025.