Marketing Manager, Stores

Design Within Reach; Stamford (CT); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Design Within Reach is seeking a Marketing Manager, Stores to lead marketing strategy for our retail stores, including openings and local campaigns. The role blends in-store presence with field partnership development, driving traffic, clienteling, awareness, and brand loyalty.

The position requires strong relationship-building, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to travel ~50% across North America while delivering hospitality‑driven customer experiences that reflect the DWR brand.

Qualifications

• 6–8 years of marketing or retail marketing experience
• Experience leading field or local marketing strategies
• Strong relationship-builder who thrives on travel and embedded teams
• Entrepreneurial, able to navigate ambiguity and build playbooks
• Strong project management and communication skills
• Ability to think strategically while delivering tactically
• Willingness to travel ~50% across North America
• Genuine passion for modern design and the DWR brand

Responsibilities

• Lead the marketing strategy for DWR’s expanding store footprint and openings
• Develop local marketing plans reflecting market opportunities and partners
• Build scalable playbooks for consistent, local-relevant execution across stores
• Own end-to-end store marketing programs from planning to rollout
• Spend 50% time in‑store building relationships with teams and partners
• Identify local partnerships (design schools, cultural institutions, influencers)
• Translate field needs and insights to HQ cross-functional partners
• Ensure hospitality-driven, premium customer experience in stores
• Collaborate with PR, Creative, Brand, and Events for local amplification
• Track store marketing performance and pilot new programs

Skills

Marketing strategy

Field marketing

Travel ready

Relationship building

Cross-functional

Job description

Why join us?

At Design Within Reach, home comes first. We believe in creating and sourcing pieces that move with you and are meant to be enjoyed over a lifetime – from home to home, generation to generation. For us, that means exceptionally crafted, built‑to‑last, and beautifully designed furnishings.

Our purpose is design for the good of humankind. It’s the ideal we strive toward each day in everything we do. Being a part of Design Within Reach means being part of something larger than your work team or brand. We are redefining modern for the 21st century, and our success allows us to support causes that align with our values, so we can build a more sustainable, equitable, and beautiful future for everyone.

About this opportunity

The Marketing Manager, Stores leads the marketing strategy for all DWR retail stores, ensuring that each location delivers a consistently elevated, customer‑first brand experience while also tailoring marketing efforts to the local community and market dynamics. This role leads both strategy and execution for new store openings, localized marketing initiatives, and the programs that drive traffic, clienteling, awareness, and brand loyalty.

A key part of success in this role is presence. This person will spend approximately half their time in‑store building strong relationships with store teams, meeting local partners, understanding market nuances, and developing deep insight into what each store needs to win. They serve as a trusted strategic partner to store leadership and a critical connector between field teams and the central Marketing organization.

This is a highly cross‑functional role working closely with Retail Leadership, Creative, PR, Brand, Trade, Partnerships, Visual, and Operations.

Key Responsibilities

Retail Marketing Strategy & Execution

• Lead the marketing strategy for DWR’s expanding store footprint—including grand openings, relocations, remodels, and emerging markets
• Develop local marketing plans that reflect the unique opportunities, audiences, and partners in each market
• Build scalable playbooks and frameworks to ensure consistent yet locally relevant execution across stores
• Partner with Retail Leadership to align on KPIs, growth goals, traffic‑driving initiatives, and customer experience standards
• Own the end‑to‑end execution of store marketing programs, from planning to rollout to optimization

New Store Openings

• Lead the full marketing strategy for new store openings including scouting local sponsorships/partnerships, developing opening activation plans, and driving PR and community engagement
• Collaborate with Creative, Visual, and Retail Operations to ensure a cohesive brand experience across all touchpoints
• Serve as the on‑the‑ground marketing lead during opening windows

In‑Market Relationship Building (50% travel)

• Spend significant time in stores to build trust, rapport, and direct feedback loops with store managers and associates
• Identify local partnership opportunities (design schools, architecture firms, cultural institutions, influencers, tastemakers, etc.)
• Assess real‑time customer experience, merchandising needs, and competitive insights in each market
• Serve as the face of Marketing in the field—translating needs, opportunities, and insights back to HQ cross‑functional partners

Customer Experience Leadership

• Ensure every store delivers a hospitality‑driven, premium customer experience that reflects DWR’s brand values
• Partner with Retail and Store Design teams to elevate the in‑store environment, programming, and service model
• Identify opportunities to delight customers and strengthen brand loyalty at the store level

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with PR to drive local storytelling, influencer engagement, and opening coverage
• Work with Creative and Brand to tailor national campaigns for store use and local amplification
• Collaborate with the Events team to bring high‑impact store activations, designer talks, and community programming to life
• Align with Merchandising on product stories and with Digital on geo‑targeted marketing

Analytics & Performance

• Track and analyze store‑level marketing performance, foot traffic, customer engagement, and local market trends
• Build testing plans to pilot new programs and scale successful tactics across the fleet
• Deliver insights and recommendations to leadership based on in‑store learnings

Qualifications

• 6–8 years of marketing or retail marketing experience, ideally in luxury, lifestyle, design, or experiential brands
• Experience leading field or local marketing strategies, including store openings
• Strong relationship‑builder who thrives in person, on the road, and embedded with retail teams
• Highly entrepreneurial: comfortable navigating ambiguity and building new playbooks
• Strong project management and communication skills with a track record of cross‑functional influence
• Ability to think strategically while owning tactical delivery
• Comfort with frequent travel (~50%) across North America
• Genuine passion for modern design and the DWR brand

What You Bring

• A customer‑obsessed mindset
• A builder who loves crafting new processes, programs, and experiences
• A natural connector who forges strong relationships with both HQ and store teams
• An eye for local nuance—and the operational skills to translate it into action
• A high level of autonomy, accountability, and follow‑through

Who We Hire?

Simply put, we hire qualified applicants representing a wide range of backgrounds and abilities. Design Within Reach is comprised of people of all abilities, gender identities and expressions, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, veterans from every branch of military service, and more. Here, you can bring your whole self to work. We’re committed to equal opportunity employment, including veterans and people with disabilities.

This organization participates in E‑Verify Employment Eligibility Verification. In general, MillerKnoll positions are closed within 45 days and are open for applications for a minimum of 5 days. We encourage our prospective candidates to submit their application(s) expediently so as not to miss out on our opportunities. We frequently post new opportunities and encourage prospective candidates to check back often for new postings.

MillerKnoll complies with applicable disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact MillerKnoll Talent Acquisition at [e-mail].