Project Manager, In-Store Merchandising and Display Development

Aquent, a leading talent solutions partner, is thrilled to collaborate with a prominent global leader in the beauty and personal care industry to find exceptional talent. This company is renowned for its innovative approach to bringing retail brand experiences to life, creating captivating in-store environments that engage and inspire customers worldwide. Join a team dedicated to excellence, where your contributions directly shape the consumer journey and elevate brand presence.

Are you a highly skilled technical project manager ready to make a significant impact by transforming creative visions into tangible, stunning retail realities? We are seeking a dynamic individual to lead the end-to-end development, production, and execution of our in-store retail displays and promotional assets. In this pivotal role, you will be the linchpin connecting creative design, structural engineering, and strategic procurement. You will own the comprehensive 12-month store calendar, collaborating closely with cross-functional brand marketers, internal stakeholders, and external suppliers to ensure the timely, budget-conscious, and quality-driven delivery of premium permanent and promotional display fixtures. Your expertise will be crucial in maintaining brand integrity and enhancing the customer experience across all retail touchpoints.

Key Responsibilities

• Merchandising Strategy & Calendar Ownership: Take full ownership and strategically manage the 12-month store merchandising calendar, pinpointing key focus months and orchestrating seamless cross-brand coordination, including endcaps and promotional feature areas.
• Master Timeline Execution: Diligently maintain master project support lists and critical due dates, partnering with brand counterpart leads to ensure strict adherence to development and shipping timelines, driving projects to successful completion.
• End-to-End Execution: Oversee the entire display production process, from initial concept development through final manufacturing and successful store delivery, ensuring every detail meets exacting standards.
• Technical Specifications Review: Critically review engineered drawings, die lines, vacuum forms, injection-molded components, fabrication details, and wall-system specifications to guarantee both structural integrity and visual fidelity of all display elements.
• Fixture Library Management: Maintain and manage a central master database and library of all in-store fixture components, store counts, and detailed retail store profile data, ensuring accurate and accessible information.
• Vendor Sourcing & Triple Bids: Implement rigorous triple-bid procedures in line with company guidelines to identify and secure optimal supplier partners, balancing cost-effectiveness, quality, and speed-to-market.
• Financial Operations: Generate Purchase Orders (POs) for all team projects, meticulously track budget allocations, and reconcile PO invoices and receiving discrepancies to ensure financial accuracy and compliance.
• Cross-Functional Synergy: Collaborate effectively with Marketing, PR, and Education teams to specify, source, and procure high-quality in-store promotional and premium items, enhancing brand campaigns and customer engagement.

Qualifications

Must-Have Qualifications

• Technical Expertise: Demonstrated ability to proficiently read and interpret engineered drawings, structural die lines, planograms, and display schematics. Possess deep technical knowledge of various display manufacturing processes, including:
  
  
  
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    Injection Molding (IM) & Vacuum Forming (Vac Form)

  • Metal, Acrylic, & Wood Fabrication
  • Retail Wall Systems & Modular Components
  • Print Collateral (4-Color Process, Digital, Corrugate, SBS)
  
  
  
  
• Industry Experience: 3-5+ years of dedicated display project management experience is required.
• Vendor & Budget Operations: Strong procurement background, encompassing competitive bidding, Purchase Order (PO) issuance, invoice reconciliation, and effective supplier performance management.
• Systems & Software: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and enterprise Data/ERP systems.
• Core Competencies: Exceptional multi-tasking abilities, strong cross-functional communication skills, a high degree of self-motivation, and meticulous attention to detail, especially within fast-paced retail environments.
• Education: Bachelor's Degree in Business, Management Information Systems, Supply Chain, Operations, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on industry experience.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Experience within beauty/personal care brands or display manufacturing companies (e.g., producers of retail environments).

About Aquent Talent:

Aquent Talent connects the best talent in marketing, creative, and design with the world's biggest brands.

Our eligible talent get access to amazing benefits like subsidized health, vision, and dental plans, paid sick leave, and retirement plans with a match. We also offer free online training through Aquent Gymnasium. More information on our awesome benefits!

Aquent is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We're about creating an inclusive environment-one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.