Group Visual Merch Leader – Westchester, IL

position Overview

Join the Follett Team, where employees are valued, respected, and offered career paths throughout its many campus locations.

Follett Higher education is a leading educational service provider and omnichannel retailer providing students, faculty and staff, parents, and fans the course materials, learning tools and retail services needed to successfully support the collegiate journey. Follett Higher Education supports over 6 million students through its 1,100 physical and 1,750 eCommerce campus stores across North America.

We are looking for a results-driven Group Visual Merchandising Leader where you’ll lead and inspire teams across a specific geographical region to elevate the customer journey through innovative and impactful visual presentations. You’ll be at the heart of shaping the look, feel, and energy of our stores–ensuring they’re not just places to shop, but destinations that celebrate our campus partners and drive sales.

In this pivotal role, you will:

• Inspire and Lead: Empower your team to deliver top-tier visual merchandising across stores, setting the standard for excellence in presentation. Your leadership will influence sales and create memorable customer experiences.
• Drive Sales: Use your expertise in planning, communication, and execution to directly and indirectly impact revenue. Your strategies will keep customers engaged, encouraging them to not only browse but buy.
• Collaborate Across Teams: Partner with the Corporate General Merchandising and Marketing Teams to identify business opportunities that generate results. You’ll work closely with GVPs, RMs, Market Leaders, Campus Store Managers, and more, shaping visual strategies that maximize sales.
• Be a Key Influencer: Guide store leaders as a trusted advisor on visual marketing, ensuring consistency across the board. Your insights will help develop and refine visual standards and merchandising strategies that keep us ahead of the curve.
• Travel to Inspire: Take your expertise to our top-performing stores, ensuring visual excellence and providing hands-on leadership during special events, new store openings, and renovations.
• Train and Develop: Lead both individual and group training initiatives on visual merchandising execution, empowering store teams to carry out your strategies with confidence.
• Shape the Future: Collaborate with the Store Design Team to ensure that new stores and renovations reflect the latest merchandising trends and are optimized for maximum impact.
• Create Connections: Build lasting relationships on campus, engage with local teams, and communicate Follett’s vision and priorities to ensure alignment with company goals and values.

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent.
• Minimum of 5 years of retail experience in a Visual Merchandising, Merchandising Manager, or Store Manager capacity. Prior experience working in a high-sales-volume retail store.
• Be able to influence across and up.
• Be able to lead in a dynamic environment.
• Be able to adapt to change and manage competing priorities.
• Be able to provide direct feedback.
• Be current on retail and visual merchandising trends.
• Be able to analyze business to drive sales through strong visual merchandise execution.
• Be innovative, creative, imaginative, and energetic.
• Understand the company’s target markets and know how to appeal to them.
• Be aware of current events and activities at assigned campuses.
• Have good communication skills to present ideas to others.
• Be able to concentrate and work to tight deadlines.
• Be self-motivated, inspirational, and practical.
• Ability and willingness to travel greater than 50% annually.