Design Manager, Visual Merchandising and Experiential Design

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Design Manager, Visual Merchandising and Experiential Design

Company: CoCreativ (for a luxury beauty client)

Location: New York, New York, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Creative & Design Operations / Retail Experience Design

Date Posted: December 03, 2025

Experience Level: Mid-Level (4-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (several days per week onsite at client in Midtown Manhattan)

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is crucial for translating brand narratives into tangible, impactful physical retail experiences, pop-ups, and event activations for a luxury beauty client, focusing on the operational execution of creative concepts.

• The Design Manager will be responsible for developing and visualizing merchandising expressions, creating conceptual mockups, and detailed renders, serving as a bridge between high-level creative strategy and market implementation.

• A key function involves acting as a liaison, ensuring seamless alignment with marketing messaging and supporting the adaptation of design guidelines with regional teams for global consistency.

• The position demands a blend of creative vision, strategic understanding, and meticulous execution, requiring close collaboration with internal teams and external vendors to bring brand stories to life in physical spaces.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Design Manager," the core responsibilities lean heavily into the operationalization and execution of design concepts within visual merchandising and experiential marketing, rather than direct people management. The role bridges creative ideation with practical implementation and global cascade, a common function within GTM operations for physical brand experiences. The "hybrid" work arrangement is clarified to mean significant onsite presence at the client's location, not typical remote flexibility.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Concept Development & Visualization: Contribute to the ideation and development of innovative visual merchandising concepts and experiential design strategies that elevate brand presence and drive consumer engagement across various retail touchpoints, ensuring creative concepts are grounded in practical execution.

• Creative Execution & Prototyping: Develop and execute detailed mock-ups, high-fidelity renders, and technical drawings for proposed merchandising solutions and experiential activations, ensuring design integrity, practical feasibility, and adherence to brand standards.

• Presentation & Communication: Prepare and deliver clear, compelling, and persuasive presentations to internal stakeholders, including marketing teams, zone partners, and leadership, effectively communicating design intent, strategic rationale, and project feasibility.

• Liaison & Alignment: Serve as the primary liaison between creative strategy and concept development, working closely with Project Managers in Visual Merchandising and Experiential Design to translate strategic vision into actionable directives and guidelines for market execution.

• Marketing Integration: Ensure all visual merchandising and experiential designs are fully aligned with overarching marketing strategies and messaging, effectively supporting campaigns, product launches, and brand storytelling initiatives.

• Global & Local Adaptation Support: Collaborate with regional/zone teams to support the adaptation and localization of global visual merchandising guidelines and experiential concepts, ensuring relevance, impact, and consistent brand representation across diverse international markets.

• Guideline & Directive Development: Assist in the establishment, development, and maintenance of comprehensive visual merchandising guidelines, directives, and planograms, ensuring consistency in brand representation and execution excellence across all retail touchpoints.

• Vendor Communication & Coordination: Support coordination with external vendors, production partners, and fabricators to ensure high-quality and timely execution of merchandising elements and experiential activations for strategic initiatives, managing project scope and deliverables.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize the operational aspects of design management – translating creative vision into actionable plans, ensuring global consistency, and managing the communication flow between creative teams and market implementation. This is typical for roles supporting GTM execution in physical retail.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• 4-5 years of total relevant experience in visual merchandising, retail design, or experiential marketing.

Required Skills:

• Creative Vision & Conceptualization: Demonstrated ability to conceptualize and represent engaging visual merchandising and experiential design ideas that effectively capture and elevate brand essence.

• Strategic Support & Brand Alignment: Capacity to understand business objectives and marketing strategies, translating them into effective, on-brief design solutions that drive consumer engagement.

• Strong Communication & Presentation: Excellent ability to articulate complex design concepts clearly and concisely, both verbally and visually, and communicate effectively with cross-functional partners.

• Collaborative Team Player: Proven ability to foster strong working relationships and collaborate effectively with internal teams (marketing, sales, zones, creative) and external partners (vendors, agencies).

• Organizational & Detail-Oriented: Highly organized, meticulous, and detail-oriented, capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously with a high degree of accuracy, adhering to strict deadlines in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

• Problem-Solving & Adaptability: Proactive, resourceful, and adept at identifying and addressing design and implementation challenges, with a flexible approach to evolving project requirements.

• Proficiency in Design Software: Expertise in SketchUp and other 3D modeling software, alongside strong command of 2D design software such as Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop).

• Presentation Deck Creation: Demonstrated experience in creating professional, impactful presentation decks for design concepts and project proposals.

Preferred Skills:

• Understanding of retail environments, consumer behavior, and the principles of brand storytelling through physical spaces.

• Experience in managing vendor relationships and coordinating with production partners for physical installations.

• Familiarity with project management methodologies and tools to track design deliverables and timelines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements blend creative design skills with operational execution and communication. The emphasis on specific software (SketchUp, Adobe Suite) and the need for a strong portfolio are critical for this type of role, highlighting the practical application of design skills in a commercial context.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Visual Merchandising Concepts: Showcase a range of visual merchandising ideas, including fixture designs, display concepts, and overall store layout proposals, demonstrating creative problem-solving for retail spaces.

• Experiential Design Projects: Include examples of pop-up shops, event activations, or in-store experiences that highlight immersive brand storytelling and consumer engagement strategies.

• 3D Renderings & Mock-ups: Provide high-quality examples of 3D models, realistic renders, and detailed mock-ups that clearly communicate design intent, material selection, and spatial relationships.

• Technical Drawings & Planograms: Include examples of technical drawings, elevations, or planograms that illustrate the practical construction and layout of merchandising elements, showing attention to detail and feasibility.

• Presentation Materials: Demonstrate experience in creating compelling presentation decks that effectively communicate design strategy, rationale, and visual execution to stakeholders.

• Brand Alignment Examples: Showcase projects where design solutions were clearly aligned with specific brand identities, marketing campaigns, or target audience needs, particularly within the luxury sector.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Candidates will be expected to contribute to and potentially document workflows for concept development, design iteration, and guideline creation to ensure efficiency and consistency.

• Implementation & Automation: While not a direct automation role, understanding how design concepts are implemented and how guidelines facilitate efficient global rollout is key. Documentation of this process may be required.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: While direct performance metrics might not be the primary focus of the portfolio, demonstrating an understanding of how design choices impact consumer behavior and brand perception is valuable.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role focused on translating creative concepts into physical experiences, a portfolio is paramount. It needs to demonstrate not only creative talent but also the ability to think about practical execution, spatial design, and effective communication of ideas. This section emphasizes showcasing process and feasibility alongside visual appeal.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• The anticipated annual salary range for this role is $95,000 - $110,000 USD.

• This range is determined by various factors, including the local labor market in New York, the specific demands of the job type, internal equity considerations, and the allocated budget for the position.

Benefits:

• Major Medical Insurance: Comprehensive health coverage for employees and potentially their families.

• Dental Insurance: Coverage for dental care services.

• Vision Insurance: Coverage for eye care and vision-related needs.

• Flexible Spending Account (FSA): Pre-tax account for eligible healthcare or dependent care expenses.

• Health Savings Account (HSA): Tax-advantaged savings account for medical expenses, often paired with high-deductible health plans.

• Commuter Benefits: Pre-tax benefits to cover costs associated with commuting to work (e.g., public transportation, parking).

• Employee Discounts: Special pricing or offers on company products/services or partner offerings.

Working Hours:

• This is a full-time position, typically involving approximately 40 hours per week.

• The role operates on a hybrid model, requiring several days per week onsite at the client's location in Midtown Manhattan, with flexibility for remote work on other days.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is provided, and the explanation clarifies the factors influencing the final offer, which is standard practice. The benefits package is typical for a full-time role in the US. The working hours and hybrid model are clarified to emphasize the onsite requirement.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: The role operates within the broader creative production and services industry, specifically supporting a luxury beauty client. CoCreativ, the hiring entity, is a family of integrated creative production companies.

Company Size: CoCreativ, as a family of companies, likely represents a mid-to-large sized organization with diverse capabilities, offering a stable yet dynamic work environment. The specific client is a luxury beauty brand, implying a focus on high standards, premium aesthetics, and sophisticated consumer engagement.

Founded: CoCreativ has been a leader in the industry for over 30 years, indicating a long-standing reputation, deep expertise, and a culture of innovation and established best practices.

Team Structure:

• Operations Team: The Design Manager will likely be part of a dedicated Visual Merchandising and Experiential Design team, possibly within CoCreativ or directly embedded with the client's brand team. This team is expected to be specialized in translating brand strategy into physical experiences.

• Reporting Structure: The role reports into a leadership position within the Visual Merchandising and Experiential Design function, potentially a Director or Senior Manager. Collaboration will be extensive with Project Managers, Creative Directors, Marketing teams, and Zone/Regional partners.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Expect close partnerships with marketing, brand management, creative strategy, project management, and potentially production/vendor management teams to ensure cohesive and effective execution of design initiatives.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Insights: While this role is creative, decisions will likely be informed by consumer behavior insights, market trends, and brand performance data to ensure designs are impactful and strategically sound.

• Workflow Planning & Optimization: Emphasis on structured processes for concept development, design iteration, guideline creation, and adaptation to ensure efficiency and consistency across global markets.

• Automation & Efficiency: Focus on how design guidelines and standardized processes can streamline the execution of visual merchandising and experiential activations across different regions.

Company Website: https://www.cocreativ.co/ (CoCreativ)

📝 Enhancement Note: The context highlights CoCreativ's established position and its role as a service provider to major brands. The emphasis is on how this operational role supports a luxury client's GTM strategy through physical experiences.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at a Mid-Level, typically requiring 4-5 years of specialized experience. It's a management role focused on driving specific design operational outcomes rather than direct people management. The scope involves translating strategy into actionable plans and ensuring global consistency.

Reporting Structure: The Design Manager will report to a senior leader within the Visual Merchandising and Experiential Design team, likely a Director or Senior Manager. They will collaborate extensively with Project Managers and various internal/external stakeholders, acting as a key operational conduit.

Operations Impact: This role directly impacts the brand's physical presence and customer engagement, crucial for driving sales, brand loyalty, and market perception in the competitive luxury beauty sector. Successful execution of visual merchandising and experiential designs can significantly influence consumer behavior and conversion rates.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization Advancement: Potential to deepen expertise in luxury retail design, experiential marketing, or visual merchandising strategy, moving into more senior design or strategy roles.

• Project Leadership: Opportunity to lead larger, more complex design initiatives and gain experience managing cross-functional project teams and vendor relationships.

• Global Strategy Involvement: As experience grows, contribute to the development of global design strategies and best practices, influencing how the brand presents itself worldwide.

• Client Relationship Management: Develop strong client-facing skills and potentially transition into roles with more direct client account management responsibilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section frames the "Design Manager" title within an operational context, highlighting the impact on GTM and brand strategy, and outlining potential career progression paths within design operations and experiential marketing.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role requires a hybrid work arrangement, with a significant portion of time spent onsite at the client's location in Midtown Manhattan. This suggests a dynamic environment that balances remote flexibility with the necessity of in-person collaboration and immersion in the client's brand environment.

Office Location(s): Primarily based at the client's office in Midtown Manhattan, New York, with potential for occasional travel to CoCreativ offices or vendor sites.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect a fast-paced, collaborative setting within the client's offices, fostering close interaction with marketing, creative, and project management teams.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design software and potentially client-specific project management tools will be available. The role requires proficiency in SketchUp, Adobe Creative Suite, and presentation software.

• Team Interaction: Frequent opportunities for direct engagement with brand stakeholders, creative teams, and project managers to ensure alignment and efficient execution of design directives.

Work Schedule:

• Standard full-time hours (approx. 40 hours/week) apply.

• The hybrid model necessitates a structured schedule, with specific days allocated for onsite client work and other days for remote tasks. Flexibility may be available, but the onsite requirement is significant.

📝 Enhancement Note: The description clarifies the hybrid model, emphasizing the onsite component, which is critical for candidates to understand the daily work reality. It also highlights the collaborative nature of working within a client-facing role.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess qualifications, experience, and alignment with the role's requirements. Be prepared to highlight relevant visual merchandising and experiential design projects.

• Creative/Technical Interview: Likely involves a discussion with hiring managers or senior designers focusing on your design process, software proficiency (SketchUp, Adobe Suite), and ability to conceptualize. Expect to walk through specific portfolio pieces.

• Portfolio Presentation: A dedicated session where you will present a curated selection of your work, demonstrating your ability to translate brand narratives into compelling physical experiences and explaining your strategic rationale and execution process.

• Cross-functional/Stakeholder Interview: An opportunity to meet with potential collaborators from marketing, project management, or client teams to assess communication skills, collaborative approach, and cultural fit.

• Final Interview: May involve senior leadership to discuss overall fit, career aspirations, and confirm alignment with company values and client needs.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 projects that best showcase your visual merchandising and experiential design skills, specifically highlighting work for luxury brands or similar aesthetics.

• Showcase Process: For each project, detail your thought process, from initial brief and concept development to execution and final outcome. Include sketches, mood boards, 3D renders, technical details, and final installation photos.

• Quantify Impact (if possible): If your designs contributed to specific business outcomes (e.g., increased foot traffic, sales uplift, positive consumer feedback), present this data clearly.

• Highlight Software Proficiency: Explicitly mention and visually demonstrate your skills in SketchUp, Adobe Creative Suite, and presentation tools within your portfolio.

• Tailor to the Brief: Emphasize projects that align with the luxury beauty sector and demonstrate an understanding of brand storytelling in physical retail.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for a potential design challenge or case study exercise, which might involve developing a concept for a specific retail scenario or adapting an existing design for a new market. Focus on your approach to problem-solving, conceptualization, and presentation.

• Practice articulating your design strategy, considering brand alignment, consumer engagement, and practical implementation constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice tailored to a design-focused role, emphasizing the portfolio as a critical component. It outlines a typical interview process and offers specific tips for portfolio presentation and potential challenges.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design & Visualization Tools:

• SketchUp: Essential for 3D modeling of retail spaces, fixtures, and experiential installations. Proficiency in creating detailed models and layouts is expected.

• Adobe Creative Suite:

  • Photoshop: For image editing, mock-up creation, and visual enhancements.
  • Illustrator: For vector graphics, technical drawings, and layout design.
  • InDesign: For creating presentation decks, guidelines, and detailed documentation.

• 3D Modeling Software (General): Familiarity with other 3D modeling or rendering software beyond SketchUp may be beneficial for complex visualizations.

Presentation & Communication Tools:

• PowerPoint / Google Slides / Keynote: Crucial for developing and delivering professional presentations to stakeholders, showcasing design concepts and strategic rationale.

• Project Management Software (e.g., Asana, Trello, Monday.com): While not explicitly listed as a requirement, familiarity with project management tools is beneficial for tracking design deliverables, timelines, and collaborating with project managers.

• Collaboration Platforms (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams): For day-to-day communication and team coordination.

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to this role's core function, as it's focused on design execution rather than sales or marketing automation. However, an understanding of how marketing campaigns influence design briefs is necessary.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section specifically calls out the required design software, which is critical for candidates to assess their technical fit. The emphasis is on tools used for visualization, design creation, and presentation.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values (CoCreativ & Luxury Client Context):

• Creative Excellence: A commitment to pushing creative boundaries and delivering exceptionally high-quality design work that resonates with a luxury audience.

• Brand Integrity: Upholding and enhancing the brand's image through meticulous attention to detail in all physical representations.

• Strategic Alignment: Ensuring all design efforts are in lockstep with marketing objectives, brand messaging, and consumer engagement strategies.

• Collaboration & Partnership: Fostering strong working relationships internally and with external partners to achieve shared goals effectively.

• Innovation & Adaptability: Embracing new ideas and adapting to evolving trends in retail design and consumer experiences.

• Efficiency & Execution: A focus on translating creative concepts into practical, executable plans that can be implemented consistently across markets.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The role demands seamless collaboration with marketing, brand, project management, and potentially production teams to ensure cohesive execution of GTM strategies.

• Feedback Exchange: An open culture for constructive feedback on design concepts and execution plans, crucial for iterative improvement and alignment.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, market insights, and successful design approaches across teams and regions to elevate overall performance.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section infers the likely cultural values based on the industry (creative production), client type (luxury beauty), and the nature of the role (design operations). It emphasizes collaboration and brand-centricity.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Creativity with Practicality: The core challenge involves translating innovative, high-concept creative ideas into feasible, scalable, and cost-effective retail and experiential designs that can be executed globally.

• Global Consistency vs. Local Adaptation: Ensuring that global design directives are consistently applied while also allowing for necessary regional adaptations to resonate with local markets.

• Fast-Paced Environment: Managing multiple projects with tight deadlines in a dynamic industry, requiring strong organizational skills and the ability to pivot quickly.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Navigating diverse stakeholder expectations and ensuring buy-in from various internal teams and the client.

• Vendor Management: Effectively coordinating with external vendors to ensure quality, timeliness, and adherence to design specifications.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Luxury Retail: Gaining in-depth experience and understanding of the unique demands and strategies of the luxury beauty market.

• Experiential Design Expertise: Developing advanced skills in creating immersive and engaging brand experiences for pop-ups, events, and retail environments.

• Global Design Operations: Learning how to manage and adapt design strategies across international markets, understanding cultural nuances and logistical considerations.

• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Enhancing collaboration and communication skills by working closely with marketing, brand, and project management teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section identifies potential challenges inherent in design operations roles, particularly within a client-facing, global context, and frames them as opportunities for professional growth and skill development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How do you approach translating a brand's narrative into a physical retail experience?" - Prepare to discuss your conceptualization process, focusing on storytelling, consumer journey, and brand essence.

• "Describe a time you had to adapt a global design concept for a local market. What were the challenges and how did you overcome them?" - Focus on your understanding of cultural nuances, market research, and collaborative adaptation.

• "How do you ensure your visual merchandising designs align with marketing campaigns and overall business objectives?" - Prepare to discuss your process for understanding briefs, integrating marketing messages, and demonstrating ROI potential.

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about working with a luxury beauty brand?" - Research the client's current campaigns, brand identity, and market position.

• "How do you approach collaboration with cross-functional teams like marketing and project management?" - Highlight your communication style, problem-solving approach, and ability to build consensus.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your presentation logically, perhaps by project type or by demonstrating a progression from concept to execution.

• Storytelling: For each project, tell a compelling story: the challenge, your solution, the process, and the outcome.

• Visuals: Use high-quality images, renders, and clear layouts. Ensure your software proficiency is evident.

• Conciseness: Be mindful of time. Practice your delivery to ensure you cover key points efficiently.

• Engagement: Be prepared to answer questions about your design choices, challenges, and how your work aligns with business goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section offers specific, actionable advice for interview preparation, focusing on the types of questions and portfolio presentation strategies relevant to a design operations role in a client-facing environment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided application link on Workable.

• Portfolio Preparation: Ensure your resume and portfolio are tailored to highlight your experience in visual merchandising, experiential design, and luxury brand environments. Focus on projects that demonstrate your creative vision, technical skills (SketchUp, Adobe Suite), and ability to execute concepts.

• Resume Optimization: Clearly list your years of experience, specific software proficiencies, and any relevant achievements in retail design or experiential marketing. Use keywords from the job description naturally.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, project rationale, and collaborative approach. Be ready to present your portfolio with confidence, focusing on storytelling and strategic alignment.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with CoCreativ's portfolio of companies and the general landscape of luxury beauty retail design trends. Understand the client's brand identity and current market presence.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

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