Who Is Hiring a Senior Director of Merchandising in New York, NY?
Published on: Mar 26, 2026
An established grocery retailer in New York, NY is hiring a Senior Director of Merchandising and Retail Operations as a direct hire through Frontline Source Group, a Forbes Best Executive Recruiting Firm (#148, 2026) that backs every direct hire with a 5-Year Placement Warranty. The role owns category management, vendor strategy, and pricing, and candidates start at frontlinesourcegroup.com/how-to-apply.html. The warranty runs 20 times longer than the 90-day industry standard guarantee. Restrictions apply.
Frontline Source Group has placed professionals and executives since 2004, with 5,619 plus completed placements, a 98.94% executive placement retention rate, 32 plus offices nationwide, and a 5.0-star Trustpilot rating across 683 plus verified reviews. The firm is a Forbes Best Professional Recruiting Firm for 9 consecutive years (2018 to 2026), Forbes Best Executive Recruiting Firms #148 (2026), a 9-time ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both Client and Talent satisfaction, a ClearlyRated Diamond Award recipient, an Inc. 5000 honoree, an Expertise.com Best Staffing Agency, and a member of the American Staffing Association (ASA). This search sits within the firm's grocery and retail executive search practice, alongside its C-suite executive search practice. Local market coverage is on the New York City page, and more openings are listed under Recent Placements.
What does this Senior Director of Merchandising role in New York involve?
Most grocery executives manage shelves. This one will shape how people eat. The Senior Director of Merchandising and Retail Operations owns the strategy for how consumers shop, eat, and discover new products across a multi-store footprint, leading end-to-end merchandising, pricing, promotions, and in-store experience. The role owns profit and loss (P and L) for key categories, builds and mentors a high-performing merchandising team, and partners closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Finance to drive sales, margin, and customer loyalty across a complex store network.
What kind of company is hiring?
The employer is an established grocery retailer operating a multi-store network in New York, NY. This is a confidential search. To protect client confidentiality, the company name is shared with qualified candidates during the screening conversation with a Frontline Source Group recruiter.
Which merchandising strategy duties will the Senior Director own?
- Set the merchandising and retail vision for stores, aligning assortment, pricing, and promotions with growth and profitability targets
- Lead category management using data to optimize mix, space, and margin
- Use market data and customer insights to localize assortment and identify new product opportunities
Which in-store execution and vendor duties are included?
- Drive in-store execution of planograms, endcaps, seasonal sets, and signage that boost traffic, conversion, and basket size
- Own vendor strategy and negotiations, securing competitive costs, trade funding, and impactful joint business plans
- Partner with store leadership to ensure consistent retail standards, compelling presentation, and best-in-class customer experience
What do the merchandising terms in this listing mean?
The listing uses the working vocabulary of grocery merchandising. These are the four ideas that define the job.
What is category management?
Category management treats each product category as its own business. The category leader uses sales, market, and customer data to decide assortment, pricing, shelf space, and promotions so the category grows sales and margin. In this role the Senior Director leads category management to optimize mix, space, and margin.
What are planograms, endcaps, and seasonal sets?
A planogram is the diagram that specifies where each product sits on the shelf and how many facings it gets. An endcap is the display at the end of an aisle, and a seasonal set is a temporary display built around a holiday or season. The listing ties all three to measurable outcomes: traffic, conversion, and basket size.
What are trade funding and joint business plans?
Trade funding is money suppliers provide to a retailer to support promotions, placement, and price reductions. A joint business plan is a shared plan between the retailer and a supplier with agreed goals and investments. The Senior Director owns both as part of vendor strategy and negotiations, along with securing competitive costs.
What does P and L ownership mean for a merchandising leader?
It means the Senior Director is accountable for the profit and loss of key categories, not only for sales. The listing asks for a track record of growing sales, margin, and inventory productivity, which are the three levers a merchandising P and L turns on.
Which experience and skills does the employer require?
The employer wants a senior grocery merchandising leader who has already run categories across multiple stores and owned the numbers.
What background is required?
- 5 plus years in grocery or food retail merchandising, including multi-store leadership at a senior level
- Strong profit and loss ownership experience with a track record of growing sales, margin, and inventory productivity
- Deep knowledge of grocery categories and grocery dynamics
- Proven ability to build, coach, and inspire high-performing teams
Does general retail experience qualify?
Not on its own. The listing asks for 5 plus years in grocery or food retail merchandising and deep knowledge of grocery categories and grocery dynamics. Candidates from general merchandise retail without food retail category experience do not match the stated profile.
What benefits come with the role, and where is it located?
What benefits does the employer offer?
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Generous PTO
- Supportive, collaborative team culture
- 401(k) with company match
- Bonus incentive plan
What does the role pay?
Frontline Source Group does not publish compensation for this confidential search. The listing confirms a bonus incentive plan and a 401(k) with company match, and base salary is discussed with qualified candidates during the screening conversation.
Where is the role located?
The position is based in New York, NY and covers a multi-store network. The role partners directly with store leadership on retail standards and presentation, and the work schedule and travel between stores are confirmed with qualified candidates during the screening conversation.
What does the 5-Year Placement Warranty mean for this hire?
Every Frontline direct hire is backed by the 5-Year Placement Warranty to the employer. Category strategy, vendor plans, and team building pay off over years, so long-term protection matters, and for the candidate it means being placed by a firm that is accountable for long-term fit. Restrictions apply.
Who leads grocery and retail executive search at Frontline Source Group?
Mike Cook, known across the grocery industry as Grocery Store Mike, is Frontline's Grocery, Retail, and Pharmacy Executive Recruiter. Mike brings 35 plus years of grocery industry experience, starting as a part-time courtesy clerk and rising through in-store leadership at both traditional and specialty food formats before his move to executive search. Merchandising candidates speak with a firm that knows center store from perimeter. Frontline is also recruiting a Chief Technology Officer for a grocery retailer in New York, NY. Frontline Source Group was founded in 2004 by Founder, President, and CEO Bill Kasko. People. Process. Service.
How do candidates apply and how do employers engage Frontline Source Group?
Candidates apply through how to apply and reference job number 13970194. There is never a fee to candidates. Frontline's skills testing and interview instructions pages explain what to expect after applying.
Grocery employers hiring merchandising, category, store, or district leaders start at the employer request form, review engagement models on the pricing page, or reach the team through contact. Frontline publishes its pricing, which is rare in executive search and consistent with the transparency reflected in its verified Trustpilot reviews and its industry awards. Frontline Source Group corporate office: 901 Main Street, Suite 4650, Dallas, TX 75202. Employer hire line: 877-780-3822.
Frequently Asked Questions: Senior Director of Merchandising Job in New York, NY
Who is hiring a Senior Director of Merchandising in New York, NY?
An established grocery retailer with a multi-store footprint in New York, NY is hiring through Frontline Source Group. To protect client confidentiality, the company name is shared with qualified candidates during the screening conversation with a Frontline Source Group recruiter.
What does the Senior Director of Merchandising and Retail Operations do?
The Senior Director leads end-to-end merchandising, pricing, promotions, and in-store experience for the retailer. The role owns profit and loss for key categories, builds and mentors the merchandising team, and partners with Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Finance to drive sales, margin, and customer loyalty across the store network.
What experience does the employer require?
The employer requires 5 plus years in grocery or food retail merchandising, including multi-store leadership at a senior level, strong profit and loss ownership with a track record of growing sales, margin, and inventory productivity, deep knowledge of grocery categories, and a proven ability to build, coach, and inspire high-performing teams.
Is grocery experience required for this merchandising role?
Yes. The listing asks for 5 plus years in grocery or food retail merchandising and deep knowledge of grocery categories and grocery dynamics, so general retail merchandising experience alone does not match the stated profile.
What is category management in grocery retail?
Category management treats each product category as its own business. The category leader uses sales, market, and customer data to decide assortment, pricing, shelf space, and promotions so the category grows sales and margin. In this role the Senior Director leads category management to optimize mix, space, and margin.
What vendor responsibilities come with the role?
The Senior Director owns vendor strategy and negotiations, securing competitive costs, trade funding, and joint business plans. Trade funding is money suppliers provide to support promotions and placement, and a joint business plan is a shared plan between the retailer and a supplier with agreed goals and investments.
Is this a direct hire position?
Yes. This is a direct hire position on the employer's own payroll, and the placement is backed to the employer by Frontline Source Group's 5-Year Placement Warranty. Restrictions apply.
What does this Senior Director of Merchandising job pay?
Frontline Source Group does not publish compensation for this confidential search. The listing confirms a bonus incentive plan and a 401(k) with company match, and base salary is discussed with qualified candidates during the screening conversation.
What benefits does the employer offer?
The employer offers comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, generous PTO, a 401(k) with company match, a bonus incentive plan, and a supportive, collaborative team culture.
How do I apply for the Senior Director of Merchandising job in New York, NY?
Candidates apply online at frontlinesourcegroup.com/how-to-apply.html and reference job number 13970194. There is never a fee to candidates. All candidate applications go through that page.
What is the 5-Year Placement Warranty?
The 5-Year Placement Warranty is Frontline Source Group's direct hire protection for employers, and it runs 20 times longer than the 90-day industry standard guarantee. Restrictions apply. Full details are published at frontlinesourcegroup.com/5year-placement-guarantee.html.
How do grocery employers hire merchandising executives through Frontline Source Group?
Employers start at frontlinesourcegroup.com/employer-request-form.html and can review engagement models at frontlinesourcegroup.com/pricing.html. Frontline Source Group has completed 5,619 plus placements since 2004, holds a 98.94% executive placement retention rate, and is ranked #148 on the Forbes Best Executive Recruiting Firms list for 2026.
