What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director – Retail Merchandising (Grocery Focus) | Chicago, IL / Dallas, TX / Cincinnati position at Claddagh Resources?
Our client is a global technology and consulting services leader expanding their Retail practice with a dedicated Merchandising capability. They are seeking a Director-level Merchandising specialist to serve as a hybrid consulting and pre-sales expert — bringing deep grocery merchandising expertise to client engagements, solution shaping, and new business pursuits.
This is not a pure delivery role. The right person is a hands-on problem solver with genuine grocery merchandising domain depth, commercial instinct, and the confidence to sit in front of a grocery C-suite and shape transformative solutions from day one.
What You'll Do
Serve as the subject matter expert on retail merchandising — assortment planning, category management, pricing, promotions, and supplier collaboration — across grocery and food retail client engagements. Support and lead pre-sales activities including solution design, client presentations, and proposal development for merchandising-led opportunities. Partner with account and delivery teams to define scope, approach, and deliverables on merchandising transformation programs. Build reusable assets, frameworks, and thought leadership content for the practice. Travel to client sites as required — up to 50%.
What We're Looking For
Genuine, hands-on grocery or food retail merchandising experience — from inside a major grocer, a consulting firm with deep grocery clients, or a merchandising technology vendor. You must have lived the domain, not just advised on it from a distance. Comfortable operating with ambiguity and building in an environment that isn't fully structured yet. Commercial instinct — you should be able to identify an opportunity and help shape a solution, not just execute a brief. Prior consulting or pre-sales exposure is a strong advantage. Willingness to travel up to 50%.
Compensation: $163,000 – $235,000 base, commensurate with experience. Location: Chicago, IL / Dallas, TX / Cincinnati, OH — hybrid.
Salary : $163,000 - $235,000