Creative Merchandising Program Manager

SUMMARY OF POSITION

The Creative Merchandising Program Manager – Grocery Channel plays a key role in shaping and bringing to life innovative grocery programs from concept to customer. This role blends creative thinking, merchandising insight, and program execution, acting as a partner in developing new product ideas and translating them into compelling, customer-ready concepts.

Working closely with Product Development and Sales, this individual helps identify whitespace opportunities, contributes to trend exploration and product ideation, and builds engaging materials that bring new concepts to life for key grocery customers.

This is a highly collaborative role for someone who combines a strong creative and merchandising eye with the ability to turn ideas into actionable programs. The ideal candidate is energized by brainstorming, storytelling, and building visually compelling presentations that support both internal alignment and customer sell-in.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Product Ideation & Trend Development

• Partner with Product Development to brainstorm and shape new product concepts specific to the grocery channel bringing a creative and commercially relevant perspective
• Contribute to trend research and concept development, create inspiration boards, and visual storytelling materials.
• Help translate market trends and customer needs into actionable product ideas and program concepts

Merchandising & Program Development

• Apply a strong merchandising lens to product concepts, ensuring they resonate on shelf and align with shopper behavior
• Help define how products are presented—from packaging direction to display concepts and assortment strategies
• Bring a creative eye to elevate how ideas are communicated internally and externally

 Sales Enablement & Customer-Facing Storytelling

• Partner with Sales to develop custom, high-impact presentations and pitches for top grocery customers
• Translate product concepts and innovation pipelines into compelling selling stories and customer narratives
• Build visually engaging presentations using tools such as Canva, PowerPoint and AI tools
• Support line reviews and customer meetings with tailored materials that highlight opportunity, differentiation, and growth potential

Program Development & Execution

• Support the progression of product concepts from idea to commercialization, ensuring alignment across teams
• Maintain visibility into key milestones while allowing flexibility for creative development and iteration
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to bring concepts to life in a way that is innovative, executable and scalable

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Product Development, Sales, Creative, and Category/Channel teams to align on concept direction and execution
• Act as a connector between ideation and execution, ensuring creative concepts are clearly translated into actionable plans
• Facilitate collaboration that encourages both creative exploration and practical feasibility

Customer & Market Awareness

• Maintain awareness of grocery customer strategies, category trends, and competitive activity
• Identify opportunities for innovation based on customer needs, shelf dynamics, and emerging trends
• Help tailor concepts and programs to align with specific retailer priorities and shopper profiles

EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE

• BA/BS in Marketing, Merchandising, Business, or related field—or equivalent experience
• 5-7 years of experience in merchandising, product development, marketing, or program/channel management within grocery.
• Demonstrated experience contributing to product ideation, concept development, or trend-driven initiatives
• Strong visual and creative sensibility with the ability to build compelling presentations and materials
• Proficiency in tools such as Canva, PowerPoint, AI and similar platforms
• Ability to balance creative thinking with executional follow-through
• Strong collaboration and communication skills across cross-functional teams
• Naturally curious, trend-aware, and energized by brainstorming and building new ideas

TRAVEL

• Domestic and international travel to industry events, tradeshows, and customer locations up to 10% of time.