Senior Manager, Visual Merchandising & Store Environments

Job Description

Job DescriptionAbout Away

We believe travel makes us better. Launched in 2016 with one perfectly designed carry-on, we now offer a range of luggage and travel essentials for every journey. Together we create, innovate, and embark on this journey as a community of travelers, helping to make travel more seamless for everyone.

Join The Crew

We are hiring a Senior Manager, Visual Merchandising & Store Environments to lead our Brand team. This position reports to the VP, Brand and takes Away further by driving the end-to-end strategy and execution of our brand and product storytelling across retail (including our existing fleet, NSOs, pop-ups, and renovations), as well as wholesale. This is an exciting position responsible for driving store design, creative direction, and setting and implementing a scalable, brand-right visual merchandising vision across all windows, interior displays, and fixtures.

What you’ll do as the Senior Manager, Visual Merchandising & Store Environments

• You’ll define and champion Away’s visual merchandising philosophy from the ground up, connecting brand storytelling with customer insights and in-store execution that drives measurable business impact

• You’ll partner with key stakeholders to lead all product and brand storytelling across retail and wholesale, including windows, focal displays, and fixtures—ensuring consistency, creativity, and conversion

• You’ll develop and implement a comprehensive, high-impact, and multi-tiered VM strategy that exemplifies Away’s mission and meets the needs of different locales, door types, and sizes

• You’ll own the VM calendar across the fleet—balancing new product launches, seasonal transitions, and evergreen storytelling across retail and wholesale

• You’ll create clear and compelling visual directives, toolkits, and communication processes that enable store teams to execute seamlessly

• You’ll build strong relationships with store teams and retail partners, providing guidance, inspiration, and ongoing feedback loops that keep our fleet aligned and energized

• You’ll act as the owner and strategic negotiator of visual merchandising priorities across Brand, Creative, Merchandising, Retail, and Wholesale, ensuring resource trade-offs and decisions maximize cohesive rollout and overall organizational ROI

• You’ll use store performance data and customer insights to continuously iterate on visual merchandising strategies that elevate both brand perception and product performance

• You’ll lead Away’s retail design needs (~10% of the role), serving as the internal expert who guides the concepting and execution of small-scale renovations, pop-ups, and store refreshes

• You’ll source and manage external partners—including fabricators, vendors, and installers—ensuring quality execution, competitive pricing, and strong ROI

• You’ll manage the VM and store design budget, advocating for execution strategies that maximize visual impact and brand consistency while staying on time and within budget

• You’ll ensure Away’s store environments—both temporary and permanent—are visually compelling, operationally functional, and unmistakably on-brand

• You’ll provide thought leadership and informal coaching to junior team members and cross-functional partners on best-in-class VM practices, raising the overall visual excellence and talent bar across the retail organization

Who you are

• You’re an experienced retail leader with deep fluency in visual merchandising and store design, blending big-picture strategy with hands-on execution

• You have a proven track record of building scalable, brand-right visual merchandising strategies across a variety of formats and footprints

• You have a strong point of view of spatial design, visual hierarchy, and product storytelling—and can translate brand and business objectives into compelling in-store moments

• You understand how to work in locally-assorted store environments and build flexible VM systems that adapt by door

• You’re confident managing budgets and making strategic decisions about where and how to invest for the greatest impact

• You’re skilled at managing vendors across sourcing, production, and installation—holding high standards for both quality and cost

• You’re highly proficient in Adobe Creative Suite and presentation tools, and able to clearly communicate concepts to a wide range of partners

• You bring a data-driven mindset and comfort level using performance and operational data to inform, measure, and iterate on VM decisions

• You’re an excellent communicator, collaborator, and partner to store teams and cross-functional stakeholders alike

• You’re comfortable leading small-scale store design projects independently, from concept to execution

• You’re creative and innovative; you love to build great new things that are fresh and unique while staying on brand

• You’re agile, and motivated by a fast-paced and ever changing environment

• You’re passionate about transforming travel for all (but that’s a given!)

Excited to join the team, but not sure you meet all of the qualifications? Please apply, we’d still love to hear from you.

Who We Are

• We’re travelers. Travel is about the journey - the transformative experiences and the growth each trip offers. All employees are encouraged to take time to get away through our variety of time away from work offerings.

• We’re driven. The work we do matters and collectively drives impact. No matter the job title, everyone at Away is a meaningful contributor in unlocking our ever growing potential.

• We’re supportive. We value the entirety of your life's journey, not just the milestones. You'll find an environment that celebrates balance, understanding that your personal passions and commitments outside of work, are threads of the same fabric that makes you unique.

What We Offer

Our total rewards are inclusive of both compensation and benefits. What we offer within a salary range is dependent on a number of factors, including scope and qualifications for the role, skillset, and balancing internal equity relative to other Away employees. Salary and benefit offerings are reviewed during phone screenings to ensure alignment.

• Compensation: $128,000.00 - 138,000.00 annually

• This role is eligible to participate in Away’s Annual Company Performance Incentive Bonus Plan, the terms of which are determined at the discretion of the company

• Equity Grant: commensurate with level determined at the discretion of the company

• Benefits Overview:

  • Take care of yourself and your family through our health insurance offerings

  • Invest in your future by participating in our 401(k) (with a company match!)

  • Find balance through our many paid time off programs (vacation, wellbeing, holidays, summer Fridays, and compassion leave - just to name a few!)

  • Build your travel uniform through discount codes, product stipends, and giveaways

  • Give back through company-sponsored volunteer and charitable opportunities

How We Work

This is an office-based position that works from our Soho, NYC office four days a week. Our working hours are 9am-6pm et, but we embrace a common-sense approach to flexibility in the workplace. It’s about being present, engaged, and balancing work with real-life needs.

Our Commitment

As a company that values diversity, equity, and inclusion, Away seeks individuals of all backgrounds and experiences to apply for this opportunity. We’re creating an environment where everyone can thrive. Our customers are global and diverse, so we’re building a team that is too. Through initiatives like our Employee Resource Groups, anti-racism training, and bias prevention initiatives, we’re building the cultural foundation that gives people the emotional and physical space to bring their authentic selves to work.

EEOC Statement:

Away is dedicated to hiring a diverse workplace that celebrates an inclusive culture and a sense of belonging. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, veteran status, genetic information or disability.

Away is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at talent@awaytravel.com.

Compensation Range: $128K - $138K