Walgreens

Director, Regional Merchandising

Walgreens$120K — $150K *
Retail & Consumer Goods
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree plus 8 years in merchandising or related fields, or High School/GED plus 11 years of experience.
  • Minimum 5 years contributing to financial decisions.
  • 5 years of leadership experience, either direct or cross-functional.
  • Strong strategic framework development and executive communication abilities.
  • Willingness to travel up to 50% for business purposes.

Responsibilities

  • Sets strategic direction and annual priorities for the merchandising team.
  • Aligns team assignments with business needs based on strengths and workload.
  • Coaches and develops team members in strategic framework and communication skills.
  • Establishes performance goals and supports talent development and succession planning.
  • Consolidates regional recommendations into a unified view for decision-makers.

Benefits

  • On-site work four days a week in Deerfield, IL office.
  • Opportunities for career development and professional growth.
  • Partnership with senior leadership across multiple functions for enterprise strategy.
  • Engagement in change management processes to improve regional merchandising operations.
Full Job Description
Job Description

Job Summary:

The Director of Regional Merchandising leads and develops the team of Regional Merchandising Managers (RMM) and Senior Regional Merchandising Managers (Senior RMM) who serve as the merchandising liaisons between Operations leadership and Support Center teams. This role sets the strategic direction, prioritization criteria, and operating cadence for the regional merchandising function, ensuring insights surfaced from the field are synthesized into consistent, executive-ready, and centrally governed recommendations. The Director determines regional and category alignment ("captainships") across the RMM/Senior RMM team, builds operational efficiencies and identifies economies of scale across the chain, and continuously refines the team's governance frameworks and intake processes. This director role is accountable for building and leading a high-performing regional merchandising team and serves as advocate for the voice of Operations within Merchandising's centralized decision-making model.

This role is based in our Deerfield, IL office and is on-site four days a week.

Job Responsibilities:
  • Sets the strategic direction, annual priorities, and operating cadence for the RMM/Senior RMM team, aligning field insight with Support Center governance and prioritization needs.
  • Determines and adjusts "captainship" assignments across the RMM/Senior RMM team - aligning team members to specific SVP/regions, categories, or strategic initiatives based on business need, workload balance, and individual strengths.
  • Builds and leads a high-performing regional merchandising team; coaches, mentors, and develops team members' skills in strategic framework development, executive communication, and fact-based recommendation writing.
  • Sets the strategic direction, annual priorities, and operating cadence for the RMM/Senior RMM team, aligning field insight with Support Center governance and prioritization needs.
  • Determines and adjusts "captainship" assignments across the RMM/Senior RMM team - aligning team members to specific SVP/regions, categories, or strategic initiatives based on business need, workload balance, and individual strengths.
  • Builds and leads a high-performing regional merchandising team; coaches, mentors, and develops team members' skills in strategic framework development, executive communication, and fact-based recommendation writing.
  • Establishes performance goals, conducts talent reviews, and supports career development, succession planning, and hiring for the RMM/Senior RMM team.
  • Identifies and implements operational efficiencies and economies of scale across the team's regions, standardizing intake, prioritization, and reporting processes to reduce duplicative effort.
  • Builds and refines repeatable strategy frameworks, intake criteria, and prioritization models used by the RMM/Senior RMM team to ensure consistent evaluation of regional opportunities.
  • Consolidates and prioritizes competing regional recommendations into a single enterprise view to reduce redundant or conflicting requests reaching merchant, category, space, and finance partners.
  • Monitors team workload, capacity, and regional coverage, reallocating responsibilities and captainships as regional needs and priorities shift.
  • Serves as the enterprise advocate for the regional merchandising function, representing the team and the voice of Operations to SVP/RVP leadership, merchant leadership, and cross-functional partners.
  • Builds senior-level partnership across Merchandising, Space Planning, Supply Chain, Finance, Segmentation, Marketing, and Store Operations leadership to ensure regional insights inform enterprise strategy and planning cycles.
  • Represents the RMM function within broader operating forums (e.g., leadership escalation forums, quarterly and monthly business field reviews with DSD and local supplier partners), escalating team-level recommendations for leadership decision-making.
  • Partners with Support Center leadership to define and refine decision rights, guardrails, and escalation paths for the RMM function as the operating model matures.
  • Reviews and approves executive-ready recommendations, business cases, and scorecards developed by the RMM/Senior RMM team prior to submission to central decision-makers.
  • Monitors systemic trends and emerging issues across regions, translating pattern-level findings into enterprise-level recommendations and risk mitigation plans.
  • Ensures the RMM/Senior RMM team operates within approved decision rights and guardrails, without independently establishing assortment, local pricing, marketing plans, or vendor budgets.
  • Owns fiscal accountability for the team's operating budget and contributes to broader departmental financial planning.
  • Drives change management to embed the regional merchandising operating model into merchandising, space, segmentation, finance, supply chain, and marketing processes, creating toolkits and communication plans to support field-ready execution.

External Basic Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree and at least 8 years of experience in merchandising, category management, operations leadership, space management, pricing, promotions, purchasing, vendor partnership, strategy development or High School/GED and at least 11 years of experience in merchandising, category management, operations leadership, space management, pricing, promotions, purchasing, vendor partnership, strategy development.
  • At least 5 years of experience contributing to financial decisions in the workplace
  • At least 5 years of direct leadership, indirect leadership and/or cross-functional team leadership.
  • Willing to travel up to 50% of the time for business purposes (within state and out of state)


Preferred Qualifications

  • MBA/Master's degree or Management Consulting experience.
  • Knowledge of retail financial acumen, including understanding of GMROI (Gross Margin Return on Investment).
  • Experience leading and developing teams, including people leader roles spanning analyst through senior manager/manager levels.
  • Experience developing strategic frameworks, prioritization models, and governance processes for cross-functional teams.
  • Ability to influence senior cross-functional stakeholders, communicate clearly with field and Support Center leaders, and lead work within centralized governance and decision rights.
  • CPG, DSD, local supplier, or category management experience.
  • Experience building or scaling a field-facing merchandising, insights, or liaison function.
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and reporting/scorecarding skills.
  • Advanced executive communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills, including experience representing a team's work to senior leadership.

About Walgreens

Walgreens is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2010 sales of $67 billion. The company operates 7,689 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each day, Walgreens provides nearly 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services, and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility, and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers, and the public sector. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.

Walgreens Careers

Joining Walgreens means becoming part of a team dedicated to inspiring health and well-being across America. As a cornerstone of the community, Walgreens offers unparalleled job opportunities in the retail and healthcare sectors, making it an ideal place for professional growth and innovation. Work You’ll Do At Walgreens, every position contributes to our mission of delivering premier health solutions while ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace that fosters growth. Our team members are at the forefront of transforming customer experiences through dedication and expertise. Lead with Innovation and Leadership Embrace the opportunity to lead at Walgreens, where we combine industry expertise with a culture of innovation. Our leadership is committed to nurturing a professional environment where ideas thrive and leadership skills are honed through comprehensive diversity training and leadership development programs. Engage in Meaningful Work Join a team that values hard work and creativity, where your skills will be enhanced through challenging projects and collaborative team efforts. Walgreens is not just about filling prescriptions—it's about offering solutions that promote healthier communities. Explore Career Opportunities Whether you're looking for an entry-level position or a more advanced professional role, Walgreens offers a range of career paths in dynamic business areas. From in-store roles to corporate support, our job opportunities are designed to fit a variety of skills and interests. Internship and Employment Benefits Start your career with a Walgreens internship and gain hands-on experience that paves the way for future employment. Our interns work on real projects that matter, gaining skills that are crucial for future success. Full-time team members enjoy a wealth of benefits, including comprehensive health coverage, retirement plans, and exclusive employee discounts. Invest in Your Career Growth Walgreens is committed to the career development of our employees. We provide resources and training that encourage continuous learning and career advancement. With support for certifications and networking opportunities, team members can expand their professional horizons and achieve their career goals. Stay Connected Join Our Team Discover the diverse range of hiring opportunities at Walgreens by exploring open positions that match your skills and interests. We are looking for passionate, curious, and solution-driven team players ready to make a significant impact. Keep Up to Date Stay informed with career tips, insider perspectives, and industry-leading insights you can put to use today—all from the people who work at Walgreens. Job Alert Emails Customize your subscription to receive job alerts, the latest news, and insider tips tailored to your preferences. Explore the exciting and rewarding opportunities that await at Walgreens. At Walgreens, we are excited to see where your ambition takes you. Join us and be part of a team that is dedicated to shaping the future of health and wellness for everyone.
Learn more about Walgreens
Size
202,000 employees
Market Cap
$32.8 billion
Industry
Net Income
-$696 million
Founded
1901
5 Year Trend
+2.3%
Revenue
$141.5 billion
NASDAQ

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