New Balance Athletics, Inc.

Manager, Wholesale Visual Merchandising – North America

New Balance Athletics, Inc.$100K — $158K *
Retail & Consumer Goods
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience in visual merchandising, ideally in wholesale or performance retail.
  • Bachelor's degree in visual merchandising, fashion design, retail marketing, or related field preferred.
  • Strong creative and strategic thinking capabilities.
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office; experience with Adobe Creative Suite and 3D design tools is a plus.
  • Strong taste level in merchandising, styling, and visual storytelling.
  • Demonstrated leadership and ability to manage multiple priorities.

Responsibilities

  • Act as a brand ambassador executing the wholesale visual experience strategy.
  • Own visual merchandising direction ensuring alignment with product investments.
  • Translate global standards into actionable directives for accounts.
  • Lead visual execution for key wholesale meetings and events.
  • Develop visual merchandising training to enhance execution consistency.
  • Manage execution of visual concepts and in-store experiences within accounts.
  • Analyze data to inform visual merchandising strategies and drive actions.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical insurance options, dental, vision, life insurance, and 401K.
  • Opportunities for online learning, tuition reimbursement, and $100 monthly student loan support.
  • Yearly $1,000 lifestyle reimbursement and 4 weeks of vacation.
  • 12 holidays and generous parental leave policy.
  • A hybrid work model with flexibility for remote work for four weeks a year.
Full Job Description

JOB MISSION:

The Manager, Wholesale Visual Merchandising, North America plays a critical role in bringing New Balance’s brand and product stories to life across key wholesale partners. Reporting to the Sr. Manager, Wholesale Visual Merchandising, this role translates global visual merchandising frameworks into North America market-relevant strategies that support sell-in, sell-through, and long-term brand equity.

Leading with challenger-brand thinking and a consumer-first mindset, this role drives best-in-class go-to-market execution - from windows and leaselines to in-store environments - ensuring New Balance shows up powerfully and consistently across the marketplace. The Manager partners closely with internal cross-functional teams and external wholesale partners to deliver compelling, data-informed visual experiences across priority accounts and doors in North America.

MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Wholesale Brand Experience

  • Act as a brand ambassador, leading the execution of New Balance’s wholesale visual experience strategy across assigned North American wholesale accounts.

  • Own and drive visual merchandising direction for designated accounts, ensuring alignment with key product investments, seasonal priorities, and brand initiatives.

  • Translate global visual merchandising standards into clear, actionable wholesale directives tailored to account needs, door clusters, and market dynamics.

  • Lead and support visual execution for key meetings and wholesale events, ensuring premium and cohesive brand presentation.

  • Develop and deliver visual merchandising training, including guidelines, tools, and hands-on workshops, to elevate execution and consistency across the wholesale marketplace.

Wholesale Visual Marketing & Execution

  • Partner with the Visual Merchandising Creative Services team to manage execution of all New Balance visual concepts, launch moments, and in-store experiences within assigned wholesale accounts.

  • Develop clear and effective creative briefs for all wholesale VM requests and actively participate in the end-to-end Creative Services process.

  • Plan and manage maintenance, refresh, and rollout schedules for graphics, fixtures, shop-in-shops, and visual experience elements.

  • Implement creative merchandising solutions in partnership with Commercial Sales, Marketing, and Merchandising to drive KPI impact and maximize sell-through

Data-Informed Decision Making

  • Analyze selling and performance reports at the account, door, and category level to inform visual merchandising strategies and business-driving action plans.

  • Use visual merchandising analytics tools (e.g., IWD, heatmapping, SKU productivity reporting) to continuously refine layouts, assortments, and storytelling.

  • Champion a KPI-led, data-driven mindset, ensuring visual merchandising decisions are measurable, test-and-learn driven, and tied to business outcomes.

Cross-Functional & External Partnerships

  • Build strong, influential relationships across Sales, Marketing, Merchandising, Creative Services, and external wholesale partners.

  • Serve as a trusted subject-matter expert on New Balance brand expression, performance storytelling, and visual merchandising best practices.

  • Plan and facilitate collaborative, educational, and motivational meetings and workshops that drive alignment, capability building, and executional excellence.

  • Confidently navigate a global organization, balancing global vision with local execution needs.

REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESS:

  • 5+ years of experience in visual merchandising, preferably within a wholesale or performance-focused retail environment. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in visual merchandising, fashion design, retail marketing, or related field.

  • Strong creative and strategic thinker with the ability to balance long-term vision with in-season execution.

  • Excellent communication, collaboration, and influencing skills; able to lead through ambiguity and build alignment across functions.

  • Proven ability to take ownership of projects from concept through execution in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.

  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office; experience with Adobe Creative Suite and 3D design tools (SketchUp) is a plus. Familiarity with visual merchandising platforms (e.g., IWD, Dtail) strongly preferred.

  • Strong taste level across merchandising, styling, fixture design, store layout, and visual storytelling.

  • Demonstrated leadership, integrity, adaptability, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail.

Boston, MA Headquarters - (NB) Only Pay Range: $100,200.00 - $129,300.00 - $158,400.00 Annual (actual base pay varying based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, time in role, internal equity, geographic location, and more.)




Regular Associate Benefits

Our products are only as good as the people we hire, so we make sure to hire the best and treat them accordingly. New Balance offers a comprehensive traditional benefits package including three options for medical insurance as well as dental, vision, life insurance and 401K. We also proudly offer a slate of more nontraditional perks – opportunities like online learning and development courses, tuition reimbursement, $100 monthly student loan support and various mentorship programs – that encourage our associates to grow personally as they develop professionally. You’ll also enjoy a yearly $1,000 lifestyle reimbursement, 4 weeks of vacations, 12 holidays and generous parental leave, because work-life balance is more than just a buzzword – it’s part of our culture.

Temporary associates are provided three options for medical insurance as well as dental and vision insurance and an associate discount.

Part time associates are provided 401k, short term disability, a yearly $300 lifestyle reimbursement and an associate discount.

Flexible Work Schedule

For decades we have fostered a unique culture founded on our values with a particular focus on in-person teamwork and collaboration. Our North American hybrid model encourages rich in-person experiences, showcasing our commitment to teamwork and connection, while maintaining flexibility for associates. New Balance Associates currently work in office three days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday). Our offices are fully open, and amenities are available across our North American office locations. To continue our focus on hybrid work we have introduced “Work from Anywhere” (WFA) for four weeks per calendar year. This model will help us enhance our culture while continuing to maintain elements of flexibility.

About New Balance Athletics, Inc.

New Balance Athletics, Inc. is a footwear company that specializes in athletic shoes and apparel. The company was founded in 1906 by William J. Riley and has since grown to become one of the largest athletic shoe manufacturers in the world. New Balance is known for its focus on quality and innovation, and has been recognized for its commitment to domestic manufacturing. The company operates five factories in the United States and has a reputation for producing high-quality, durable shoes. New Balance offers a wide range of products, including running shoes, walking shoes, and lifestyle shoes, as well as apparel and accessories. The company is committed to sustainability and has implemented a number of initiatives to reduce its environmental impact.
Learn more about New Balance Athletics, Inc.
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8,000 employees
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