Director, Retail Execution

Director, Retail Execution

The Director, Retail Execution provides strategic and operational leadership for the internal functions that support Jacent’s Retail Service Merchandising organization, including Walmart planning, administration, and field execution support. The position translates organizational priorities into coordinated execution plans, establishes timelines and accountability measures, and ensures field leaders have the information, resources, training, and support necessary to execute successfully at the store level. This role leads the Walmart Planning and Support team and works closely with Regional Operations, Customer Development, Supply Chain, Information Technology, Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, and Training & Development to improve execution, resolve operational issues, and build scalable support processes.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Provides strategic and operational leadership for Walmart planning, administration, and other assigned field-support functions.

• Translates business and customer priorities into coordinated field execution plans, including timelines, resource requirements, dependencies, communications, training needs, and accountability measures.

• Oversees the portfolio of Walmart projects, establishes priorities, and ensures projects are appropriately staffed, monitored, and completed on time.

• Leads, develops, and evaluates the Walmart Planning and Support team; establishes performance expectations and ensures clear ownership of departmental responsibilities.

• Partners with Regional Operations leadership and Territory Managers to assess field capacity, identify execution risks, and develop practical solutions.

• Establishes and monitors key performance indicators, service standards, and reporting frameworks to evaluate project execution and support effectiveness.

• Provides senior leadership with timely updates regarding project status, operational risks, resource constraints, and recommended corrective actions.

• Ensures Walmart field employees receive required communications, training, and policy updates and that completion and compliance are appropriately tracked.

• Leads cross-functional planning with Customer Development, Supply Chain, Information Technology, Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, and Training & Development.

• Identifies opportunities to improve processes, systems, reporting, and workflows to increase efficiency, consistency, and scalability.

• Leads the resolution of complex operational issues and ensures corrective actions address underlying causes.

• Supports departmental budgeting, workforce planning, and resource allocation, if applicable.

• Ensures compliance with company policies, customer requirements, and applicable safety practices.

• Performs other related duties and special projects as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of retail merchandising operations, field-service support, project planning, and operational execution.

• Demonstrated ability to provide strategic leadership while maintaining appropriate oversight of day-to-day operational priorities.

• Strong people-leadership skills, including the ability to establish expectations, delegate responsibilities, develop team members, manage performance, and build organizational capability.

• Ability to translate business and customer priorities into actionable field execution plans, timelines, resource requirements, and accountability measures.

• Advanced project and portfolio-management skills, with the ability to lead multiple complex, concurrent initiatives involving geographically dispersed teams.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to interpret operational data, identify trends and risks, determine root causes, and develop sustainable solutions.

• Ability to establish and monitor key performance indicators, service standards, project milestones, and other measures of operational effectiveness.

• Strong business judgment and decision-making skills, with the ability to balance competing priorities, assess operational risks, and make timely recommendations.

• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and build effective working relationships across all organizational levels.

• Strong process-improvement and change-management capabilities, including the ability to develop scalable, consistent, and efficient support processes.

• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex information clearly, concisely, and appropriately for field employees, business partners, and senior leadership.

• Partner with customer leadership to plan and carry out in-store POG updates, product placement changes, and the services each one requires.

• Ability to influence outcomes and gain alignment among stakeholders without relying solely on direct authority.

• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritize effectively, meet tight deadlines, and maintain attention to detail in a fast-paced environment.

• Ability to anticipate field execution challenges, identify dependencies, and develop appropriate contingency plans.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment when handling sensitive business and employee information.

• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, and Teams, with the ability to learn and effectively use other business systems and reporting tools.

Experience and Credentials

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, operations management, retail management, project management, or a related field required; an equivalent combination of relevant education and progressively responsible experience may be considered.

• Eight or more years of progressively responsible experience in retail operations, field operations, merchandising, project planning, operational support, or a related area.

• Five or more years of leadership experience managing teams or functions, including responsibility for setting priorities, delegating work, developing employees, and managing performance.

• Demonstrated experience planning and leading multiple complex, concurrent projects involving cross-functional teams and geographically dispersed field employees.

• Experience translating business or customer requirements into field execution plans, timelines, resource requirements, communications, and performance measures.

• Demonstrated experience establishing and monitoring key performance indicators, project milestones, service standards, and operational reporting.

• Experience identifying operational risks, resolving complex issues, and implementing sustainable process improvements.

• Demonstrated success partnering with senior leaders and cross-functional departments to establish priorities, align resources, and achieve business objectives.

• Experience supporting a large, geographically dispersed workforce within a retail, merchandising, field-service, or similarly complex operating environment strongly preferred.

• Project management, process improvement, or change management certification preferred but not required.

• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, and Teams, as well as experience using project-management, reporting, or other operational systems.

Physical & Work Environment Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

• Ability to travel occasionally for meetings, training sessions, or customer engagements.

• Must be able to communicate effectively in person, over the phone, and via digital platforms..