Senior Group Director, Shoes

Senior Group Director, Shoes 

At Chanel, we are focused on creating an inclusive culture that nurtures personal growth, contributing to collective progress. We believe the uniqueness of each individual increases the diversity, complementarity and effectiveness of our teams. We strongly encourage your application, as we value the perspective, experience and potential you could bring to CHANEL. 

​About the role: 

CHANEL is looking for a Senior Group Director, Shoes to join our Merchandising Team in New York, New York.  You will own the end-to-end merchandising vision and category leadership for Shoes in the U.S., establishing the strategy and driving a unique, client-centric assortment for all U.S. boutiques and Multi-Brand Retail Partners.  This role is accountable for category performance, commercial outcomes, and the development of high-performing teams—ensuring Chanel’s continued leadership in the American luxury market. 

You will provide strategic support to the Head of Merchandising and Fashion Business Planning, U.S., serving as both a thought partner and executional leader, and will be responsible for developing and inspiring the Shoes merchandising team. The role will be a key support role for the Head of Merchandising and Fashion Business Planning, U.S., providing strategic and executional leadership to ensure the success of the broader category and be responsible for developing and  guiding of the Shoes merchandising team members.  

What impact you can create at CHANEL: 

Strategic Leadership 

• Define and execute the U.S. merchandising strategy for Shoes, ensuring it reflects both Chanel’s creative vision and the unique needs of the dynamic American market.  

• Own category performance, setting business objectives and commercial target. 

• Support the Head of Merchandising and Fashion Business Planning in driving the overall category vision, strategic planning, and business performance.  

• Build strong relationships with multi-brand retail leadership to stay closely connected and receive ongoing updates on changes to their shoe-floor matrix and capturing competitive and client insights. 

• Partner with global counterparts to align on collection vision while tailoring assortments and strategies for the U.S. client.  

• Identify opportunities and risks in the U.S. market and recommend strategies to drive growth, client acquisition, and retention.  

• Support setting the US Pricing strategy for shoes and play a key role in the approach.  

Product & Assortment 

• Lead the team to build seasonal assortments that represent collection allure and support each locations specificities and clients’ needs.  

• Monitor category and assortment performance, adjusting buy strategies and influencing pricing to maximize sales, inventory efficiency, and long-term category health 

• Identify and capitalize on market opportunities, competitive insights, and client trends to drive growth, client acquisition, and retention 

• Leverage U.S. client insights, CRM data, and retail feedback with global merchandising to inform product journeys, assortment architecture, and lifecycle management. 

Front- Runner of Fashion & Industry Trends 

• Serve as a thought leader in the U.S. luxury landscape, identifying shifts in client behavior, cultural moments, and fashion trends.  

• Translate these insights into assortment strategies, ensuring Chanel remains the leader in the U.S. market for fashion and desirability.  

• Represent the U.S. voice in global forums, ensuring regional perspectives influence shoes’ product evolution.  

• Ensure the Shoes offering enhances the client experience across U.S. boutiques, Department Stores and all client facing events.  

Leadership & Team Development 

• Lead and develop the U.S. Shoes merchandising team, fostering growth, collaboration, and a culture of excellence.  

• Shape team architecture to support growth and transformation. 

• Champion talent development, individual mentorship, and succession planning, ensuring the team’s capabilities and structure support long-term business and organizational needs. 

• Serve as a cultural ambassador, inspiring teams with Chanel’s heritage, creativity, and client-first philosophy.  

• Drive efficiency and process improvement through challenging status quo and collaboration.  

Retail & Business Excellence  

• Partner with U.S. Retail, Visual Merchandising, and Fashion Expertise teams to ensure storytelling and execution that protect brand equity 

• Lead regular Business Reviews with MBR partners and drive decisions that have wide-reaching impact across distribution, sales, assortment, and client journey.  

• Track key business metrics and lead action plans to optimize results.  

• Work closely with Supply Chain and Merch Planning to ensure the right products reach the right markets at the right time.  

You are energized by: 

• Passionate about Fashion – You are deeply connected to the world of fashion and craftmanship, bringing enthusiasm, curiosity and innovation while respecting the codes of the house.   

• Visionary & Strategic – You see both the big picture and the fine details, shaping strategies while executing flawlessly in the moment.  

• Client-Obsessed – You have a deep curiosity about the U.S. luxury client and make decisions that put their needs, desires, and experiences at the center.  

• Innovative & Trend-Aware – You anticipate market and cultural shifts, translating them into forward-thinking merchandising strategies.  

• Collaborative & Influential – You thrive in cross-functional partnerships, inspiring and aligning diverse teams toward shared goals.  

• Analytical & Decisive – You balance intuition with data, using insights to drive informed business decisions and corrective actions.  

• Resilient & Adaptable – You excel in ambiguity, embrace change, and remain composed under pressure while leading teams through evolving priorities.  

• People Leader – You nurture talent, develop high-performing teams, and embody Chanel’s culture of respect, excellence, and creativity.  

What you will bring to the team: 

• 12+ years of experience in luxury merchandising, with strong expertise in Shoes and deep knowledge of the U.S. luxury fashion market.  

• Proven ability to adapt global strategies to local market needs and drive commercial performance.  

• Strong analytical and financial acumen, with experience managing P&L responsibilities.  

• Excellent leadership and communication skills, with experience leading high-performing teams.  

• Deep understanding of U.S. luxury clients, trends, and competitive landscape.  

• Up to 25% regular travel (international and domestic)  

• Bachelor's Degree required, MBA a plus  

Compensation: 

• The anticipated base salary range for this position is 175,000 through 225,000 component of the total compensation for this position. Other forms of variable pay [may/will] be offered for this position. Other components [may/will] include bonus potential, benefits, and/or perks.  

Benefits and Perks:  

• Wellbeing resources include dedicated paid time off for wellbeing for your role: 2-week August Office Closure and a Wellbeing fund   

• Family and care giving benefits (inclusive of parental leave, fertility support, MilkStork, and Care.com Membership)  

• Generous paid time off policies to include vacation, holiday, sick and volunteer days   

• 401K and other incentives   

• Robust healthcare offerings; medical, dental, vision, MDLIVE (virtual care), One Medical, Flexible Spending Accounts (Health Care & Dependent Care), Health Savings Account and Employee Assistance Program  

• Life insurance, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, Health Advocate, International Business Travel Accident & Medical, and Commuter Transit & Parking  

Additional Information:  

Chanel is a private company whose values are grounded in creating the conditions for people to perform at their best and feel fulfilled and confident in their work. We offer a unique work environment where individuals are encouraged to better understand the brand, the business, and motivations, so that together we can unlock the possibilities of growth. This is reflected in:  

Diversity and Inclusion:  

• At CHANEL, we are intentional in promoting Diversity & Inclusion. We foster respect, empathy and dignity for all.  We believe strongly that the diversity of our people across the full spectrum of human differences is essential to our organisation and the connections we have with each other and our clients.   

• We offer Employee Resource Groups in the US that are voluntary, open to all, employee-led groups formed around a shared identity or lived experience, whose aim is to foster a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community aligned with the values and missions of the communities they support.  

Chanel Community:  

• CHANEL Community empowers our employees to channel their passions, talents and sense of purpose to contribute to and learn from our communities.  

• Employees are encouraged to take time off annually to volunteer through CHANEL Community. CHANEL also matches employee donations to select charitable organizations.  

Sustainability: 

• CHANEL Mission 1.5° is our climate action plan. It is focused on transforming the business in line with the ambitions of the Paris Agreement on climate change to limit the average global mean temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. 

• Employees are encouraged to contribute to our US Sustainability efforts at the corporate level and within the divisions, through organized taskforces and initiatives. 

Arts and Culture: 

• We are committed to extending our legacy of cultural engagement. Global support includes the CHANEL Culture Fund, which supports a select group of leading art culture institutions across the globe, and the CHANEL Next Prize for the next generation of creative talent.  US support currently includes Annual sponsorship of the MoMA film program, Tribeca Film Festival programs and Through Her Lens, Support of the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women and Sponsorship of the BAAND Together Dance Festival at Lincoln Center. 

Fondation Chanel: 

• Since 2011, Fondation CHANEL’s mission is for women and girls to be free to shape their own destiny.  Through multi-year partnerships with financial and technical support, Fondation CHANEL is committed to improving the safety and autonomy of women and adolescent girls around the world, impacting over a million women and girls in its first 10 years.    For more information, please navigate to the Fondation Chanel website here   

Career and Leadership Development:  

• We have dedicated in-house teams focused on supporting the onboarding of employees, developing leadership skills via custom programs like Imagine Chanel People, Heart of Leadership and group and individual coaching, and blended online and live classes offered on our Bloom platform and by skilled trainers, such as Shape Your Career, to develop career building skills. 

*Chanel, Inc. benefits and perks are dependent on eligibility and subject to modification by Chanel at any time.