New York Botanical Garden Careers

The Vice President of Retail, E-Commerce & Brand Licensing will be responsible for overseeing the Garden’s Retail strategy and related operations. This role manages all internal functions related to the creation, sourcing and production of retail merchandise, including in-house product development, as well as leading deal negotiations and collaborative creative development processes with external licensed product partners. This role oversees the internal team that operates the day-to-day operations of the NYBG Shop, collaborates with the staffers responsible for the Garden’s e-commerce and social media retail platforms, and manages the relationship with an external firm tasked with growing NYBG’s licensed product program.

This position supports, through actions and conduct, NYBG’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility initiatives and helps to build and maintain an inclusive organization culture throughout the institution.

• Drive global strategy for continued growth of licensed product program in new markets, including licensing deals, potential pop-ups, co-branded experiences, etc.
• Establish key e-commerce KPIs to help inform internal resourcing and operations in this area; Develop plan to grow e-commerce across NYBG.org, social media sales platforms, etc.
• Manage the Garden’s overall retail operation and provide supervision and mentorship to the store management team to ensure a high level of customer service, and the presentation of a modern, well-ordered and inviting Garden Shop.
• Leverage the institution’s new brand architecture to increase on-site visitor spending, especially among NYBG-branded products that help further institutional awareness out in the world.
• Work collaboratively with NYBG’s Marketing and Creative Team on product development for new Shop items, as well as creative development for licensed product collaborations.
• Work with the Chief Marketing Officer to establish new strategies and an internal rubric for the types of product categories and related mission-aligned products that NYBG should be carrying on-site and online.
• Analyze category and product efficiency across the NYBG Shop and e-commerce platforms.
• Develop and achieve annual and long-range financial Retail goals, while working with internal Finance team on quarterly, weekly and exhibition-related goal reporting.
• Manage the team responsible for buying, stocking, and shelving the Garden Shop and liaise with Senior Director, NYBG Shop to supervise various buyers of the Shop’s gifts, homewares, books, plants, apparel, gardening products, etc.
• Manage ongoing business relationships with key outside retail vendors; Forge new relationships with a diverse range of new vendors, including local, Bronx-based companies.
• Represent the Garden at select retail conferences and events; As budget allows, conduct targeted buying trips to ensure NYBG stays ahead of the curve in selling mission-aligned new products that cannot be found at other gardens or cultural institutions.

• Experience with both brick-and-mortar retail sales and e-commerce platforms.
• Keen understanding of best practices in digital retail tactics and ability to work collaboratively with marketing staffers.
• Experience working with licensing partners, collaborative brand development processes, etc.
• Must be proficient in the quantitative and qualitative aspects of merchandising, be accustomed to managing P&L reports, and have fluency in various e-commerce systems and sales platforms (e.g. BigCommerce, Shopify, Amazon).
• College degree preferred with 8-10 years of managerial retail experience.
• Working knowledge of gardens, gardening and garden products, including books and plants, ideal.
• Understanding of sustainably sourced and manufactured products.
• Some cultural institution or similar retail experience preferred, but not required.

• 20 Vacation Days
• 13 Paid Holidays
• 12 Sick Days
• Health and Dental Insurance Coverage
• 401K
• Pension Plan

Salary is commensurate with experience within the following range: $193,500 - $215,000
 

If you require an accommodation for any part of the application process, please notify the Human Resources department at [email protected].   

If you are interested in applying for a position at the New York Botanical Garden, please go to http://www.nybg.org/employment to submit your application.   

EOE/BIPOC/F/Persons with disabilities/Veterans