Assistant Manager, Visual Merchandising, Travel Retail SEAOC

Job description

Position Overview The Assistant Manager, Visual Merchandising – Travel Retail SEAOC is responsible for driving best-in-class Visual Merchandising execution across the Southeast Asia & Oceania Travel Retail region. Working closely with the Commercial, Marketing, and Regional Store Design & VM teams , as well as external partners, the role translates Guerlain's global brand vision into impactful and commercially relevant executions across airports and Travel Retail environments. The position covers the full spectrum of Visual Merchandising activities, including product launches, permanent counters, animations and pop-ups, new store openings and renovations, visual updates, soft merchandising, and VM-related operational coordination. The role requires a strong balance of a esthetic sensitivity, operational excellence, and commercial awareness, with the ability to manage multiple projects across different countries and cultures within SEAOC while maintaining Guerlain's brand image and delivering against business priorities. Key Responsibilities 1. Visual Merchandising Excellence & Brand Guardianship Ensure consistent and high-quality execution of Guerlain's Visual Merchandising standards across all Travel Retail SEAOC doors. Translate and adapt Regional VM guidelines to SEAOC Travel Retail while maintaining brand DNA. Partner with the Regional and Global VM teams to understand new guidelines, launches, visual assets, Axis rules, and merchandising principles, and ensure effective implementation across SEAOC. Execute planograms, display guidelines, visual references, artwork, and Axis rules across the region. Follow up on market execution and proactively identify opportunities to improve visibility, customer experience, and overall retail excellence. Provide practical VM solutions according to individual store conditions, including space constraints, assortment, stock availability, customer profile, and business priorities. Ensure VM execution supports both brand image and commercial objectives, with particular attention to key categories, launches, and strategic products. 2. Launch Development & Execution Manage the adaptation, production, allocation, and implementation of launch materials and soft POSM across SEAOC markets. Adapt Regional assets where required, including cropping, sizing, language requirements, and Travel Retail SEAOC-specific formats. Develop clear launch display guidelines and planograms for Retail Managers, Beauty Consultants, retailers, and local partners to ensure consistent execution. Coordinate closely with Marketing, Commercial, and Regional teams to determine launch priorities and VM requirements by market and door. Monitor launch implementation and follow up on execution quality, rectification, and completion. Maintain systematic launch and VM photo reports for Regional review. 3. Animations, Pop-ups & High-Profile Projects Manage VM development and execution for animations, pop-ups, podiums, High-Profile Promotions (HPP), and retailer-specific activations across SEAOC. Act as the key VM contact between Regional teams, retailers, agencies, and vendors throughout project development and execution. Translate commercial and marketing objectives into impactful visual executions while ensuring compliance with Guerlain's brand standards. Review retailer technical requirements, site conditions, and proposed layouts, and provide VM recommendations. Manage projects end-to-end, including design adaptation, technical review, production, installation, on-site execution, snagging, and rectification. Challenge and improve proposals where appropriate, identifying creative and cost-effective alternatives without compromising brand image. Ensure projects are delivered according to agreed timelines, quality standards, and budgets. Conduct post-project reviews and maintain documentation and execution records. 4. New Store Openings, Renovations & Permanent Counters Support VM planning for new store openings, renovations, relocations, and counter upgrades across the SEAOC region. Work closely with the Regional Store Design & VM team to review VM requirements for new counter and boutique concepts. Review VM planograms, visual placements, product displays, and merchandising layouts to ensure operational and commercial effectiveness. Prepare opening VM requirements, including campaign visuals, product displays, PVM, planograms, videos, and other soft merchandising elements. Coordinate VM tools and collateral required for each opening and ensure readiness according to the project timeline. Support on-site VM set-up for strategic openings and renovations. Identify and resolve inconsistencies between Store Design, hard merchandising, and soft merchandising requirements before opening. Support VM-related operational works and upgrades for existing counters to continuously improve store image and retail effectiveness. 5. Market Execution & Retail Excellence Partner closely with Commercial and Marketing teams to understand market performance, retailer priorities, and business opportunities, and translate these into relevant VM actions. Conduct regular market and store visits to assess execution quality and identify improvement opportunities. Provide hands-on VM support and coaching to Retail Managers, Beauty Consultants, and local partners. Monitor the condition and relevance of VM materials across doors and proactively recommend replacements or updates. Review competitor activities, launches, animations, and retail environments to identify relevant trends and best practices. Ensure VM execution reflects the specific dynamics of Travel Retail, including passenger flow, visibility, customer journey, category adjacencies, and retailer requirements. Provide clear and actionable feedback following market visits and follow through on agreed corrective actions. 6. Vendor, Production & Logistics Management Manage VM vendors for soft POSM, printing, adaptations, installations, and other VM-related production. Manage production timelines, quotations, procurement processes, and invoice follow-up where applicable. Coordinate logistics and distribution of VM materials across SEAOC markets. Maintain accurate records of VM materials, production, and allocation where required. Cross-Functional Collaboration Build strong working relationships with: Commercial Team – aligning VM priorities with retailer strategy, sales opportunities, and business performance. Marketing Team – ensuring launches, campaigns, and activations are executed consistently with the marketing calendar. Regional Store Design & VM Team – partnering closely to adapt Regional/Global guidelines to SEAOC market needs, while coordinating permanent counter projects, renovations, VM implementation, and technical requirements. Retailers, Agencies & Vendors – ensuring efficient project execution and high-quality delivery. Profile Experience Minimum 3–5 years of relevant Visual Merchandising experience , preferably within luxury beauty, cosmetics, fashion, retail, or Travel Retail. Experience managing VM projects from concept adaptation through production and on-site execution. Experience working across multiple countries and cultures and with external vendors is strongly preferred. Exposure to airport retail, Travel Retail, or luxury retail environments would be an advantage. Technical Skills Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Knowledge of SketchUp and/or InDesign is preferred. Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly PowerPoint and Excel. Ability to review technical drawings, artwork, layouts, and production specifications. Good understanding of VM production materials, printing, and installation processes. Competencies Strong visual sensitivity with a good understanding of luxury brand aesthetics and retail presentation. Commercially minded, with the ability to connect VM execution with customer experience and business performance. Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple markets and projects simultaneously. Proactive, hands-on, and solution-oriented. Able to work independently and take ownership of projects while collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams. Strong communication and stakeholder management skills. Detail-oriented, with high standards for execution and quality. Comfortable working in a fast-paced, multi-country and multicultural environmen t with tight deadlines. Flexible and willing to travel regularly across Southeast Asia & Oceania for market visits, installations, and store openings.