Chanel Senior Director of Boutique Excellence

About Chanel

Chanel is one of the world’s most revered luxury houses, founded by Gabrielle Chanel and distinguished by an enduring vision of elegance, freedom, and modernity. As an employer, the House brings together métiers ranging from haute couture, fashion and leather goods to fragrance, beauty, watches, and fine jewelry, offering employees the opportunity to contribute to a legacy defined by exceptional craftsmanship and creative audacity. Chanel values excellence, discretion, collaboration, and long-term development, fostering an environment where talent is nurtured and heritage is continually reinterpreted for contemporary clients. Its teams are united by a commitment to quality, innovation, and the timeless spirit of the brand.

Role & Responsibilities

• Serve as the Northeast region’s primary Boutique Excellence liaison, aligning corporate priorities with the needs of the regional retail organization.
• Partner with the Head of Retail, Senior Group Directors of Retail, and boutique leaders to establish priorities, drive accountability, and support consistent execution.
• Build a connected community across boutique, lease, and Multi-Brand Select locations by sharing best practices and strengthening consistency in ways of working.
• Translate regional feedback, business needs, and opportunities into actionable insights for the corporate Boutique Excellence team.
• Lead regional operational excellence across boutique standards, inventory controls, Heart of House capabilities, asset protection, maintenance, systems, and policy adherence.
• Conduct regular boutique visits, audits, training, and coaching to identify opportunities, reinforce standards, and support continuous improvement.
• Oversee operational readiness for boutique openings, moves, closures, inventories, and key business events.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to resolve operational challenges and simplify processes, improve the employee experience, and support the client journey.
• Develop regional Operations leaders through hiring, onboarding, development, succession planning, and performance support.
• Partner with the corporate Boutique Excellence Performance team and regional retail leadership on performance management, reporting, and planning.
• Support annual budgets, forecasts, quarterly goal-setting, and regional performance reviews.
• Coordinate boutique-level sales allocation and regional headcount planning with Retail, Finance, and Human Resources.
• Consolidate commercial, operational, and people data to provide regional leaders with performance insights, risks, and opportunities.
• Monitor sales, productivity, inventory accuracy, shrink, damages, operational costs, and workforce metrics, and support action planning.
• Partner with the corporate Boutique Excellence Transformation team to deploy strategic initiatives and new ways of working across the Northeast Region.
• Embed transformation initiatives in boutiques through planning, field communication, training, adoption support, and follow-up.
• Collect, synthesize, and communicate field feedback, identifying risks, resource considerations, and opportunities to improve rollout and long-term adoption.
• Work with the Group Director of Transformation to maintain an integrated field cadence and retail calendar that accounts for boutique capacity, business priorities, and available resources.
• Champion regional change management, helping boutique teams understand the purpose, value, and practical application of new initiatives.

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in multi-store luxury retail, including boutique operations, inventory management, operational controls, and talent development.
• Strong business acumen and the ability to interpret operational, commercial, and people-related performance data to identify opportunities, inform decisions, and drive action.
• Proven ability to influence and build trusted partnerships with senior retail leaders, boutique teams, and corporate cross-functional stakeholders.
• Experience translating strategic priorities into practical field execution while balancing business objectives, boutique capacity, and the employee and client experience.
• Collaborative, highly organized, hands-on leadership style, with sound judgment, strong follow-through, and exceptional attention to detail.
• Continuous-improvement mindset, with the ability to simplify processes, lead change, and strengthen consistency across a multi-boutique network.
• Commitment to CHANEL standards and pragmatism in creating efficient, scalable solutions that enable boutique teams to perform at their best.
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 10+ years of progressive retail leadership experience, including multi-store operations leadership; experience in performance management, planning, or transformation preferred.
• Ability to lead through influence and partner effectively with senior retail, corporate, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Business acumen, including experience with budgeting, forecasting, sales planning, headcount planning, reporting, and retail performance metrics.
• Expertise in retail operations and inventory controls, including reconciliation, cycle counts, shrink, and inventory processes.
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and business-intelligence reporting tools.
• Ability to lead change, translate strategy into field execution, and manage multiple initiatives in a fast-paced environment.
• RFID knowledge preferred.
• Ability to travel up to 50%.
• Hybrid role requiring a minimum of three days per week in boutiques; candidates must reside within the Northeast Region.

Skills

Experience

10+ years of progressive retail leadership experience, including multi-store operations leadership; experience in performance management, planning, or transformation preferred.

Education

Bachelor’s degree required.

Compensation

The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 138,000 to USD 170,000 per annum.

Benefits

Dedicated paid time off for wellbeing; two-week August office closure; wellbeing fund; parental leave, fertility support, MilkStork, and Care.com membership; paid vacation, holidays, sick leave, and volunteer days; 401(k) and other incentives; medical, dental, and vision coverage; MDLIVE virtual care; One Medical; health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts; health savings account; employee assistance program; life insurance; accidental death and dismemberment coverage; short- and long-term disability; Health Advocate; international business travel accident and medical coverage; commuter transit and parking benefits; employee resource groups; annual volunteer time off; matching of employee donations to select charitable organizations; onboarding and leadership development programs, coaching, and online and live classes through the Bloom platform.

Culture

Chanel fosters a culture of timeless creativity, exacting craftsmanship, and quiet excellence, where employees are encouraged to uphold the house’s heritage while contributing to its continued innovation. The workplace environment is refined, collaborative, and deeply committed to quality, offering professionals the opportunity to grow within a globally respected maison that values discretion, artistry, and long-term vision.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.