Director, Retail Marketing Activation

United States·Chicagoexecutive

OtherDirectorMarketing Associate

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Quick Summary

Overview

At Curaleaf, we’re redefining the cannabis industry with a strong commitment to quality, expertise, and innovation. As a leading global cannabis provider, our brands—including Curaleaf, Select, and Grassroots—offer premium products and services in both medical and adult-use markets.

Key Responsibilities

Retail activation strategy and execution In partnership with the Marketing Director, CL Retail Brand , lead the strategy and execution of retail marketing activations across the store fleet Translate retail brand priorities into in-store programs,…

Requirements Summary

10+ years of experience in retail marketing, retail activation, shopper marketing, field marketing, or brand experience Significant experience leading execution across a multi-location retail environment Strong experience partnering across brand,…

Technical Tools

a11y

Join us at Curaleaf to be part of a high-growth, purpose-driven company that champions corporate social responsibility through our Rooted in Good initiative, supporting community outreach and positive change. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact, drive innovation, and help shape the future of cannabis.

Title:Director, Retail Marketing Activation

Full Time

Role Summary

The Director, Retail Marketing Activation leads how the retail brand experience comes to life across the store fleet of 172 Curaleaf dispensaries. Working closely with the Marketing Director, CL Retail Brand, this role translates brand strategy, campaigns, seasonal priorities, and product launches into compelling, customer-centered retail execution that is both brand-right and operationally executable.

This leader oversees a team of 8 Retail Activation Managers and is responsible for building a strong field activation engine across stores and markets. The role sits at the center of CL Retail Brand, Shopper Marketing, Creative, Retail Operations, Merchandising, CRM, and field execution, ensuring that stores consistently deliver a high-quality brand experience while supporting traffic, conversion, basket size, and loyalty.

Key Responsibilities

Retail activation strategy and execution

In partnership with the Marketing Director, CL Retail Brand, lead the strategy and execution of retail marketing activations across the store fleet
Translate retail brand priorities into in-store programs, storytelling, and execution that strengthen the customer experience and support commercial goals
Ensure activations are clear, compelling, and executable across stores with the right balance of consistency and market relevance
Build a retail activation approach that makes stores feel elevated, intentional, and customer-centric, not merely promotional

Campaigns, launches, and seasonal moments

In partnership with the Marketing Director, CL Retail Brand, lead retail activation planning for key campaigns, seasonal moments, product launches, and broader brand initiatives
Develop activation briefs, timelines, toolkits, and execution plans for stores and field teams
Ensure campaigns come to life cohesively across signage, fixtures, events, sampling, digital surfaces, associate communication, and other customer touchpoints
Adapt broader brand direction into practical, high-quality retail execution across the fleet

In-store storytelling and customer journey

Partner closely with Shopper Marketing and Creative to shape how storytelling shows up in-store
Help define how campaign messaging, product stories, merchandising, and customer journey moments work together to create a clear and inspiring path to purchase
Champion a premium, uncluttered, customer-friendly experience that reflects the ambition of the brand
Ensure the store environment supports both discovery and decision-making in ways that feel intuitive and brand-right

Field activation and team leadership

Directly manage a team of 8 Retail Activation Managers responsible for field execution across markets
Set clear priorities, objectives, and ways of working for the activation team
Coach and develop the team to deliver high-quality in-store execution, strong cross-functional coordination, and consistent market feedback
Ensure the team identifies and helps execute local opportunities for community engagement, events, partnerships, and store-specific traffic drivers
Establish clear guardrails so local activation remains relevant and responsive without compromising brand consistency
Ensure flagship, high-priority, and unique-format stores receive the right level of activation support and attention

Cross-functional integration

Serve as a key connector across CL Retail Brand, Shopper Marketing, Creative, Retail Operations, Merchandising, CRM, Planning, and Field Leadership
Partner closely with the Director of CRM to connect retail activation with customer marketing programs that drive traffic into stores, increase engagement, and support priority campaigns and launches
Align activation calendars and priorities with inventory realities, staffing constraints, store readiness, and business needs
Ensure retail activations are grounded in operational realities and can be executed at a high level in-store
Build strong operating rhythms across functions so work moves with clarity, speed, and accountability

Communication, feedback, and continuous improvement

Own store-facing activation communication for key campaigns, launches, and seasonal priorities
Ensure stores and field teams receive clear, simple, and timely direction on what matters most
Manage the field feedback loop through the Retail Activation Managers, using in-store insights to continuously improve tools, formats, standards, and processes
Help build more effective and repeatable activation systems over time, improving both quality and consistency across the fleet

Performance and optimization

Define and track KPIs for retail activation success, including traffic, conversion, attachment, UPT, ATV, sales lift, event productivity, and execution quality
Use customer, store, and market insights to identify what is working, what is not, and where activation can improve
Distill performance into actionable learnings that strengthen future launches, campaigns, and field execution
Balance brand-building ambition with commercial effectiveness in decision-making

Qualifications

10+ years of experience in retail marketing, retail activation, shopper marketing, field marketing, or brand experience
Significant experience leading execution across a multi-location retail environment
Strong experience partnering across brand, creative, operations, and commercial teams
Proven ability to translate brand strategy into strong in-store execution at scale
Experience directly managing field, market, or activation teams
Strong planning, prioritization, and execution discipline
Strong eye for brand expression, customer experience, and in-store storytelling
Strong leadership and coaching capability
Experience in high-growth, premium, or customer-experience-led brands preferred

Success Profile

Brand-minded enough to elevate the in-store experience
Commercially grounded enough to support business performance
Operationally strong enough to deliver consistent execution across the fleet
A strong people leader who can manage and develop a distributed activation team
Highly collaborative and effective across functions
Taste-driven, with a strong instinct for what makes retail feel modern, compelling, and on-brand

What Success Looks Like

Stores feel like a true expression of the retail brand
Campaigns and launches show up in-store with consistency, clarity, and energy
Retail Activation Managers execute at a high level and surface useful market insight back to the organization
Local activation is stronger, more disciplined, and more scalable
Retail activation becomes a meaningful driver of traffic, conversion, and loyalty

Connecticut Hiring Range

$140,000—$155,000 USD