Vice President of Retail (New York)

Olfactory NYC is a refreshing take on modern perfumery. We offer a unique, bespoke experience in personal scent creation — allowing guests to combine fine fragrance with their individuality. We partner with world-renowned perfumers and use the highest quality oils to create one-of-a-kind fragrances that are as unique as each one of us. We are looking for an experienced retail leader to own and scale the in-store business at Olfactory NYC. This is an exciting opportunity to join a small, growing brand with a proven track record.

Olfactory NYC is looking for a Vice President of Retail to lead the performance, operations, and growth of our store network, with full P&L responsibility.

This senior leadership role oversees 12 existing locations and approximately 120 employees, with plans to open 3–5 new stores annually. Leading through three direct reports, the VP of Retail will drive store performance, build a strong retail organization, and ensure our in-store experience continues to evolve as we grow.

The ideal candidate is a commercially minded retail leader who combines strategic thinking with a hands-on approach and thrives in a fast-growing, entrepreneurial environment.

• Own sales, profitability, customer experience, and operational performance across all stores.
• Establish clear KPIs and performance standards across the network.
• Use store and customer data to improve conversion, productivity, repeat business, and store economics.
• Maintain a strong presence in stores and close partnership with Regional Retail Directors and store leadership.

• Lead the operational execution of 3–5 new store openings annually.
• Build a scalable store-opening playbook covering staffing, training, launch, and ramp-up.
• Partner with the CEO and real estate team on new markets and locations.
• Track new-store performance and quickly address opportunities or challenges.

• Lead and develop two Regional Retail Directors and a Director of People.
• Build a strong pipeline of store managers and retail talent.
• Partner with the Director of People on hiring, onboarding, training, retention, and career development.
• Develop the organizational structure needed to support growth to 15–20 stores.

• Work closely with marketing to translate brand initiatives, promotions, and local activations into store traffic and sales.
• Partner with digital/e-commerce to create a connected customer experience across stores and online.
• Collaborate with events and corporate sales on in-store programming.
• Partner with finance on budgets, forecasting, and retail costs.
• Serve as the voice of retail on the leadership team.

• 15+ years of progressive retail leadership experience, including significant multi-store responsibility at the VP or equivalent level.
• Experience in beauty, fragrance, specialty, or experiential retail.
• Proven success building high-performing retail teams and developing strong store leadership.
• Experience opening and scaling stores across multiple markets.
• Strong command of retail P&Ls, store economics, KPIs, and performance management.
• Experience leading through Regional Directors or similar layered organizations.
• Strong cross-functional experience with marketing, digital/e-commerce, finance, and people teams.
• Familiarity with Shopify or comparable retail systems and reporting tools.
• Entrepreneurial, collaborative, and comfortable balancing strategy with time in the stores.

• Competitive base salary plus performance-based bonus.
• Health, dental, and vision benefits.
• Generous employee fragrance discount.
• NYC-based hybrid schedule with regular store travel.
• A leadership role in shaping the next phase of a rapidly growing experiential retail brand.

First 30 Days — Learn the Business

Get into the stores, meet the teams, understand performance, and identify the biggest opportunities.

Days 31–60 — Build the Foundation

Align the retail leadership team, assess the organization, and establish clear priorities and operating rhythms.

Days 61–90 — Set the Direction

Present a 12-month retail plan covering store performance, new openings, team development, organizational needs, and investment priorities.

This is an opportunity to shape the next generation of Olfactory NYC’s retail business and help scale a distinctive experiential fragrance concept across the U.S.

We’re looking for a retail leader who brings commercial discipline, strong people leadership, and the energy to build something special.

Please submit your resume and a brief cover note describing the retail organization you are most proud of building, the challenges you faced, and the impact you made.

Olfactory NYC is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.