Program Manager - Sales & Styling - Customer Cultivation Manager East Coast- Hybrid

Customer Cultivation Manager- The East Coast VIC Customer Cultivation Manager is a strategic leader responsible for deepening relationships with Nordstrom’s most valuable customers (VICs), emerging VICs, and their stylists. This role drives regional cultivation strategies through coaching in-store VIC leads, owning event strategies including client nominations and preparation, and hosting clients and stylists at domestic and international selling events to deliver an exceptional luxury experience. Success requires strong emotional intelligence, relationship-building skills, and the ability to operate with urgency and discretion in a dynamic, competitive market. Regular travel across the East Coast is required. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Regional VIC Strategy & Execution 

• Lead East Coast cultivation efforts, tailoring strategies to regional customer behavior and market opportunities. 

• Maintain balance across mid-tier and emerging VICs, identifying growth opportunities. 

• Partner with store leadership and styling teams to ensure consistent execution of VIC standards.

Coaching & In-Store Partnership 

• Coach in-store VIC leads, including Styling Program Managers, Designer Department Managers, Area Sales Managers, and top stylists. 

• Provide actionable guidance and best practices to elevate client cultivation behaviors. 

Event Strategy & Hosting 

• Own VIC event strategies for the East Coast region, including client nominations, selection, and preparation. 

• Host domestic and international selling events, ensuring the highest level of customer experience and Nordstrom representation. 

• Partner with stores and brand teams to maximize event impact and apply learnings to future planning. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Partner closely with the VIC Program Manager, Sr. Program Manager – High Value Customer Cultivation, West Coast Customer Cultivation Manager, and VIC Program Admins to ensure alignment and seamless execution of initiatives. 

• Share insights and best practices across regions to drive consistency and elevate program performance. 

Relationship Development 

• Cultivate trust-based relationships with top customers and stylists. 

• Support stylists in identifying emerging VICs and building personalized engagement plans. 

Data & Communications 

• Use customer and program data to inform strategy and drive action. 

• Lead internal communications for East Coast VIC initiatives to ensure clarity and alignment. 

COMPETENCIES: 

• Brings People Together: Fosters a respectful, positive, transparent and collaborative environment. Displays humility, adaptability, unquestionable ethics & integrity. Is selfless in approach and lives the company values. Can handle highly sensitive and confidential information with discretion. 

• Track Record of Success: Demonstrated ability to complete tasks and projects with urgency -exceeding expectations and delivering business results. Experience working on high profile projects  

• Solid Judgement & Instincts: Proven ability to gather information and bring forward recommendations to find the “right” path, particularly when there are different/competing points of view. Comfortable managing ambiguity and uncertainty. Confidence to navigate a vast array of information and stakeholders. Identifies broad impact of decisions and implications for people and teams internally and externally. 

• Communications Expertise: Is great at storytelling, strategy, and execution across written, verbal and social mediums internally and externally. 

• Organization Skills: Builds partnerships, aligns difficult groups, builds consensus and trust, and keeps the pulse of a large group. 

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• A Bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of related experience (e.g., VIC and or Designer Experience, program management, merchandising). 

• Strong business acumen and demonstrated success in implementation. 

• Ability to create effective relationships, influence and collaborate internally and externally  

• Demonstrated strong capability in verbal and written communications skills for a large, multi-discipline organization. 

• Strong analytical ability and proficiency in telling the story through PowerPoint 

• Ability to create effective relationships, influence and collaborate internally and externally at all organizational levels.