Senior Manager of Communications & Programming

Responsibilities

• Leads Marketing strategy & Geographic programming for new store openings, remodels, and targeted store-specific programs, ensuring alignment, readiness, and disciplined execution across Facilities, Operations, Marketing, and Store Leadership.
• Direct and optimize New Store & remodel strategy across owned and paid channels, leveraging performance insights and data-informed analysis to refine launch plans, adjust activation strategies, and improve results.
• Serves as the communications liaison for store leadership before, during, and after launches—providing strategic guidance, clear expectations, and execution confidence.
• Establish and evolve playbooks, timelines, and communication frameworks that standardize best practices, improve speed to market, and enable consistent, high-quality in-store and market activation.
• Lead social and reputation monitoring strategy, identifying emerging trends, systemic risks, and opportunities that impact guest trust and brand perception.
• Anticipate issues before they escalate, proactively equipping internal partners with context, strategic guidance, and recommended messaging to enable timely, aligned responses.
• Leverage insights as points of feedback to influence future business decisions. Act as the escalation authority for internal and third-party monitoring teams, ensuring alignment, accountability, and consistent brand representation.
• Lead internal communications operations, setting priorities and overseeing daily workflow for the Internal Communications Coordinator to ensure disciplined intake, review, and distribution.
• Establish and enforce communication standards, ensuring all internal messaging reflects brand voice, execution clarity, and operational accuracy.
• Champion and innovate the use of AI and technology to evolve and strengthen communication acceptance and impact at store level.
• Own internal communications platforms and governance, including content strategy, system stewardship, and ongoing optimization for tools such as the Lowes Foods Hub and KJ’s IGA Hub.
• Partner cross-functionally to strengthen execution, reducing redundancy, increasing relevance, and improving how information reaches store teams.
• Ensure proactive store-level communication support for Marketing program launches, campaigns, and enterprise initiatives, enabling confident execution at the front line.
• Collaborate and drive change management across channels and tactics that supports New Store and geographic specific programming, improving sales performance and execution efficiency.
• Champion and socialize evolution in cross-functional planning processes, helping teams understand what is changing, why it matters, and how success will be measured.
• Serve as a steady change leader, balancing innovation with operational discipline to move the organization from legacy practices toward test-and-learn, scalable solutions.
• Build a high-performing team and operating model, identifying talent, tools, and technologies that improve workflows, reduce friction, and drive measurable results.
• Coach, mentor, and develop team members, fostering ownership, strategic thinking, and career growth.
• Create capacity for the future, enabling the team to operate with greater autonomy while allowing leadership focus to shift toward enterprise strategy and transformation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, or a related field; advanced degree a plus.
• 6–10+ years of progressive experience in marketing, communications, or brand leadership roles within a multi-unit, retail, or consumer-driven organization.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives, influencing stakeholders across Marketing, Operations, Facilities, Merchandising, and Store Leadership.
• Strong experience developing and executing go-to-market strategies, including new store openings, program launches, and market-level activations.
• Proven ability to translate data, insights, and performance results into clear recommendations and strategic adjustments.
• Experience with social media platforms such as Soci, Hootsuite etc.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft business suite & Canva.