Director, Retail Marketing Activation Chicago, IL

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.

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.

Director, Retail Marketing Activation

Full Time

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.

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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…