How much does a Merchandising Director make in Chicago, IL? The average Merchandising Director salary in Chicago, IL is $203,226 as of March 26, 2024, but the range typically falls between $180,231 and $232,647. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target. 

Merchandising Director Salaries by Percentile
Percentile Salary Location Last Updated
10th Percentile Merchandising Director Salary $159,295 Chicago,IL March 26, 2024
25th Percentile Merchandising Director Salary $180,231 Chicago,IL March 26, 2024
50th Percentile Merchandising Director Salary $203,226 Chicago,IL March 26, 2024
75th Percentile Merchandising Director Salary $232,647 Chicago,IL March 26, 2024
90th Percentile Merchandising Director Salary $259,433 Chicago,IL March 26, 2024
25% $180,231 10% $159,295 90% $259,433 75% $232,647 $203,226 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click
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What skills does a Merchandising Director need?

Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.

1.

Leadership: Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.

2.

Visual Merchandising: Visual merchandising is the practice in the retail industry of developing floor plans and three-dimensional displays in order to maximize sales. Both goods and services can be displayed to highlight their features and benefits. The purpose of such visual merchandising is to attract, engage, and motivate the customer towards making a purchase. Visual merchandising commonly occurs in retail spaces such as stores.

3.

Professional Development: Professional development refers to continuing education and career training after a person has entered the workforce in order to help them develop new skills, stay up-to-date on current trends, and advance their career.

Leadership 13.09%
Visual Merchandising 2.47%
Professional Development 0.24%
Others 84.2%

Job Description for Merchandising Director

Merchandising Director directs and develops merchandising plans and operational systems to achieve financial objectives. Utilizes sales, research, and trend analytics to develop strategies for merchandise categories and optimize product assortments. Being a Merchandising Director develops merchandise plans and pricing that support key strategic initiatives, launches, top sellers, seasonal campaigns, and trends. Partners across functions to manage vendor relationships, identify new vendors, and negotiate favorable contract terms. Additionally, Merchandising Director requires a bachelor's degree in marketing, merchandising, business or other related field. Typically reports to top management. The Merchandising Director manages a departmental sub-function within a broader departmental function. Creates functional strategies and specific objectives for the sub-function and develops budgets/policies/procedures to support the functional infrastructure. To be a Merchandising Director typically requires 5+ years of managerial experience. Deep knowledge of the managed sub-function and solid knowledge of the overall departmental function. (Copyright 2024 Salary.com)... View full job description

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Job Openings for Merchandising Director in Chicago, IL

Career Path for Merchandising Director

A career path is a sequence of jobs that leads to your short- and long-term career goals. Some follow a linear career path within one field, while others change fields periodically to achieve career or personal goals.

For Merchandising Director, the upper level is Merchandising Senior Director and then progresses to Top Merchandising Executive.

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Merchandising Director salary varies from city to city. Compared with national average salary of Merchandising Director, the highest Merchandising Director salary is in San Francisco, CA, where the Merchandising Director salary is 25.0% above. The lowest Merchandising Director salary is in Miami, FL, where the Merchandising Director salary is 3.5% lower than national average salary.

City, State Compared to national average
City, State San Francisco, CA Compared to national average
+ 25.0%
City, State Washington, DC Compared to national average
+ 11.3%
City, State Miami, FL Compared to national average
-3.5%
City, State Chicago, IL Compared to national average
+ 4.9%
City, State Boston, MA Compared to national average
+ 12.1%
City, State New York, NY Compared to national average
+ 16.8%
City, State Dallas, TX Compared to national average
-1.3%

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Understand the total compensation opportunity for a Merchandising Director, base salary plus other pay elements

Average Base Salary

Core compensation

 
 
 
180231
232647
203226

Average Total Cash Compensation

Includes base and annual incentives

 
 
 
205580
277823
235799
These charts show the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Merchandising Director in Chicago, IL. The base salary for Merchandising Director ranges from $180,231 to $232,647 with the average base salary of $203,226. The total cash compensation, which includes base, and annual incentives, can vary anywhere from $205,580 to $277,823 with the average total cash compensation of $235,799.
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180231
232647

 

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About Chicago, Illinois    Chicago (/ʃɪˈkɑːɡoʊ/ (listen), locally also /-ˈkɔː-/), officially the City of Chicago, is the most populous city in Illinois, as well as the third mos....More

Chicago, Illinois  area prices were up 0.8% from a year ago    View the Cost of Living in Chicago, Illinois

Merchandising Director Salary in popular cities: AuroraRockfordJoliet

Skills associated with Merchandising Director: Demand Forecasting, Strategy Development, Strategic Planning, Replenishment and Ordering ...More

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