About the role
ONLY LOCAL CANDIDATES WILL BE CONSIDERED
THIS IS A FULLY ON-SITE ROLE. HYBRID AND REMOTE WORK OPTIONS ARE NOT AVAILABLE.
ABOUT BALFOUR & CO.
Since 1913, Balfour & Co. has helped students and their families celebrate life’s most meaningful moments and more than a century later, that mission still drives everything we do. Today, we’re one of the world’s largest collegiate and high school commencement services companies, home to iconic brands including Balfour®, GradImages®, and ArtCarved®. From class jewelry and yearbooks to cap & gowns, apparel, and photography, we turn milestones into keepsakes through digital innovation and deep, lasting school partnerships powered by nearly 5,000 team members across North America.
POSITION SUMMARY
Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer and serving on the executive leadership team, the Chief/Senior Vice President of E-Commerce & Product will own and evolve Balfour & Co.’s E-Commerce, product innovation, and merchandising for Balfour’s product lines.
This executive will set the vision and multi-year roadmap that grows revenue, expands market share, and reimagines a product portfolio spanning class jewelry, yearbooks, caps & gowns, apparel, and photography, while building and leading the organization that brings it to life. As a trusted strategic partner to the CEO, this leader will bring data-driven proposals on growth, licensing, channel expansion, and technology investment directly to the executive team and Board of Directors. Success requires a blend of: P&L command, digital commerce expertise, product and merchandising vision, and the executive presence to shape decisions at the highest levels of the Company.
ESSENTIAL POSITION FUNCTIONS
Strategic Leadership & Executive Partnership
* Serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO and executive leadership team, shaping the Company’s long-term commercial, digital, and product vision. * Develop and present data-driven business cases, growth proposals, and investment recommendations to the CEO, executive team, and Board of Directors. * Work with and lead accomplished leaders in ecommerce and product.
E-Commerce & Digital Strategy
* Set the enterprise strategy for E-Commerce and digital experience across all Company websites and channels, direct-to-consumer (B2C), retail partner (B2B2C), and third-party, directing the leaders of E-Commerce on execution and performance. * Direct expansion into new geographies without established school relationships, in partnership with Sales and school relationship teams, while strengthening the Company’s existing school partnerships.
Product Strategy & Merchandising Oversight
* Set the long-term product and merchandising strategy across the full portfolio, directing the leaders in Product & Merchandising on roadmap execution, innovation, and licensing. * Champion a company-wide culture of innovation, user-centric design, and continuous improvement in how students celebrate their achievements.
Cross-Functional & Board-Level Communication
* Partner with Marketing, Sales, Creative, Finance, and IT leadership to align commercial strategy with company-wide priorities and ensure the site architecture, user interface, and product hierarchy reflect customer needs. * Represent E-Commerce, digital, and product/merchandising performance and strategy in Board meetings and executive leadership reviews.
EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE
* Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred. * 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in E-Commerce, digital commerce, product, or merchandising, including 5+ years in a C-suite or senior executive role reporting to a CEO or Board. * Demonstrated experience owning a P&L and setting enterprise-wide strategy for a multi-channel or multi-brand consumer business. * Deep expertise across digital commerce, product innovation, merchandising, and licensing strategy, with a track record of scaling differentiated, data-informed customer experiences. * Experience in Consumer Products or Retail is required. * Exceptional strategic thinking, problem-solving, and data-driven decision-making skills, with the ability to coordinate and unify marketing, creative, and product strategies into a clear, consistent, holistic company vision.
Join us as Chief/Senior Vice President of E-Commerce & Product and help set the strategic direction for how Balfour & Co. continues to lead the way students commemorate their achievements. Apply now to help shape the future of student celebrations at Balfour & Co.