Director Strategy & Ops Food & Beverage (Chief of Staff)

The Chief of Staff to the SVP of Food & Beverage Merchandising serves as a strategic partner, thought leader, and operational driver for one of Target’s most dynamic and enterprise-impactful businesses. This role plays a critical part in advancing Target’s Food & Beverage growth strategy — driving assortment evolution, upgrading the store experience, accelerating digital growth, and ensuring everyday reliability across the guest experience. The Chief of Staff will lead strategic planning, go to market routines, and enterprise coordination, ensuring Food & Beverage is positioned to deliver on near- and long-term growth goals through strong alignment, disciplined prioritization, and seamless execution. 

Core Responsibilities 

Strategic Leadership & Business Enablement 

• Serve as a key advisor and execution partner to the SVP, driving alignment across senior leaders and ensuring clear connection to enterprise priorities. 

• Shape and operationalize growth planning in partnership with the F&B Strategy and Merchandising leadership teams, balancing enterprise objectives with Food’s unique seasonal cadence and category complexity. 

• Advance F&B merchandising authority, helping to lead assortment evolution across Food & Beverage with an emphasis on newness, trend, and innovation. 

• Represent Food & Beverage priorities across the enterprise — driving clarity on how Food enables Target’s growth, store experience, and guest engagement strategies. 

Operational Excellence & Cadence 

• Establish and manage a reliable operating rhythm across the pyramid, ensuring clarity, accountability, and progress on top initiatives. 

• Lead strategic planning, quarterly business reviews, and key enterprise engagement moments, providing visibility and focus on priorities that move the business forward. 

• Anticipate issues and create proactive solutions, ensuring decisions are informed by data, context, and cross-functional perspectives. 

Store Experience & Enterprise Space Leadership 

• Serve as a thought leader in F&B store experience, influencing investments and coordination through remodels, new stores, and future prototype concept work. 

• Represent Food & Beverage in enterprise conversations related to company space, partnering with Store Design, Properties, and Operations to ensure F&B’s footprint drives enterprise growth and guest connection. 

• Partner with enterprise teams to prioritize and sequence refrigeration, layout, and capital investment decisions that enhance the overall store experience. 

Enterprise & Cross-Functional Partnership 

• Act as a connector between Food & Beverage and enterprise partners, particularly Store Operations, Properties, Supply Chain, and Marketing. 

• Collaborate with enterprise leaders to position Food as a key growth and storytelling engine — driving guest connection through seasonal experiences and store innovation. 

• Work across functions to represent the F&B business in enterprise planning, capital prioritization, and seasonal execution forums. 

Team Leadership & Communication 

• Serve as an objective channel and trusted advisor to the SVP and leadership team, ensuring consistent communication and follow-through on strategic decisions. 

• Drive alignment across the broader pyramid on growth planning, ensuring seasonal transitions and category moments are effectively connected across channels. 

• Foster an inclusive, high-performing culture that values collaboration, clarity, and impact. 

Key Partners 

• SVP, Food & Beverage Merchandising 

• Food & Beverage Leadership Team 

• Enterprise Strategy & Operations 

• Store Operations & Properties 

• Marketing & Guest Insights 

• Supply Chain & Global Capabilities 

• HR, Finance, and Communications partners 

About You 

• 8+ years of experience in Merchandising, Operations, Strategy, or related fields 

• Proven ability to navigate and influence at senior levels across a complex, matrixed organization 

• Strategic thinker with strong operational discipline and bias for action 

• Deep merchandising acumen with a passion for trend, innovation, and guest relevance 

• Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, able to represent Food & Beverage across the enterprise 

• Collaboration mindset with the ability to connect business goals to guest impact 
  Comfort managing through ambiguity, with a focus on clarity, connection, and outcomes 

This position will operate as a Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement based on Target’s needs. A Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement means the team member’s core role will need to be performed both onsite at the Target HQ MN location the role is assigned to and virtually, depending upon what your role, team and tasks require for that day. Work duties cannot be performed outside of the country of the primary work location, unless otherwise prescribed by Target. Click here if you are curious to learn more about Minnesota.