Director Product Discovery and Recommendations

Overview

About PHOENIX

PHOENIX Retail, LLC is a retail platform operating the Express and Bonobos brands worldwide. Express is a multichannel apparel brand dedicated to a design philosophy rooted in modern, confident and effortless style whether dressing for work, everyday or special occasions. Bonobos is a menswear brand known for being pioneers of exceptional fit and a personalized, innovative retail model. Customers can experience our brands in over 400 Express retail and Express Factory Outlet stores, 50 Bonobos Guideshops, and online at and

About Express

Express is a multichannel apparel brand dedicated to creating confidence and inspiring self-expression. Since its launch in 1980, the brand has embraced a design philosophy rooted in modern, confident and effortless style. Whether dressing for work, everyday or special occasions, Express ensures you look and feel your best, wherever life takes you.

The Company operates over 400 retail and outlet stores in the United States and Puerto Rico, the express.com online store and the Express mobile app.

Location Name

Columbus Corporate Headquarters

Responsibilities

The Director of Product Discovery and Recommendations will serve as the strategic architect of our AI/ML‑powered personalization ecosystem. This role will define, manage, and operate the product discovery, search relevance, and recommendation systems of our commerce and marketing touchpoints through intelligent product, placement, and targeting algorithms. You will partner with Engineering, Merchandising, and Content teams to deliver predictive and adaptive systems that drive engagement, conversion, and customer value. You will integrate tried and true technologies such as collaborative filtering with cutting‑edge innovations such as semantic search and computer vision. This role is at the intersection of technology, data, merchandising, and customer experience.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Strategic Roadmap & Execution: Define the long‑term vision for AI personalization. Orchestrate a hybrid ecosystem of proprietary internal data, AI/ML models, and 3rd party technology to drive Customer Acquisition, Retention, and LTV.
• Design and Implementation: Lead the end‑to‑end development of recommendation engines across customer touchpoints including commerce (homepage, PDP, PLP, Cart) messaging (Email, Clientelling) and Mobile App. Define relevance, ranking, and filtering algorithms to improve product discoverability and conversion.
• Technology Strategy: Actively scout, vet, and negotiate with AI/ML vendors. Lead Technology Assessments (RFPs) and Proof of Concept (PoC) testing to compare vendor performance against internal benchmarks.
• Experimentation & Growth: Drive incremental revenue through rigorous A/B testing across PLPs, PDPs, and lifecycle marketing. Design "champion‑challenger" tests to validate internal builds against external solutions.
• Algorithmic & LLM Optimization: Partner with data science to refine sort ranking models and launch LLM‑powered features (e.g., visually similar discovery), leveraging both internal expertise and external APIs.
• Omnichannel Orchestration: Architect a unified experience by leveraging cross‑channel marketing platforms to sync merchandise, commerce, and customer models with external marketing and CRM automation tools.
• Executive Stakeholder Management: Build business cases for investments in technology and translate complex algorithmic performance into actionable insights for C‑level leadership.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, IT or equivalent work experience.
• 10+ years of experience with personalization and recommendation systems.
• Scalable Impact: Proven track record of scaling personalization from pilot to 100% coverage, delivering significant incremental revenue (e.g., $100M+ scale).
• Hybrid Technical Depth: Deep understanding of ML recommendation techniques and the ability to audit both internal code and vendor "black‑box" models.
• Strong understanding of personalization architecture: collaborative filtering, content‑based recommendations, hybrid systems, and emerging AI/ML methodologies.
• Experience with A/B testing methodologies, experimentation frameworks, and statistical analysis.
• Strategic Sourcing: Expert in Vendor Management and technology integration, specifically within the AI/ML, Search, and Discovery space.
• Action Oriented, Data‑Driven Mindset: Mastery of KPI‑driven analytics (AOV, RPV, Conversion) and experimentation frameworks. Ability to translate data insights into actionable product strategies, and the ability to influence at all organizational levels.
• Collaborative Leadership: Skilled at leading cross‑functional teams of Data Scientists, Engineers, and UX Designers while simultaneously managing external partner implementation.
• Background working with global, multi‑brand, or omnichannel retail organizations.
• Familiarity with eCommerce platforms and digital merchandising systems.

BENEFITS & COMPENSATION

PHOENIX offers a range of benefits to help protect full‑time associate's health and long‑term financial security including:

• Medical, pharmacy, dental and vision coverage
• 401(k) and Roth 401(k) with Company match
• Merchandise discount
• Paid Time Off
• Parental leave for new moms and dads

For part‑time associates, PHOENIX is partnering with LIG Solutions to help associates obtain individual insurance coverage that best fits their needs and budget, including major medical, dental, vision, supplemental insurance, life Insurance and more.

Additionally, part‑time associates may be eligible to receive paid sick leave, public health emergency leave and to participate in the 401(k) and Roth 401(k) with Company match.

Part‑time associates are also eligible to receive an Express merchandise discount, participate in our Learn & Earn incentive program, and choose voluntary benefits through YouDecide.

Actual compensation offered is dependent upon a number of factors including, but not limited to, work location, education, relevant skills and experience of the candidate.

Closing

An equal opportunity employer, PHOENIX does not discriminate in recruiting, hiring or any other terms and conditions of employment on the basis of any federal, state, or locally protected characteristic. PHOENIX only hires individuals authorized for employment in the United States. PHOENIX is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you need an accommodation to search and apply for a job position due to a disability, please call and say 'Associate Relations' or send an e‑mail to and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

Notification to Agencies: Please note that PHOENIX does not accept unsolicited resumes or calls from third‑party recruiters or employment agencies. In the absence of a signed Master Service Agreement and approval from HR to submit resumes for a specific requisition, PHOENIX will not consider or approve payment to any third‑parties for hires made.

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