At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead retail operations, optimise processes, and ensure exceptional customer experiences.
- Company: Join Angling Direct, a growing retail business passionate about excellence.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, bonus opportunities, and a supportive work environment.
- Other info: Exciting opportunity for career growth and influence in a dynamic team.
- Why this job: Shape the future of retail and drive meaningful improvements across stores.
- Qualifications: Experience in multi-site retail operations and strong leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 59400 - 72600 £ per year.
Lead the Engine Room Behind a Growing Retail Business
At Angling Direct, we're passionate about delivering exceptional experiences to our customers and creating stores that are safe, efficient and easy to run.
As we continue to grow, we are looking for an experienced and commercially focused Head of Retail Operations & Facilities to take ownership of the systems, processes, assets and standards that keep our retail estate operating at its best.
This is a pivotal leadership role at the heart of our retail operation.
You will be responsible for creating a safe, simple, efficient and consistently executed operating environment across our stores, ensuring colleagues can focus on what matters most: serving our customers.
Working closely with the COO, Heads of Operations and support centre teams, you will drive operational excellence, optimise labour deployment, lead facilities management, improve execution standards and deliver meaningful business improvements across our nationwide estate.
- What You'll Be Doing
- Retail Operations & Governance
- Own and continuously improve the retail operating model and store operating procedures.
- Ensure operational standards are clear, practical and consistently executed.
- Coordinate and prioritise store workloads to protect peak trading periods and maximise productivity.
- Lead business continuity planning and critical incident response processes.
- Labour Planning & Performance
- Develop seasonal payroll budgets and store deployment strategies.
- Monitor productivity, payroll performance and operational efficiency.
- Support the setting of store targets, budgets and performance expectations.
- Manage manager and colleague bonus processes, ensuring accuracy and transparency.
- Change & Continuous Improvement
- Lead the operational delivery of retail projects, new initiatives and business change programmes.
- Ensure new processes, services and technology are introduced successfully into stores.
- Identify opportunities to simplify processes and reduce non-value-adding activity.
- Track benefits realisation and continuous improvement initiatives across the estate.
- Merchandising & Space Planning
- Lead and support the Merchandising and Space Planning function.
- Ensure store layouts, fixtures and merchandising standards are commercially effective and operationally practical.
- Drive compliance with store standards and layout requirements.
- Communications & Colleague Engagement
- Own all central communications to stores, ensuring messages are relevant, coordinated and easy to action.
- Produce weekly retail bulletins and operational updates.
- Support retail conferences, engagement activities and leadership communications.
- Facilities & Asset Management
- Lead the facilities management strategy across a multi-site retail estate.
- Manage maintenance providers, contractors and service partners.
- Control facilities budgets, capital expenditure and asset replacement programmes.
- Ensure stores remain operational, safe and compliant through effective supplier management and planned maintenance.
- Compliance, Safety & Resilience
- Partner with Health & Safety, HR and Security teams to maintain legal and policy compliance.
- Drive adherence to statutory inspections, maintenance schedules and contractor controls.
- Support effective incident management and operational resilience.
- Sustainability & Energy Management
- Lead operational initiatives that reduce energy consumption and improve environmental performance.
- Monitor utilities usage and identify opportunities for efficiency savings.
What We're Looking For
We're seeking a highly capable operations leader with a track record of managing complex retail environments and driving improvement across multi-site locations.
Essential Experience
- Significant experience in multi-site retail operations.
- Experience within a central retail operations, operational support or retail leadership role.
- Proven ability to translate strategy into practical, executable store operations.
- Strong understanding of facilities management, compliance and operational risk.
- Experience leading business change, projects and continuous improvement programmes.
- Strong financial and commercial awareness, including budget ownership and supplier management.
- Advanced analytical and reporting skills, including Excel and Power Point.
- Experience utilising data, BI tools and AI-enabled technologies to support decision making.
- Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills.
- Personal Attributes
- Commercially astute and customer focused.
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
- Confident leading through influence across multiple functions.
- Results-driven and highly organised.
- Clear communicator with the ability to engage stakeholders at all levels.
- Passionate about operational excellence and continuous improvement.
Why Join Angling Direct?
This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of retail operations within a growing and ambitious business.
You'll have the opportunity to influence strategic decisions, drive meaningful improvements across our stores and play a key role in supporting our continued success.
If you're a proven retail operations leader who thrives on improving performance, simplifying processes and delivering results, we'd love to hear from you.
Location
Norwich Head Office (3 days) / Field Based (2 days)
Salary
Competitive + Bonus + Benefits
Reports to
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Apply today and help us build the future of retail excellence at Angling Direct.
Head of Retail Operations & Facilities in Norwich employer: Premium site
Angling Direct is an exceptional employer for those passionate about fishing, offering a collaborative and supportive work environment in Birmingham. As a Sales Advisor, you'll not only share your expertise with fellow anglers but also enjoy generous staff discounts and the opportunity to earn quarterly commissions based on your performance. Join us in inspiring others to enjoy the great outdoors while growing your career in the thriving angling industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Retail Operations & Facilities in Norwich
✨Get Your Retail Game On
Start by getting to know the local retail scene. Make a list of stores that align with your vibe and visit them. You'll be surprised at how many job openings come from chatting with staff or managers in-store. Plus, showing that you have a genuine interest in their brand can make you stand out when applying for that full-time role!
✨Join Retail Networks and Forums
Tap into retail-specific communities and forums, whether online or in-person. Platforms like Retail Week or local retail meetups can provide invaluable insights and connections. You never know who might drop a tip about an upcoming job at companies like Premium site, so don’t miss out on building those relationships!
✨Be Ready for Busy Season Opportunities
Keep your eyes peeled for seasonal hiring windows, especially in the run-up to major shopping periods. Retailers often look for full-time staff to carry through busy times and may even keep you on after the season. Stay proactive by regularly checking in with your favourite retailers about their hiring plans.
✨Show Off Your Customer Service Skills
Retail’s all about customer interactions, so make sure you showcase any relevant experience in your conversations and interviews. Share specific examples of your customer service skills and how they’ve led to positive outcomes. This is your moment to shine when applying to roles at places like Premium site!
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Retail Operations & Facilities in Norwich
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Customer Service Skills:In retail, customer service is key! Make sure your CV highlights any experience where you've dealt with customers, whether it’s resolving issues or enhancing the shopping experience. Use concrete examples to demonstrate your problem-solving skills and ability to handle difficult situations with ease.
Tailor Your CV for Retail:When applying for a full-time role like this one at Premium site, customise your CV to reflect retail-specific buzzwords. Include any relevant skills such as inventory management or visual merchandising, and if you have experience with POS systems, shout about it! This will show you’re serious about joining the retail team.
Craft a Genuine Cover Letter:Don’t just repeat your CV in your cover letter! Use it as a chance to explain why you're excited about the opportunity at Premium site and how your values align with their brand. Mention specific aspects of the company that resonate with you and let your enthusiasm shine through!
Highlight Your Adaptability:In retail, things can get busy and unpredictable, so demonstrate how adaptable and flexible you are. Share examples of times you've had to adjust your approach on the fly or take on new responsibilities. This will show Premium site that you’re ready to jump in and contribute right away!
How to prepare for a job interview at Premium site
✨Show Off Your Customer Service Skills
Retail is all about providing an exceptional customer experience, so be ready to discuss your past customer service stories. We should have examples on hand of how we've handled difficult situations or gone above and beyond to meet a customer's needs. These anecdotes will bring your application to life!
✨Familiarity with Point of Sale Systems
Many retail roles require us to work with Point of Sale (POS) systems, so it's a good idea to brush up on any relevant software you’ve used before. If you’re familiar with systems like Shopify or Square, don’t forget to mention this during the interview. Highlighting technical proficiency can set us apart from other candidates!
✨Understand Product Knowledge
Be prepared to discuss the products that the store sells and how we can contribute to their sales. Showing enthusiasm for the products and a willingness to learn can impress interviewers. We should research popular items or trends in the industry before the interview, so we can speak confidently about them.
✨Be Ready for Role-Playing Scenarios
Many retail interviews include role-playing scenarios where we might have to deal with a difficult customer or upsell a product. Practising these scenarios with a friend or family member can help us feel more comfortable. The key here is to showcase our problem-solving skills and ability to remain calm under pressure!
