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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead retail operations, ensuring stores run smoothly and customers have an amazing experience.
- Company: Join a dynamic retail brand focused on operational excellence and customer satisfaction.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, full-time hours, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of retail innovation and make a real impact in our stores.
- Qualifications: 4-6 years in retail operations with strong communication and organisational skills.
- Other info: Fast-paced environment with a focus on continuous improvement and teamwork.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
The Retail Operations Lead plays a critical role in building, scaling, and optimising the operational excellence of our retail stores. This person ensures that all stores operate efficiently, deliver an outstanding customer experience, and execute brand and operational standards consistently. Working closely with the Retail Strategy and Operations Manager, you will support strategic initiatives while driving day-to-day operational excellence and continuous improvement across our growing store teams.
Key Responsibilities
- Operational Support & Coordination: Support the daily operations of US and UK stores, ensuring alignment with company standards and processes. Act as the primary operational contact for UK and US retail teams, providing clear guidance and timely support. Partner with Store Managers to ensure operational consistency and compliance. Coordinate weekly retail updates, announcements, and operational communications via Zipline, ensuring messages are clear, timely, and engaging. Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Merchandising, VM, HR, Marketing) to ensure store teams are kept up to date on key dates, events and updates.
- Logistics & Warehouse Coordination: Liaise with the warehouse to manage deliveries and stock movements for UK stores. Act as the central point of contact for logistics and shipments, ensuring clear and timely communication on all deliveries and shipments. Facilitate communication between warehouse and store teams, ensuring timelines, launch schedules, and priorities are clear. Continuously review best practices and flag opportunities for improvements. Support resolution of delivery or operational issues quickly and proactively.
- Documentation & Systems Management: Maintain and update retail operational documents, including policies, SOPs, and guidelines. Partner with the Training Manager to align on operational training for store teams and creation of modules in Zipline. Manage the organisation and accuracy of digital filing systems in SharePoint and Zipline. Conduct regular audits to remove outdated materials and ensure stores can easily locate the latest resources. Support system administration (POS, shift planning, Order.co, Zipline), liaising with IT and vendors to resolve issues and maintain accurate access lists.
- Store Communication & Feedback: Maintain strong, open communication with store teams, fostering a collaborative and solution-oriented environment. Gather, analyse, and summarise feedback from stores to identify trends, opportunities, and recommendations for improvement. Partner with HR on engaging, on-brand content in Zipline that promotes communication, celebrates store achievements, and reinforces company culture.
- Compliance & Continuous Improvement: Support monitoring of store compliance with operational policies and processes, ensuring follow-up actions are completed. Identify opportunities to simplify or improve workflows, systems, and processes to enhance efficiency. Partner with the Retail Strategy & Operations Manager on operational improvements that support scalability and consistency across regions. Ensure operational and logistical processes align with brand, health & safety, and compliance requirements.
- Reporting & Administration: Assist in preparing operational reports, commercial feedback, and project updates. Maintain up-to-date retail contact lists, store checklists, and administrative documents. Coordinate logistics, agendas, and documentation for retail meetings, calls, and store visits. Support budgeting and cost tracking for operational and logistics activities.
Key Skills & Experience
- 4–6 years’ experience in retail operations, logistics coordination, or multi-site support (head office or field).
- Proven ability to manage operational processes and cross-functional collaboration.
- Strong understanding of retail systems, store operations, and logistics workflows.
- Excellent organisational and project management skills with meticulous attention to detail.
- Confident communicator, able to build relationships and influence across teams.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office and comfortable with using digital tools and software for communications, POS and workforce management.
- Analytical mindset and able to interpret operational data and store feedback to inform improvements.
- Proactive problem-solver with the ability to adapt quickly to change in a fast-paced environment.
Retail Operations Lead - UK employer: Varley
Contact Detail:
Varley Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Retail Operations Lead - UK
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the retail industry, especially those who work at companies you're interested in. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insider info that could help you stand out.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their operational standards and think about how your experience aligns with their needs. We want you to show them you’re the perfect fit!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your answers to common interview questions, but keep it natural. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses. This will help you showcase your skills effectively.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up after your interview! A quick thank-you email can leave a lasting impression. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in the role. And remember, apply through our website for the best chance!
We think you need these skills to ace Retail Operations Lead - UK
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Retail Operations Lead role. Highlight your experience in retail operations, logistics coordination, and any relevant achievements that showcase your ability to manage processes and collaborate across teams.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter should tell us why you're the perfect fit for this role. Share specific examples of how you've driven operational excellence in previous positions and how you can bring that expertise to our growing store teams.
Showcase Your Communication Skills: Since this role involves a lot of collaboration, make sure to highlight your strong communication skills in your application. Give examples of how you've effectively communicated with cross-functional teams or resolved issues in a retail environment.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for the best chance of getting noticed. It’s the easiest way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it reaches the right people!
How to prepare for a job interview at Varley
✨Know Your Retail Operations
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of retail operations and logistics. Understand the key responsibilities of the Retail Operations Lead role, especially how to optimise store performance and ensure compliance with operational standards. This will help you answer questions confidently and show that you're genuinely interested in the position.
✨Showcase Your Communication Skills
As this role involves a lot of coordination and communication with various teams, be prepared to demonstrate your communication skills. Think of examples where you've successfully collaborated with others or resolved conflicts. This will highlight your ability to foster a collaborative environment, which is crucial for the role.
✨Prepare for Scenario Questions
Expect scenario-based questions that assess your problem-solving abilities. For instance, think about how you would handle a delivery issue or improve a store's operational efficiency. Practising these scenarios can help you articulate your thought process and showcase your analytical mindset.
✨Bring Data-Driven Insights
Since the role requires an understanding of operational data, come prepared with insights from your previous experiences. Be ready to discuss how you've used data to inform decisions or improve processes in past roles. This will demonstrate your analytical skills and your proactive approach to continuous improvement.
