Director of Retail

The People Brand

$130K — $140K *
Retail & Consumer Goods
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8+ years of progressive retail leadership experience
  • Experience leading multi-unit retail operations
  • Proven success in opening new stores and scaling a retail organization
  • Background with founder-led or high-growth consumer brands
  • Strong understanding of retail operations, merchandising, and financial performance
  • Preferred experience with Shopify POS or similar platforms
  • Exceptional leadership, coaching, and project management skills
  • Willingness to travel regularly between retail locations

Responsibilities

  • Develop and execute the retail strategy with executive leadership
  • Lead the launch of the company's first retail locations
  • Create scalable operating procedures and best practices
  • Monitor key retail KPIs to drive store performance
  • Recruit and develop high-performing retail teams
  • Create engaging retail experiences reflecting the brand's values
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support business strategies

Benefits

  • Hybrid work environment
  • Opportunity to build the retail organization from scratch
  • Engagement in community initiatives and marketing partnerships
  • Chance to shape long-term retail growth strategies
  • Leadership role with significant impact on brand identity
Full Job Description
Director of Retail
Location: Southern California (Hybrid)
Reports To: General Manager

A rapidly growing lifestyle consumer brand is launching its owned retail channel and seeking an entrepreneurial Director of Retail to build the retail organization from the ground up.

This is a rare opportunity to create the retail playbook from day one-leading the launch of the company's first stores while establishing the operational foundation, talent strategy, and scalable processes needed to support long-term growth.

The ideal leader enjoys building, thrives in founder-led environments, and is equally comfortable setting strategy and rolling up their sleeves to execute.
What You'll Do
Build & Scale Retail
  • Develop and execute the owned retail strategy alongside executive leadership.
  • Lead the successful launch of the company's first retail locations.
  • Create scalable retail operating procedures, playbooks, and best practices.
  • Help shape the long-term growth strategy as the retail fleet expands.
Retail Operations
  • Initially lead the flagship store while establishing operational excellence.
  • Drive store performance through strong execution, customer experience, and financial management.
  • Monitor key retail KPIs including sales, conversion, payroll, traffic, inventory, UPT, AOV, and profitability.
  • Continuously improve operational efficiency and the in-store experience.
Leadership & Talent
  • Recruit, hire, onboard, coach, and develop high-performing retail teams.
  • Build the retail organizational structure as additional stores open.
  • Develop future store leaders and cultivate a strong culture of accountability and service.
Brand & Community
  • Create engaging retail experiences that reflect the brand's lifestyle and values.
  • Partner with Marketing on local events and community initiatives.
  • Help establish each location as a destination within its local market.
Cross-Functional Partnership
  • Collaborate closely with Merchandising, Planning, Marketing, eCommerce, Operations, and Finance.
  • Support assortment planning, inventory strategy, forecasting, and product launches.
  • Utilize retail analytics and POS reporting to drive business decisions and identify opportunities for improvement.
What We're Looking For
  • 8+ years of progressive retail leadership experience.
  • Experience leading multi-unit retail operations.
  • Proven success opening new stores and helping scale a retail organization.
  • Background in founder-led, entrepreneurial, or high-growth consumer brands.
  • Strong understanding of retail operations, merchandising, labor planning, inventory management, and financial performance.
  • Experience with Shopify POS or similar retail technology platforms is preferred.
  • Exceptional leadership, coaching, communication, and project management skills.
  • Willingness to travel regularly between retail locations.
Ideal Background

This opportunity is ideal for an emerging Director of Retail, District Manager, or Area Manager who has played a meaningful role in growing a retail business and is ready to own an entire retail channel.

The successful candidate combines strategic thinking with a hands-on approach, has experience opening stores, building teams, developing operational processes, and partnering cross-functionally to drive business results. They are energized by building something from the ground up and understand how to create memorable retail experiences that strengthen both brand and community.

$130,000 - $140,000 a year

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