Michaels Stores

Director - Store Optimization

Michaels Stores$100K — $130K *
Retail & Consumer Goods
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Business Administration, or related field.
  • 10+ years of progressive retail operations experience, including 3+ years in senior or multi-unit leadership role.
  • Strong expertise in labor management and workforce scheduling using WFM platforms like UKG or Kronos.
  • Proven track record in designing and improving store-level processes in a distributed retail setup.
  • Experience in leading store support functions with defined Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
  • Knowledge of wage and hour compliance and predictive scheduling laws.
  • Strong analytical skills for translating data into actionable operational decisions.

Responsibilities

  • Design and improve core store operational processes including opening, closing, and cash handling procedures.
  • Develop scalable process standards with measurable performance indicators for store formats.
  • Lead cross-functional initiatives to eliminate waste using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.
  • Establish and maintain a regular process audit schedule to ensure compliance and corrective actions.
  • Own the company's labor management strategy and develop frameworks based on sales forecasts.
  • Drive adoption of workforce management tools and lead improvements in forecasting methodologies.
  • Serve as the operational liaison for technology and manage the store technology roadmap.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health and wellness benefits package.
  • Retirement savings plan options with company matching.
  • Professional development opportunities and training programs.
  • Flexible work arrangements and potential remote work options.
  • Employee discounts and perks in store.
Full Job Description
Support Center - Irving

The Director - Store Operations is responsible for the systems, structures, and support mechanisms that enable stores to run efficiently and consistently at scale. The primary focus of this role is process design and improvement, labor and scheduling and store support. This position partners closely with Technology to develop key enablers to optimize store performance ensuring the right processes, staffing models, and tools are in place to drive daily store execution.

Major Activities

Store Processes & Continuous Improvement
  • Own the design and ongoing improvement of core store operational processes - including opening and closing procedures, inventory and receiving workflows, cash handling, and store audit preparation.
  • Develop process standards that are scalable across store formats and measurable through clearly defined performance indicators.
  • Lead cross-functional process improvement initiatives using data, field observation, and structured methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma) to eliminate waste and reduce variability.
  • Establish a regular store process audit cadence, using field visits and operational data to assess compliance and drive corrective action.
  • Define and own store standard processes - Operations is the authority on how work is performed and what the standard is. Partner with the Director, Team Experience by providing finalized process standards and subject matter expertise; Team Experience converts those standards into SOP documentation and maintains all material


Labor Management & Scheduling
  • Own the company's labor management strategy, including labor model design, productivity standards, and budget alignment across all store formats and volumes.
  • Develop labor allocation frameworks that translate business plans and sales forecasts into actionable, store-level staffing targets.
  • Partner with Finance, HR, and Store Operations to build and validate labor budgets that reflect operational requirements without sacrificing service standards.
  • Maintain labor performance data - hours worked, productivity metrics, overtime trends, and compliance indicators.
  • Own the store workforce management (WFM) platform - including system configuration, scheduling rule governance, forecasting accuracy, and user administration.
  • Drive adoption of WFM tools across all locations, partnering with field leaders to resolve barriers and identify capability gaps.
  • Lead continuous improvement of forecasting methodologies, incorporating traffic data, historical trends, and seasonal patterns to improve schedule accuracy.


Store Support
  • Lead the store support function as the operational hub that field teams rely on for issue resolution, systems guidance, and day-to-day operational assistance.
  • Design and manage store support intake and escalation processes in ensuring requests are triaged, routed, and resolved with defined service level targets.
  • Implement feedback loops between store support and operational leadership to surface recurring pain points and inform prioritization.


Store Technology Governance
  • Serve as the primary operational liaison to the Technology group for all in-store technology
  • Own the store technology roadmap in partnership with Technology group driving project prioritization based on store impact, operational risk, and ROI.
  • Lead operational readiness with Director of Team Experience for all new technology rollouts - including pilot design, field testing, training handoffs, and go-live support planning.
  • Technology Enhancements, Predictive Analytics & Omni-Channel Fulfillment
  • Partner with Technology and teams to evaluate and deploy technology enhancements that reduce manual workload, eliminate redundancy, and improve store efficiency.
  • Champion analytics tools that enable proactive decision-making - including task load distribution, and staffing need projections.
  • Own the operational process strategy for in-store omni-channel fulfillment - including BOPIS, ship-from-store, curbside pickup, and same-day delivery - ensuring fulfillment standards, staffing models, and tools are aligned and scalable.


Other duties as assigned

Preferred Education
  • Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Business Administration, or a related field.


Minimum Type of Experience Required
  • 10+ years of progressive retail operations experience, with at least 3 years in a senior or multi-unit leadership role.
  • Strong expertise in labor management, workforce scheduling, and WFM platform administration (e.g., UKG, Kronos, Reflexis, Legion, or similar).
  • Demonstrated experience designing and improving store-level processes across a distributed retail environment.
  • Experience leading store support or field operations support functions with defined SLAs.
  • Solid understanding of wage and hour compliance, predictive scheduling laws, and labor regulation.
  • Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data into clear operational decisions.
  • Effective collaborator with Field Operations, Technology, Finance, HR, and other key business partners able to drive alignment


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