Deputy Head of Retail – Operations & Transformation

Job Purpose

To support the Head of Retail in driving operational excellence across the retail network by ensuring consistent execution, exceptional customer experience, strong operational governance, and continuous process improvement. The role combines hands-on retail operations with strong analytical capability, leveraging data to identify trends, drive actionable insights, and support informed decision-making. Through a disciplined focus on data quality, performance reviews, and operational excellence, the role will help deliver a scalable, efficient, and sustainable retail operation that enables business growth.

Job Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Develop, implement, and continuously improve retail operational standards, policies, procedures, and the Store Excellence Framework to ensure consistency across all outlets.
• Provide operational insights through analysis of store performance, profitability, labor productivity, space utilization, and operational efficiency.
• Monitor operational performance through regular store visits, audits, scorecards, and reviews, implementing corrective actions to address performance gaps.
• Drive operational discipline, efficiency, labor productivity, and profitability across the retail network while ensuring consistent execution regardless of store size or location.
• Lead retail transformation initiatives that improve operational efficiency, scalability, and customer experience.
• Review, redesign, and standardize retail processes, identifying opportunities for automation, digitization, and adoption of best-practice operating models.
• Develop and maintain operational playbooks, standard operating procedures, and scalable operating frameworks that support business growth.
• Lead change management initiatives to ensure successful implementation of new operating practices.
• Develop, implement, and monitor customer experience standards, service excellence initiatives, and store excellence frameworks across the retail network.
• Ensure consistent delivery of brand standards, customer service expectations, visual merchandising, and store presentation.
• Monitor customer feedback and service performance metrics, driving initiatives that enhance customer satisfaction, engagement, and service consistency.
• Support strategic decision-making through operational analysis, scenario modelling, and business cases for store openings, relocations, refurbishments, and closures.
• Evaluate store performance against business case assumptions and recommend improvement initiatives to maximize operational and financial performance.
• Build leadership capability across the retail network by identifying high-potential talent, supporting succession planning, and promoting knowledge sharing and best practices.
• Support workforce planning initiatives to ensure the retail function has the capability required to support future business growth.
• Lead operational readiness for new store openings, relocations, refurbishments, and store transitions.
• Develop and implement store opening and transition playbooks, ensuring all operational requirements, standards, and processes are embedded before launch.
• Support the successful integration of new stores into the retail operating model.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, operational standards, and governance requirements across all retail outlets.
• Conduct operational audits and compliance reviews while monitoring inventory accuracy, shrinkage, operational risks, and control effectiveness.
• Drive implementation of corrective actions, strengthen risk management frameworks, and maintain robust operational reporting across the retail network.
• Perform any other duties assigned by the supervisor in support of the Retail function.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, Retail Management, Operations Management, Commerce, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
• MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification will be an added advantage.
• Certification in Change Management, Lean Six Sigma, Project Management, Operational Excellence, or related disciplines will be an added advantage.

Experience and Key Skills

• Minimum 8–10 years' experience within a multi-site retail environment.
• Demonstrated success leading multi-site retail operations with direct responsibility for store standards, people development, operational productivity, and customer experience.
• Proven experience leading process improvement and transformation initiatives.
• Experience managing teams across multiple locations.
• Strong understanding of customer experience management and retail service standards.
• Experience developing leaders and building succession pipelines.
• Experience supporting retail expansion and operational scalability.
• Proven experience developing store managers and building high-performing retail teams.