VP of Retail

Since our inception in 2010, OAK FORT has curated collections that reflect our design philosophies. OAK FORT is a belief that fashion should be uncomplicated and thoughtfully designed. We are not distracted or fettered by trends. We will continue to provide attainable luxury to like-minded individuals.

Position Summary:

As the VP of Retail, you'll have the opportunity to lead our next growth phase by scaling our retail business model through expansion and omnichannel innovation and stabilizing our organization's structure, processes, and technology. The ideal candidate is entrepreneurial, results driven and strategic with experience managing and growing distributed teams and retail experiences. Working with our leadership team and key stakeholders, this person will ensure that we create an unforgettable customer experience to our clients.

Responsibilities:

Sales Generation:

• In partnership with the Regional Managers, ensure all retail locations are operating consistently and efficiently to maximize financial performance (sales, forecasting, managing spend, processes, back-office) and deliver a superior customer experience (net promoter scores, and service) consistent with Oak Fort standards and culture
• Identify and implement best practices for customer experience, store appearance, staffing, inventory management, shrink and financial control to achieve sales, margin, profitability, and customer experience goals
• Strategize with Regional and District Managers to ensure teams are being brand ambassadors by keeping up with new arrivals, product knowledge, and wearing current merchandise
• Provide industry knowledge through to relevant head office partners through awareness of products and prices in the market
• Coach Regional and District Managers on driving sales through OAK FORT eCommerce purchases and social media platforms
• Partner with eCommerce team to provide internal feedback and results of marketing initiatives and outline competitors initiatives and how that affects customer experience
• Identify district sales opportunities, set clear objectives, and partner with relevant partners to rectify

Staff Development:

• Develop a network of key industry contacts within the retail community
• Develop a clear talent and succession plan for the Retail Team, ensuring the retention of key talent model leadership behaviours that promote a culture of open communication, employee development
• Provide tools, development strategies and coaching to ensure Regional and District Managers are sourcing and hiring top candidates to build high performing management teams
• Build our team by welcoming new employees and support the onboarding of new managers when needed
• Maintain relationships with store teams and relevant partners
• Train and develop high performing Regional and District Managers to maximize productivity through relevant KPIs and metrics
• Provide coaching, feedback, and validation of Regional and District Manager’s performance through formal and informal evaluations
• Oversee, initiate and communicate team objectives and updates with all relevant partners
• Ensure Regional and District Managers are providing coaching to Store Managers on how to evaluate and dismiss underperforming staff
• Secure and retain top performing staff within districts
• Empower Regional Managers’ business skills to further develop business acumen
• Participate in monthly manager’s meetings within various districts as needed
• Manage internal Retail Planning department to ensure effective communication between Head Office, store teams, and relevant partners

Store Functionality:

• Responsible for development and deployment of the store labor model to maximize customer experience while managing costs
• Monitor inventory initiatives and levels to ensure stores maintain appropriate in-stock positions; maintains an excellent working knowledge of Oak Fort products and services
• Coach and develop a team of strong retail leaders and high performers creating a sales driven organization through training, superior product and outdoor knowledge and experience. Creates, models, and supports a culture of excellence in execution, continuous improvement, and collaboration
• Ensure Regional and District Managers are providing effective training, execution and development of floor management
• Lead the upgrading of all retail operations manuals and other systems
• Partner with Regional, District, and Retail Operations and Loss Manager to ensure teams are upholding stock management standards resulting in proper presentation of back of house and the right quantity of stock is in the right place at the right time
• Support with new store openings as needed and validate execution of operational efficiency
• Provide insight to CEO and VP, Operations of expansion plans in existing and new markets
• Contribute ideas to developing new processes and frameworks to improve store organization and efficiency
• Ensure policies, regulatory compliance, risk management policies, and standard operating procedures are consistently and uniformly applied and are compliant
• You use key KPIs to ensure a deep understanding of business and lead the teams to action accordingly

Visual Merchandising:

• Lead Visual Merchandising Department to ensure stores maintain proper presentation of merchandise in accordance to corporate directives
• Partner with allocation teams to maximize opportunities across all product categories, maintain inventory processes and levels, maintain visual standards in stores throughout regions.
• Contribute to development of strategic visual excellence plans through to implementation
• Inspire and engage the team to ensure executional excellence at retail in brand management, asset management and consumer presentation.
• Build and maintain a strong relationship with cross-functional teams and with interlinked departments to enable an efficient delivery of store directives and store plans
• As a strong people manager, you will set expectations and manage performance against expectations while coaching and motivating visual team members to support their growth and development

Knowledge and Experience:

• Minimum 10 years’ experience working in retail and a minimum of 5 years working in a senior leadership role
• Bachelor’s degree required (Business or Finance)
• Strong business and financial acumen
• Ability to lead initiatives, plan activities and resources, work hands-on, and manage/develop teams
• Results oriented and customer focused with an enthusiasm and tenacity to motivate teams to meet and exceed goals and provide the right solutions
• Excellent oral and written communication skills coupled with an ability to make clear, concise presentations
• Dynamic and collaborative with the ability to engage and influence at different levels within the organization
• Possesses an ability to win people over to their point-of-view, with a capacity to keep others engaged and involved
• A strong proactive communicator who maintains a precise flow of information, with an ability to delegate effectively
• Travel 40% of time