Head, Retail Operations (Sales) at TheJobMag

Main purpose of position
Experienced and professional retail operations (Sales) who has a passion for selling and driving up sales.

Job Description
• Define, develop and implement strategy, analyse and appropriate reaction to operational and market trends to maximize business profitability;
• Have full responsibility for the delivery of agreed financial objectives and drive sales across the retail outlets;
• Drive and increase sales performance across all retail outlets;
• Oversee and Support the execution of identified opportunities and strategies to improve the customer experience/sales in collaboration with the store managers, customer experience unit, brand/marketing unit;
• Generates ideas about future retail activities to ensure a cutting edge strategy, maintains up to date knowledge of the market place, competitors and trends;
• Uses open feedback mechanisms from the operations team with other departments to ensure the integration of the retail strategy;
• Translates the strategic goals into retail operational plans to achieve the required targeted growth in sales and profit;
• Spends time in shops with retail stores teams and customers to understand and identify business critical issues in order to ensure the alignment of tactics and strategies;
• Takes a lead role in building a strong sales management culture with the operations team; spends time coaching team members, identifying skills and opportunities for development; provides advice and guidance on shop manager issues when needed;
• Works with the HR Leads to ensure people management issues are satisfactorily resolved and relevant HR policies and procedures are adhered to. Chairs disciplinary, grievance, capability hearings and appeals as required;
• Proactively manages and reviews the performance and progress of team members, sets objectives and targets; works with Human Resource Lead to develop individual training plans for the team;
• Determines annual unit and gross profit plans by implementing marketing strategies and analyzing trends and results;
• Establishes sales objectives by forecasting and developing annual sales quota for stores, projecting expected sales volume and profit for existing and new products;
• Implements sales programs by developing field sales action;
• Maintains sales volume, product mix and selling price by keeping current with demand and supply, changing trends, economic indicators and competitors;
• Establishes and adjust selling prices by monitoring costs, competition, demand and supply;
• Completes sales operational requirements by scheduling and assigning employees; following up on work results;
• Maintains sales staff by orienting, motivating and training employees;
• Maintain sales staff job results by counseling and disciplining employees, planning, monitoring and appraising job results;
• Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed;
• Perform sales floor work such as assisting customers, stocking shelves and taking inventory.

Required Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
• Self-motivated and result driven
• Good understanding of Business Management
• Good understanding of Human Resource
• Good understanding of Finance /Supply chain
• Good understanding of Enterprise Resource planning tools
• Good understanding and application of retail analytics
• Strong leadership and team playing skills is crucial to the role
• High standard of attention to detail
• Good problem solving and decision making skills
• Good Negotiation and persuasion skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines
• Excellent organizational development skills

Qualification and Experiences
• Minimum of Bachelor’s degree Business Administration, Marketing.
• Masters in Administration is an added advantage
• Minimum of 8 years experience in a structured organization, 4 years of which must be in a managerial capacity.
• Must have retail sales management experience; (inclination to fashion would be an added advantage)
• Must possess a track record of increasing and sustaining sales growth and profitability even in challenging market conditions such as the current economic climate.
• Must demonstrate a proven ability to motivate, coach and develop people.
• Must be able to use MS Office applications –Word, Outlook, and Excel to a competent standard.
• Must be able to monitor and assess performance on the job.