Retail Excellence Manager

Role & responsibilities:

1. Retail Excellence

• Monitor and drive adherence to Retail SOPs.
• Execute the approved audit calendar and conduct operational audits.
• Plan and execute store visits through an approved Permanent Journey Plan (PJP).

2. Store Audit & Store Visit Responsibilities

• Verify compliance with SOPs, operational standards and Retail Excellence guidelines.
• Review customer experience, store readiness, housekeeping, safety, maintenance, statutory compliance and store presentation.
• Verify implementation of brand guidelines, VM standards and corporate initiatives.
• Review operational records and statutory documents.
• Assess operational readiness for new stores, relocations and renovations.
• Identify deviations and document observations with evidence.
• Discuss observations and agree corrective actions with Store Managers and Business Managers.
• Verify closure of previous observations.
• Escalate critical issues.
• Identify and share best practices.

3. Reporting & Analytics

• Analyse audit findings and identify trends.
• Prepare structured audit reports.
• Track corrective actions and report closure status.
• Recommend process improvements.

4. Stakeholder Coordination

• Coordinate with Business, VM, Maintenance, Projects, IT and L&D.
• Drive timely closure of observations through stakeholder engagement.

5. Travel Requirement

• Extensive travel (approximately 1520 days per month) through a Permanent Journey Plan (PJP) covering all stores within the assigned zone.

Desired Candidate Profile

• Graduate in any discipline.
• 6-10 years in organized retail.
• Minimum 3 years in a multi-store role.
• Luxury/premium retail experience preferred.
• Experience in conducting Retail Excellence audits covering SOP compliance, customer experience, store readiness, Visual Merchandising standards, maintenance, safety, statutory compliance, and overall retail execution will be preferred.

Critical Competencies

• Exceptional attention to detail with a keen eye for identifying deviations from Retail Excellence standards.
• Strong audit, analytical and problem-solving ability.
• Accuracy, consistency and follow-through.
• Strong stakeholder management.
• Excellent communication.
• Ability to analyse data and convert observations into recommendations.
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint.
• Self-driven and comfortable in a field-based role.

Key Performance Indicators

• SOP Compliance
• Store Audit Scores
• Timely Closure of Audit Observations
• PJP Adherence & Store Coverage
• Retail Excellence Compliance Score
• Implementation of Corporate Initiatives
• Operational Readiness for New Stores
• Quality & Timeliness of Reporting