DEPARTMENT: RETAIL

REPORTS TO: NATIONAL RETAIL SALES HEAD

Summary:

The Manager Operations Excellence will apply continuous improvement tools and methodologies to clearly define the business's current value chain, driving out wasteful/redundant processes and improving overall process execution. This position will be responsible for helping to align the business resources in order to execute and implement SSC's strategic goals, leading the effort to instill a continuous improvement culture throughout the organization.

Roles and Responsibilities:

To ensure uniformity and excellence of all retail processes including stock management, customer service, store protocols, etc. and to ensure adoption of best practices across the retail network, improving people management practices, processes, customer relationships and retail operations.

Key Result Areas:

1. Develop an Operations Excellence Management System (OEMS), setting nation-wide expectations for operations, defining a common operational language, sharing successful practices and behaviors across the organization, mapping accountabilities at front line and promoting continuous improvement.

2. Drive operations excellence through the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and their implementation, focusing on people and process management in order to homogenize retail operations and cater to customer needs.

3. Ensure lean retail processes, with the focus on improving efficiency and reducing waste in all in-store processes, rolling out strategic changes to the frontline to improve operations.

4. Direct business process reengineering, focusing on sales, the distribution network and all in-store processes in order to streamline operations, boosting profitability.

5. Assess and boost frontline performance, improving operations through provision of consistent and reliable customer service in stores, driving transactions and basket sizes, attracting and retaining highly engaged employees, and improving leadership of store and district managers.

6. Ensure implementation of retail best practices, improving in the flow of goods from the supplier to the shelf through better planning and implementation, raising service levels and optimizing inventory management.

7. Ensure store operations are uniform, improve backroom configuration, enabling SSC to efficiently schedule merchandizing and administrative activities and deliver the desired customer experience while controlling cost.

8. Create a compelling customer experience across the different retail channels without compromising on operational efficiency, to ensure profitability.

9. Optimize SSC’s retail real estate management processes and develop and implement in-store diagnostic tools to identify and quantify waste and test the impact of pilot improvement efforts.

10. Identify strengths across the retail network and target areas for improvement, optimizing the number and location of warehouses, etc.

Critical Dimensions:

1. Boost sales and profitability through effective process and people management.

2. Accomplish improvement of business processes, optimizing performance.

3. Accomplish improvement in customer service levels across the retail network.

Key Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

1. The position requires a comprehensive understanding of retail, its financial aspect as well as familiarity with the footwear industry.

2. Additional capabilities required include experience with project management, resource utilization, familiarity with mystery shopping and customer service standards, as well as knowledge of retail marketing and visual merchandising.

3. The ability to manage, motivate and mentor a high performing team, along with strong business acumen and initiative are key traits required.

4. Strong analytical, decision-making and planning skills, along with high energy, enthusiasm and a confident attitude are also vital for the position.

5. Strong communication skills, problem-solving ability and a result-oriented attitude are essential.