Head of Retail
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Head of Retail
Location:
Melbourne
Specialisation:
Retail
Job type:
Full Time
The Opportunity
Own the network. Elevate performance. Shape what’s next.
Gabby Symons – Managing Director, People Equity, gabbys@peopleequity.com.au, 0432 261 116
Own the network. Elevate performance. Shape what’s next.
- A significant senior leadership role with full ownership, clear accountability and scope to influence outcomes across a national ‘specialty’ retail network
- Join a business where customers are highly engaged and deeply connected to the product category
- Lead the evolution of a service-led retail model, where team capability and customer experience are key differentiators
- Be empowered to lift capability, improve consistency and embed a high-performance, customer-first culture
- Build on strong foundations, bringing greater structure, alignment and performance discipline to support the next phase of growth
- End-to-end accountability for sales, margin, costs and overall network performance
- Leadership of 4 Area Managers and capability across the store network
- Development and execution of a clear retail strategy aligned to business objectives
- Uplift of in-store execution, service standards and customer experience
- Embedding teams as trusted advisors delivering tailored, needs-based solutions
- Optimisation of systems, processes and operating rhythms to improve efficiency and scalability
- Cross-functional alignment across marketing, product and supply chain
- Driving performance improvement, store turnaround and network optimisation
- Building a culture of accountability, ownership and continuous improvement
- Leads through a layered leadership structure, empowering Area Managers to deliver results
- Balances commercial discipline with a genuine commitment to customer experience and service quality
- Builds teams that are engaged, knowledgeable and confident in delivering tailored solutions to customers
- Creates clarity in environments that may lack structure, establishing disciplined yet practical ways of working
- Drives performance while maintaining a strong focus on people, engagement and retention
- Proven experience operating at Head of Retail, GM Operations, National Operations Manager or equivalent level within a multi-site retail environment
- Leadership of geographically dispersed store networks through a layer of senior leaders (e.g. Area/State Managers)
- A background in specialty or service-led retail, where customer engagement, product knowledge and service quality drive performance
- Demonstrated ownership of a meaningful P&L — with accountability for sales, margin, cost control and overall network profitability
- A track record of lifting underperforming stores and scaling high-performing ones through clear operational levers
- Experience building capability at scale — coaching leaders, developing succession pipelines, and embedding consistent ways of working across a network
- Strong commercial instinct, with the ability to interpret data, identify opportunities, and translate insight into action at store level
- Confidence operating in both structured and evolving environments, where you’ve improved systems, processes and operating rhythms
- Exposure to cross-functional leadership, partnering with marketing, merchandise, supply chain or digital to drive aligned outcomes
- High emotional intelligence, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and build credibility quickly across all levels of the business
Gabby Symons – Managing Director, People Equity, gabbys@peopleequity.com.au, 0432 261 116

