Urban Outfitters

Head of Retail Operations

**Reports to**: Urban Outfitters, Retail Director for UK & Europe

**Overview**:
The Head of Retail Operations is responsible for developing and executing all strategy encompassing new stores, communications, process, logistics, technical queries amongst other things. The Head of Retail Operations supports the field team by managing store workload and acting as a liaison with Home office teams. This role will also own all project work related to retail.

**Responsibilities**

**Communication**
- Strategize and calendar all communication being creative and transparent in approach ensuring the communications are effective and timely
- Communication strategy and implementation across all markets to ensure right time task management and team engagement
- Business reactionary communications such as promos, price changes, etc. (daily/weekly)
- Regular business updates and roll outs (weekly)
- Peak business packs and Stock Take packs (seasonally)
- Oversee content production and scheduling
- Oversee the brand’s intranet ensuring evolution with a more digital focus
- Supports communication tool development and drives innovative ideas to continually improve
- Ensures single tone of voice in all communication
- Custodian of all retail activity (trade and non-trade) to ensure all activity is planned appropriately at the right time with the correct measures and a suitable ROI

**Process and Project Management**
- Execute roll out and projects to ensure the store needs
- Lead brand retail projects
- Review current processes in stores, identifying areas of improvements and evolving the vision
- Collaborate to determine if cross-functional synergies can be established with Anthropologie and Free People brands
- Fully accountable for the retail operating model, driving retail operation excellence and standards across all markets, store teams and head office
- Responsible for task driven payroll model for UK estate - input and output metrics
- Main point of contact regarding Health & Safety compliance in the brand working the URBN lead in H&S
- Ensure fire marshals and first aiders are trained
- Be main brand point of contact with insurers on issues in stores

**New Store Openings and Logistics**
- Lead store openings (and closings) for the brand
- Remain point of contact for construction ensuring full early view and opinion leading the discussion
- Lead with the DC for new store openings and day to day
- Own and develop the Retail programme plan and IT roadmap to prioritise capex
- Lead with IT for new store opening and day to day
- Vocalise competitor intelligence and help strategize on new opening operations

**Budget and Supplies Management**
- Manage brand retail budget, strategizing during budget cycle
- Work with the Finance department to ensure all reported costs are accurate
- Monitor and approve store spends
- Identify where the brand can reduce costs in the field
- Negotiate prices, and lead procurement with vendors

**Person Specification**
- Broad and innovative leadership style that drives independent thinking, whilst continually challenging status quo
- Ability to think strategically, act decisively and manage and maintain deadlines
- Drive a customer first mentality - Internal Customer (our teams) to meet external customer needs
- Provide clear, concise, and brand-appropriate communication
- Background in Retail - must have previous experience in a store environment
- Excellent IT skills
- Resilient, self-motivated and uses initiative
- Excellent project management experience
- Great interpersonal skills - ability to build relationships and influence
- Good presentation skills
- Great at prioritising, organisation and time management
- Used to fast paced environment
- Good commercial eye with creative flair
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Travel required

UrbanEU #LI-JM2