Head of Retail
4 days ago
Canada
Shop Makers
Full-time
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Location Hybrid, with 2-3 days a week in office (in Mt Pleasant, Vancouver)
Salary $100,000
- $120,000 based on experience, + bonus Extras Extended health benefits after probation, 3 weeks paid vacation prorated to your start date, 36 hour work week with half day Fridays year round About Makers At Shop Makers, we’re redefining retail by offering a curated experience of the finest locally crafted, handmade goods. With 27 locations across BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario, and our first US location in Seattle, we are proud to be Canada’s largest retailer of handmade & local products. Our mission is simple yet bold: empower local artisans by giving them a platform to grow. We believe in nurturing community, sustainability, and creativity, and that starts with our people. Why this Role Matters As the Head of Retail, you will own the overall strategy and performance of Shop Makers' retail operations across Canada and the United States. All Regional Managers in the organization report directly into this role.
You will be accountable for ensuring the retail business scales in a standardized, high-performing way as Shop Makers continues to grow. This is a senior leadership position that bridges store-level execution and executive strategy, translating corporate vision into a retail organization capable of sustained, multi-country growth. The Head of Retail is responsible for unifying standards, systems, and leadership development across every region, ensuring the Shop Makers stores deliver a consistent brand experience, team excellence, and strong financial performance regardless of market. Just as important as the numbers, the Head of Retail is responsible for the quality of leadership across the field. Our Regional Managers and Area Managers should become measurably better leaders under this person, and the stores they run should feel that difference.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership Set the overall strategic direction for Shop Makers' retail organization across Canada and the US, translating corporate goals into a coherent operating plan. Partner directly with executive leadership on long-term retail strategy: growth trajectory, market prioritization, and organizational structure. Own the retail org chart and structure in partnership with P&C, defining how regions, districts, and roles are organized as the company scales. Leadership Development (Regional & Area Managers) Act as the primary coach to every Regional Manager, with regular one-on-ones focused on how they lead, not only what their region delivered. Hold Regional Managers accountable for developing their Area Managers, and make people development a formal part of every RM's goals and performance review. Spend meaningful field time coaching RMs and AMs in their own stores and districts: observing how they run their teams, giving direct feedback, and modelling the leadership standard expected at Shop Makers. Define what great leadership looks like at each level (Store Manager, Area Manager, Regional Manager) and build the development plans, training, and career paths that get people there. Identify high-potential leaders early and give them stretch assignments, mentorship, and visibility to executive leadership. Own succession planning for every RM and AM role so the business is never dependent on a single person or forced to hire externally by default. Design and oversee training standards that apply across the entire retail organization, ensuring consistent execution from the store floor through regional leadership. Address leadership problems directly and fairly. A manager who hits targets but drives turnover or burns out their team is not meeting the standard. Build and protect a leadership culture grounded in trust, accountability, and care for people, with direct accountability for retention and engagement of leaders across retail. Regional Manager Oversight & Performance Directly manage all Regional Managers across Canada and the US, setting clear expectations for both business results and leadership, and holding them accountable to each. Set the national framework for how sales targets and KPIs are established and cascaded at the regional level. Review regional performance data
- sales, staffing, budget, compliance
- and intervene where a region is underperforming. Ensure performance conversations with RMs balance sales and operational results with the health, capability, and retention of their teams. Standardization & Operational Excellence Build and maintain standardized policies, procedures, and brand standards that apply consistently across every Shop Makers store, regardless of region or country. Establish the audit and compliance framework Regional Managers use to hold their districts accountable. Lead execution of major corporate initiatives (new store roll-outs, refurbishments, systems changes) at a national, cross-border level. Budgeting
- $120,000 based on experience, + bonus Extras Extended health benefits after probation, 3 weeks paid vacation prorated to your start date, 36 hour work week with half day Fridays year round About Makers At Shop Makers, we’re redefining retail by offering a curated experience of the finest locally crafted, handmade goods. With 27 locations across BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario, and our first US location in Seattle, we are proud to be Canada’s largest retailer of handmade & local products. Our mission is simple yet bold: empower local artisans by giving them a platform to grow. We believe in nurturing community, sustainability, and creativity, and that starts with our people. Why this Role Matters As the Head of Retail, you will own the overall strategy and performance of Shop Makers' retail operations across Canada and the United States. All Regional Managers in the organization report directly into this role.
You will be accountable for ensuring the retail business scales in a standardized, high-performing way as Shop Makers continues to grow. This is a senior leadership position that bridges store-level execution and executive strategy, translating corporate vision into a retail organization capable of sustained, multi-country growth. The Head of Retail is responsible for unifying standards, systems, and leadership development across every region, ensuring the Shop Makers stores deliver a consistent brand experience, team excellence, and strong financial performance regardless of market. Just as important as the numbers, the Head of Retail is responsible for the quality of leadership across the field. Our Regional Managers and Area Managers should become measurably better leaders under this person, and the stores they run should feel that difference.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership Set the overall strategic direction for Shop Makers' retail organization across Canada and the US, translating corporate goals into a coherent operating plan. Partner directly with executive leadership on long-term retail strategy: growth trajectory, market prioritization, and organizational structure. Own the retail org chart and structure in partnership with P&C, defining how regions, districts, and roles are organized as the company scales. Leadership Development (Regional & Area Managers) Act as the primary coach to every Regional Manager, with regular one-on-ones focused on how they lead, not only what their region delivered. Hold Regional Managers accountable for developing their Area Managers, and make people development a formal part of every RM's goals and performance review. Spend meaningful field time coaching RMs and AMs in their own stores and districts: observing how they run their teams, giving direct feedback, and modelling the leadership standard expected at Shop Makers. Define what great leadership looks like at each level (Store Manager, Area Manager, Regional Manager) and build the development plans, training, and career paths that get people there. Identify high-potential leaders early and give them stretch assignments, mentorship, and visibility to executive leadership. Own succession planning for every RM and AM role so the business is never dependent on a single person or forced to hire externally by default. Design and oversee training standards that apply across the entire retail organization, ensuring consistent execution from the store floor through regional leadership. Address leadership problems directly and fairly. A manager who hits targets but drives turnover or burns out their team is not meeting the standard. Build and protect a leadership culture grounded in trust, accountability, and care for people, with direct accountability for retention and engagement of leaders across retail. Regional Manager Oversight & Performance Directly manage all Regional Managers across Canada and the US, setting clear expectations for both business results and leadership, and holding them accountable to each. Set the national framework for how sales targets and KPIs are established and cascaded at the regional level. Review regional performance data
- sales, staffing, budget, compliance
- and intervene where a region is underperforming. Ensure performance conversations with RMs balance sales and operational results with the health, capability, and retention of their teams. Standardization & Operational Excellence Build and maintain standardized policies, procedures, and brand standards that apply consistently across every Shop Makers store, regardless of region or country. Establish the audit and compliance framework Regional Managers use to hold their districts accountable. Lead execution of major corporate initiatives (new store roll-outs, refurbishments, systems changes) at a national, cross-border level. Budgeting