Store Operations Manager – WHSmith

As Store Operations Manager, you will hold a pivotal role in driving operational excellence, leading your team's performance and creating an exceptional customer experience. You are responsible for the day-to-day running of the store to support the Multi-Site Store Manager to deliver the business trading plan.

What being a Store Operations Manager is all about:

People:

• Shaping and influencing the People Strategy to drive exceptional performance and embed a people-first culture across WHSmith Travel.
• Setting the cultural and behavioural standards for the Large Air Division, role-modelling company values.
• Inspiring and leading Store Managers through coaching, challenging and empowering them. Creating an environment that encourages continuous development and showcases the best talent.
• Owning and delivering a robust talent strategy, collaborating with cross-functional teams to nurture future leaders and ensure succession plans are in place across all stores. Working closely with the People Team to ensure the right tools are in place.
• Utilising one-to-one meetings and personal development plans to ensure every team member understands their role in the division.
• Engaging colleagues by creating a psychologically safe environment that fosters openness and idea-sharing. Communication is a priority and your divisional engagement plan is designed to inspire and make a difference in colleagues’ lives.
• You embrace diversity and promote inclusivity, valuing the wellbeing of your team.
• Tackling people challenges with agility and resilience, coaching your team to collaborate with support functions and solve problems proactively.
• Mentoring peers with aspirations, dedicating time to nurturing others. You are recognised as a role model and an inspirational leader across the business.

Plan:

• Driving a culture of commercial excellence, leveraging every opportunity to maximise sales, grow spend per passenger and adapt to seasonal and customer trends with energy and agility.
• Collaborating with commercial teams to shape future sales strategies.
• Harnessing the full potential of the InMotion format, driving a passion for selling, product knowledge and the customer experience. You'll own and shape the customer selling strategy for future growth.
• Being accountable for safe and legal compliance, ensuring it’s understood and delivered by your team, coaching and empowering them to engage with support functions to achieve every-day compliance.
• Monitoring operational targets and service level agreements with partners, positioning WHSmith as a trusted and valuable partner. You will build connections with competitors to identify future risks and opportunities.
• Managing costs efficiently, ensuring expenditures stay within budget, and work with teams to shape annual budgets that maximise profit and productivity.
• Regularly updating leaders on operational performance, identifying risks with a solution-oriented mindset.
• Driving consistent performance across all stores, reducing variability and focusing on closing performance gaps through action and results-oriented leadership.
• Analysing data quickly and accurately to identify actions and communicate plans clearly. You'll mentor other leaders to develop this skill and contribute to shaping future reporting practices.
• You'll have the agility to switch between formats and complexity easily and with confidence.