Assistant Director of Retail Operations

Dufry Careers•New York, NY

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Director of Operations I at LaGuardia International Airport, serves as the second-in-command for medium-to-large airport retail operations up to $100m, partnering with the Senior Director to drive commercial success and operational excellence. This leadership role takes ownership of day-to-day operations management, team development, and performance optimization while ensuring superior customer service delivery and maintaining key stakeholder relationships across the retail portfolio.

Requirements

The combination of education and professional experience must exceed 8 years
Requires 3 years of experience supervising a team of operations professionals engaged in executing retail operations programs
Requires 8 years of experience engaged in developing and delivering retail operations programs
A bachelor’s degree in a program related to the functional area can count for 3 of the 8-year requirement
Training that leads to knowledge of all applicable federal, state, and local safety and health standards, and all procedures and protocols to comply with retail compliance requirements
Understanding of visual merchandising principles, inventory management systems, and brand standards
Knowledge of retail or consumer goods industry with understanding of travel retail concepts and multi-brand environments
Demonstrates team management, delegation and issue resolution skills and the ability to manage multiple, conflicting, and concurrent priorities in a fast-paced retail environment
Demonstrates knowledge of company policies and products, service, quality, equipment and retail operations standards, or able to demonstrate this knowledge within a reasonable time from hire or promotion
Strong understanding of visual merchandising, inventory management, brand compliance, and customer service excellence
Business acumen and the mindset required to understand the long-term implications of retail operational planning and to advance the organization's goals
Demonstrated history of understanding the needs of the business, stakeholders, the employee population and individual circumstances in a retail environment
Demonstrated history of creating and maintaining positive work environments through coaching, developing, and leading retail teams to achieve common goals

Responsibilities

Partners with Senior Director of Operations to establish and execute fiscal revenue, expense, and profit goals; monitors KPIs and performance metrics across all retail locations to ensure achievement of budgeted targets and operational standards
Leads daily retail operations across all locations with full accountability for operational excellence, compliance with company policies, and achievement of performance metrics while serving as primary operational decision-maker in Senior Director's absence
Implements Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across airport retail operations by conducting regular operational reviews, ensuring management and staff execute opening/closing procedures with full accountability for operational standards, and supporting ACDBE partner collaboration on reporting and certification processes; ensures subordinate management teams maintain consistent adherence to operational protocols while monitoring SOP effectiveness and recommending operational improvements to Director of Operations based on performance data and field observations
Develops and implements comprehensive action plans to optimize sales performance by store, category, and brand; conducts regular operational reviews and communicates strategic initiatives to management teams
Oversees implementation of daily timekeeping review processes by Multi-Unit Managers and Shift Managers; monitors overtime trends and labor cost performance across assigned areas to ensure compliance with company policies and labor regulations
Makes strategic hiring, termination, advancement, and promotion decisions for retail management and associates while promoting company brands as employer of choice and ensuring diversity and inclusion execution across operations
Ensures all company and brand standards, visual merchandising requirements, safety guidelines, and operational procedures are consistently executed across retail operations with full compliance accountability
Provides executive-level leadership development, performance coaching, and strategic guidance to retail management teams while fostering employee engagement and supporting comprehensive career advancement initiatives
Manages complex inventory control, merchandise receiving processes, vendor relationships, and supply chain coordination to ensure optimal stock levels, product availability, and cost-effective operations
Collaborates with brand partners, specialty managers, and corporate teams to maintain brand compliance, execute promotional initiatives, and implement marketing programs with measurable business impact
Resolves complex operational challenges and customer issues using sound business judgment while maintaining authority for significant operational decisions and escalating only strategic matters to Senior Director
Ensures display areas maintain superior visual appeal according to brand standards, optimizes equipment functionality, and maintains store presentation that exceeds customer expectations and drives revenue
Monitors market trends, competitive landscape, and consumer behavior to inform operational strategies while ensuring compliance with category management principles and retail space optimization
Leads cross-functional collaboration with Supply Chain, Commercial, and Marketing teams to optimize store assortments and marketing support while developing comprehensive training programs for operational procedures