Department Manager, Retail Store Operations Support

Mountain Equipment Company•North York, ON

3d•CA$48,000 - CA$60,200•Onsite

About The Position

At MEC, our purpose is to equip people for a lifetime of great outdoor experiences and adventure. Our home is on the trail—and everything we do is grounded in a deep belief in the power of the outdoors to build confidence, connection, and community. What sets MEC apart is our deep expertise, thoughtful product curation, and strong community connection, all focused on serving our members. Our teams bring lived outdoor experience and product knowledge to every interaction, helping members find the right gear and guidance for where they’re going next. We curate products with intention—prioritizing quality, performance, and sustainability—so members can trust what they buy and how it’s made. And we show up in our communities through local partnerships, events, and shared outdoor experiences that extend far beyond our store walls. We’re a people-first organization, grounded in our values of respect, integrity, inclusivity, collaboration, and accountability. Our leaders play a hands-on role in bringing these values and differentiators to life—building strong teams, leading with care and clarity, and ensuring every decision supports meaningful experiences for our members, our staff, and the places we love to explore. As the Department Manager, Operations Support, you are a key store leader responsible for driving day-to-day operational excellence. You lead back-of-house operations, inventory flow, loss prevention, health and safety, and operational support functions that keep the store running safely, efficiently, and in alignment with MEC standards. Reporting to the General Manager, you partner closely with the Senior Staff Team to identify risks, improve operational performance, and build strong operational capability within the team. You balance disciplined execution with people-first leadership, ensuring operational excellence supports both the member experience and business results.

Requirements

1–3 years of leadership experience in a retail or service environment with accountability for operations and people leadership
Strong operational and business acumen, with the ability to interpret KPIs and drive consistent execution
Experience with inventory management systems, OMS workflows, and retail operating systems
Working knowledge of loss prevention, inventory controls, and workplace health & safety
Strong communication and collaboration skills across teams and partners
Sound judgment and comfort making decisions in fast-paced, operationally complex environments
Passion for outdoor activities and the outdoor lifestyle
Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays

Responsibilities

Lead inventory, stockroom, OMS, shipment, and back-of-house operations
Ensure operational standards, SLAs, and workflows are executed accurately and consistently
Identify operational risks and gaps, implementing corrective action plans
Serve as a key escalation point for systems, facilities, and operational issues
Lead loss prevention practices, audits, and cycle counts to protect inventory integrity
Support a safe and compliant work environment, including Joint Health & Safety Committee leadership
Respond to incidents, identify trends, and drive corrective actions
Lead, coach, and develop the operations team through training, feedback, and regular check-ins
Support recruitment, onboarding, and workforce planning for operations roles
Build engagement, accountability, and operational capability across the team
Foster an inclusive, respectful, and high-performing team environment
Act as the Member Service Manager on the floor when required
Support consistent execution of Member Service Desk, Cash, Rental, and RAC processes
Partner with store leadership to ensure operational execution supports a strong member experience