Senior Retail Operations Manager, Training & Education

Thuma•San Francisco, CA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Thuma is seeking a Senior Retail Operations Leader to establish and lead the company's retail training function. This role will be responsible for setting standards and building scalable programs to support Thuma's growing store presence. The leader will oversee education across various areas including product knowledge, guest experience, interior design, trade customer support, and onboarding for new employees, all with the goal of delivering a consistent, high-quality guest experience. The position requires translating product and design knowledge into practical training tools, supporting new product launches and store openings, and collaborating with the Retail Operations team on other initiatives. Success hinges on clear communication, strong project management, and the ability to simplify complex information into actionable guidance. The ideal candidate will possess retail operations experience, an appreciation for design, and a collaborative spirit for working in a fast-paced environment. Thuma's headquarters are in San Francisco, and this is a hybrid role requiring three days per week in the office.

Requirements

Proven experience in retail operations, retail training, store leadership, or a related role.
Experience building learning programs, systems, and processes for distributed teams.
Strong product knowledge and interest in interior design, with the ability to make design concepts approachable for both retail teams and customers.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to facilitate training and work with diverse stakeholders.
Excellent project management skills, with the ability to prioritize, manage multiple workstreams, and meet deadlines.
Comfort using retail systems and learning new tools.
A proactive, collaborative approach to improving the guest experience and store operations.
Willingness to travel up to two weeks per month to deliver and implement training across retail locations.

Nice To Haves

Experience creating education or support resources for professional, trade, or business customers.
Experience with Shopify POS, NetSuite, or related platforms.

Responsibilities

Establish and continuously improve a centralized learning platform, training processes, and reusable resources for consistent, scalable education across product, interior design, trade, and other retail priorities.
Partner with store leaders to identify skill gaps, coach consistent guest engagement and clienteling practices, and measure the impact of training on team confidence and performance.
Develop the capabilities of Store Managers through targeted coaching and programs focused on leadership effectiveness, team management, performance, client experience, and commercial execution.
Develop onboarding, ongoing learning, and product launch training programs with facilitator guides, job aids, and knowledge checks.
Use feedback and performance results to refine the training system and keep resources current as the business grows.
Support retail onboarding and early integration, ensuring employees receive consistent brand, product, service, and role-specific training.
Own retail product education and launch readiness, translating product details into clear guidance for store teams.
Coordinate with Product, Merchandising, Marketing, and Retail Operations to align launch timelines, store communications, displays, and customer-facing information.
Gather product questions and feedback from stores and trade partners, identify recurring gaps, and share actionable insights with cross-functional teams.
Develop resources to help retail teams guide guests on space planning, styling, product combinations, materials, and design choices.
Partner with design and visual merchandising teams to translate design intent into consistent in-store storytelling, displays, and guest experiences.
Support store teams with practical design guidance for complex guest needs and keep design education aligned with current products and brand standards.
Create and maintain education and reference materials for trade professionals and the retail teams that serve them.
Partner with trade and cross-functional teams to deliver trainings, answer recurring questions, and improve resources supporting a smooth trade experience.
Build a feedback loop with trade partners and store teams to identify resource gaps and recommend improvements.
Support new store openings, product launches, visual merchandising, and operational changes by preparing communications and readiness materials.
Partner with Retail Operations on SOPs, guest engagement standards, systems adoption, reporting, and other operational priorities.

Benefits

Participation in our 401(k) program with company matching up to 6% of your contributions.
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with generous employer contributions.
100% paid parental leave.
Company-sponsored One Medical and WellHub memberships.
Participation in employee stock option plan.
Select paid holidays, including key company closure days.
Holiday pay when working on designated holidays.
40% off almost all Thuma products.
$100 per month cell phone stipend.
Up to $150 per month commute reimbursement.
A complimentary product credit upon joining, valued at up to $3,000 (some exclusions may apply).