Head of Store Operations

Heart of England Society; Coventry; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Heart of England Society is seeking a Head of Store Operations to lead our Food store estate and Central Operations. You will drive commercial success, operational excellence and a high-performing culture across the business, inspiring Area Managers, Store Managers and Central Operations teams.

You will report to the Chief Operating Officer and be responsible for delivering strong sales, profitability and consistently high standards, while building a visible leadership role across stores and

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading multi-site retail operations.
• Strong financial understanding including budgeting, forecasting, payroll and cost management.
• Experience leading and developing senior operational management teams.
• Ability to identify and develop talent, implement succession plans and build future leadership capability.
• Hands-on, visible leadership with the ability to motivate teams and connect with colleagues and customers.

Responsibilities

• Commercial Performance: Drive sales, profitability and store performance against budgets and targets.
• Operational Excellence: Maintain high standards across customer experience, availability, merchandising and compliance.
• Leadership & Development: Build leadership pipelines and create opportunities for internal progression.
• Central Operations: Lead cross-functional initiatives to coordinate practical plans across stores.
• People & Culture: Create a high-performance culture with accountability and engagement.
• Cost & Productivity: Manage payroll, reduce waste and control stock loss.
• Collaboration: Work with Commercial, Supply Chain, Marketing, People & Culture, Finance and Property.

Job description

Lead our stores. Inspire our people. Shape our future.

Are you an inspirational retail leader with the commercial ambition, operational expertise and people leadership skills to take a multi-site retail operation to the next level?

We are looking for an exceptional Head of Store Operations to lead the performance of our Food store estate and Central Operations function, driving commercial success, operational excellence and a high-performing culture across our business.

This is a key senior leadership opportunity for someone who thrives on delivering results, developing talented teams and creating an environment where colleagues are empowered to take ownership, deliver outstanding customer experiences and achieve their full potential.

About the role

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you will take overall responsibility for the performance of our Food store estate, ensuring we deliver strong sales and profitability alongside consistently high operational standards.

You will lead and inspire our Area Managers, Store Managers and Central Operations team, creating a strong trading and performance culture where accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement are at the heart of everything we do. You will be highly visible across our stores, building strong relationships with colleagues, understanding the challenges and opportunities within our businesses, recognising great performance and providing support and challenge where needed.

Key areas of responsibility will include:

• Commercial Performance: Drive sales, profitability and overall store performance, ensuring budgets and targets are achieved or exceeded.
• Operational Excellence: Set and maintain consistently high standards across customer experience, availability, merchandising, cleanliness and compliance.
• Leadership & Development: Build a strong leadership pipeline, identifying talent, developing future leaders and creating opportunities for internal progression.
• Central Operations: Lead the Central Operations function, ensuring business plans, communications and initiatives are practical, coordinated and delivered effectively in stores.
• People & Culture: Create an engaging, positive and high-performance culture where colleagues feel motivated, valued and accountable for delivering results.
• Cost & Productivity: Drive effective payroll management, waste reduction, stock-loss control and operational efficiency.
• Collaboration: Work closely with Commercial, Supply Chain, Marketing, People & Culture, Finance and Property teams to ensure business plans translate into successful operational delivery.

About YouYou will be an accomplished multi-site retail leader with a proven track record of delivering commercial and operational results across a geographically dispersed store estate. You will combine strong commercial acumen with an engaging and inspirational leadership style, knowing how to motivate teams, develop talent and create a culture of ownership and accountability.You will also bring:

• Significant experience leading multi-site retail operations, ideally within food retail, convenience or FMCG.
• A strong track record of delivering sales, profit, cost control and operational performance.
• Experience leading and developing senior operational management teams.
• The ability to identify and develop talent, implement succession plans and build future leadership capability.
• Strong financial understanding, including budgeting, forecasting, payroll and cost management.
• Experience driving consistently high store standards and customer experience.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to build effective relationships across all levels of an organisation.
• A hands-on, visible leadership approach, with the genuine passion for spending time in stores and connecting with colleagues and customers.

Above all, you will be commercially driven, people-focused and ambitious to make a real difference.