Senior Vice President- Retail Store Operations

AlixPartners, LLP; London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job description

At AlixPartners, we solve the most complex and critical challenges by moving quickly from analysis to action when it really matters; creating value that has a lasting impact on companies, their people, and the communities they serve. By understanding, respecting, and honouring the needs of our employees, clients, and communities, AlixPartners actively promotes an inclusive environment. We strongly believe in the value that diversity brings to our experiences and are committed to the perpetual enhancements of initiatives, policies, and practices. We hold ourselves accountable by providing the space for authenticity, growth, and equity for everyone.

AlixPartners has embraced a hybrid work model to provide flexibility and support our employees’ work-life integration. Our hybrid model combines a mix of in-person at an AlixPartners office on Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday, and remote working options for Monday and Friday.

What you’ll do

Our Retail Performance Improvement (PI) team works with healthy, under-performing and distressed companies across a variety of urgent, high impact situations. The Retail PI team helps clients deliver significant improvement in business performance and enterprise value across all subsectors within the retail industry through five key areas: revenue growth, cost and profit improvement, cash management, digital enablement, and organizational effectiveness.

This is an exciting time to join a rapidly growing team that is servicing clients in a dynamic and challenging market. We help our clients adapt and thrive during a period of immense pressure in the industry. From day one, you will get a chance to deliver real impact and work with clients when it really matters.

This description is not designed to encompass a comprehensive listing of required activities, duties or responsibilities.

What you’ll need

• Extensive and relevant experience with a mix of consulting and industry experience within retail, with a specific spike in stores: 4-wall store profitability improvement, labour model optimisation, store sales and conversion improvements, and optimal locations of store networks.
• Specific delivery experience in retail store operations where you have had direct experience in many of the following:

Store Footprint Optimisation & Lease Negotiations

• Leading footprint analysis and location studies to optimise number of stores and locations/location types.
• Ability to combine multiple data sources to enable decisions on the store portfolio beyond typical 4-wall EBITDA models.
• Negotiating store leases and also driving value through innovative / effective approaches (e.g. experience with a CVA).

Store Labour and Process Improvement

• Optimising the store labour staffing model based on key inputs (traffic, sales conversion, complexity of labour types, breadth of staff needs).
• Transforming key store processes with and without technology to drive efficiency improvements to reduce costs and/or improve customer experience.
• Deep understanding of workload drivers, staffing policies, staffing requirements, and field retention / development across complex store staffing environments.
• Analysing field management org structures and skillsets, and identifying opportunities to improve efficacy.
• Familiarity with current technologies driving efficiencies within stores (i.e., AI enabled technologies, robotic process automation, labour scheduling tools etc.).

Broader Value-Chain Impacts

• Experience weighing trade-offs of in-store vs digital footprint; halo effects.
• Experience working with cross-functional and upstream partners to plan and implement changes benefiting stores (i.e., supply chain, buying, merchandising, VM, marketing).
• Other relevant retail experience should also be highlighted as well:

• Revenue and growth programmes.
• Category strategy.
• Direct Sourcing.
• Indirect procurement & SG&A cost reduction.
• Organizational effectiveness.
• Omnichannel, digital transformation.
• End to end supply chain transformation & distribution footprint optimization.

• Demonstrable track record in achieving implementation oriented, qualitative solutions in multiple workstreams.
• Deep understanding of business issues and the ability to communicate them effectively to team leaders and clients.
• Willingness to build professional and personal growth by working in high-impact situations under time-pressure.
• True passion for achieving ambitious results.
• Outstanding analytical and critical thinking skills along with strong financial literacy and modelling (expert in Excel and other tools).
• Passion for retail and a contributor to / participant in industry events / conferences.
• Excellent relationship management with c-suite stakeholders while achieving results.
• Excellent written, verbal, organizational, and executive-level presentation skills.
• Fluency in English is essential; knowledge of an additional language would be advantageous.
• Willingness to travel, sometimes at short notice.
• Willingness to work outside of normal business hours, and in particular as unique projects/needs arise.
• Must become familiar with, and promote and abide by, our Core Values as defined by the AlixPartners’ Code of Conduct and foster an inclusive environment with people at all levels of an organization.

Education Requirements

• Master’s degree and/or an MBA, and evidence of a strong academic record.
• A degree in Business, Finance or Engineering is preferable but not essential.

The firm offers market-leading benefits that provide flexible options to support our employee’s needs including health benefits to help prioritise their physical and emotional well-being, time-off policies to help to recharge and financial/ retirement benefits that offer income protection and support long-term planning.

The benefit type and level differ per location.

AlixPartners is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, status as a protected veteran, or disability.

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