Area Manager, Singapore

The North Face; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The North Face Singapore is seeking an Area Manager to lead our store network, drive sales profitability, and elevate consumer experiences across the country. You will translate brand strategy into actionable store plans, coach leaders, and ensure operational excellence at the point of execution.

In this role, you will spend substantial time in stores, monitor KPIs, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize performance and talent development in a premium retail environment.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading multi-store retail operations.
• Strong commercial acumen with ability to interpret retail KPIs, business trends and inventory performance to drive decision-making.
• Proven track record of improving store productivity, consumer experience, and operational execution across multiple stores.
• Excellent leadership with experience hiring, coaching, developing, and managing frontline retail teams.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities to identify risks, uncover opportunities, and implement solutions.
• Experience developing and executing business action plans based on sales trends and market insights.
• Fluent English communication; Chinese language skills are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead The North Face Singapore store network with accountability for sales growth, profitability, consumer experience, store productivity, and operational performance.
• Translate business objectives into actionable plans for store teams with clear priorities and execution across all locations.
• Monitor and analyze retail KPIs including sales, conversion, average transaction value, units per transaction, labor productivity, gross margin, markdowns, and inventory productivity.
• Identify opportunities and gaps, developing action plans to improve commercial results and strengthen store performance.
• Spend significant time in stores conducting business reviews, observing consumer behavior, and coaching store leaders and frontline teams.
• Drive consistent execution of visual merchandising standards, brand presentation, service expectations, and operational processes.
• Partner with Retail Buying to provide market insights supporting assortment decisions and seasonal planning.
• Review sales trends and inventory performance to recommend actions for improved sell-through and profitability.

Skills

Retail leadership

Multi-store operations

Commercial acumen

KPIs & analytics

People management

Coaching

Cross-functional collaboration

Store execution

Brand standards

Fluent English

Fluent Chinese

Job description

A day in the life of an Area Manager at The North Face looks a little like this.

As the leader of our Singapore retail business, you will drive commercial performance, elevate consumer experiences, and build a high-performing store organization across the country. You will translate brand strategy into execution, ensuring every store consistently delivers against sales targets, operational standards, and brand expectations while creating memorable experiences for our consumers.

Working closely with store teams, Retail Operations, Buying, Marketing, and other cross‑functional partners, you will identify growth opportunities, improve store productivity, develop frontline talent, and ensure stores are set up for sustainable success.

You will spend approximately 60% of your time in stores, working directly with teams, observing consumers, reviewing business performance, coaching leaders, and ensuring operational excellence at the point of execution.

Let's break down that day in the life a bit more.

• Lead The North Face Singapore store network with accountability for sales growth, profitability, consumer experience, store productivity, and operational performance.


• Translate business objectives into actionable plans for store teams, ensuring clear priorities, ownership, and execution across all retail locations.


• Monitor and analyze key retail KPIs including sales, retail comp, conversion, average transaction value, units per transaction, labor productivity, gross margin, markdowns, and inventory productivity.


• Identify business opportunities and performance gaps, developing action plans that improve commercial results and strengthen overall store performance.


• Spend significant time in stores conducting business reviews, observing consumer behavior, and providing hands-on coaching to store leaders and frontline teams.


• Drive consistent execution of visual merchandising standards, brand presentation, service expectations, and operational processes across the retail portfolio.


• Ensure compliance with operational, safety, audit, and company standards while maintaining a best-in-class consumer experience.


• Partner with Retail Buying teams to provide market and consumer insights that support assortment decisions, inventory investments, and seasonal planning priorities.


• Review sales trends, consumer demand patterns, stock performance, and inventory productivity to recommend actions that improve sell-through and profitability.


• Gather and communicate structured product feedback from consumers and store teams to improve future product assortments and support business growth.


• Participate in seasonal product reviews, showroom sessions, and assortment planning discussions to represent market needs and consumer preferences.


• Build high-performing store teams through hiring, coaching, performance management, succession planning, and capability development.


• Provide ongoing coaching and leadership support to Store Managers and frontline leaders, strengthening selling behaviors, service delivery, and operational consistency.


• Lead performance assessment and employee relations processes while creating an environment that drives accountability, engagement, and career growth.


• Partner closely with Retail Operations, Marketing, Planning, Human Resources, and other cross‑functional teams to align business priorities and drive execution.


• Monitor competitor activities, retail trends, consumer behavior, and market developments to identify growth opportunities and inform business decisions.


• Drive timely execution of business initiatives, promotional activities, store projects, and cross‑functional action plans throughout the market.

What do you need to succeed?

We all bring unique experiences and strengths to the workplace. For this role, we are looking for someone who can combine strong commercial leadership, operational excellence, and people management skills to drive sustainable business growth through excellent retail execution.

The foundation skills you will need in this position are:

• Strong experience leading multi-store retail operations with accountability for sales, profitability, and overall business performance.


• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to interpret retail KPIs, business trends, inventory performance, and consumer insights to drive decision-making.


• Demonstrated success in improving store productivity, consumer experience, and operational execution across multiple retail locations.


• Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities, with the capability to identify business risks, uncover opportunities, and implement effective solutions.


• Experience developing and executing business action plans based on sales trends, financial results, and market insights.


• Strong leadership capability with experience hiring, coaching, developing, and managing frontline retail teams.


• Experience conducting performance assessments, managing employee relations matters, and driving talent development initiatives.


• Ability to influence and collaborate effectively with cross‑functional stakeholders across multiple functions and organizational levels.


• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to drive action‑oriented and solution‑focused discussions.


• Strong organizational and prioritization skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced retail environment.


• A hands-on leadership style with a strong presence in stores and a passion for coaching teams in the field.


• Strong understanding of consumer behavior, retail trends, and the drivers of a premium brand experience.


• Ability to balance short‑term execution with long‑term business development and capability building.


• Fluent English communication skills, both written and spoken.


• Fluent spoken Chinese with basic to intermediate reading and writing capability.


• There are also a few skills that are not required but preferred.


• 6-10 years of multi-store retail management experience within sportswear, outdoor, lifestyle, apparel, footwear, or premium retail environments.


• Experience managing district, area, regional, or market-level retail operations.


• Experience working within an international or matrix organization with regional stakeholder groups.


• Experience participating in assortment planning, inventory management, or seasonal buying discussions.


• Passion for outdoor, sport, lifestyle, or consumer‑led retail brands.