General Manager

Ariat International; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision, and life保险

Expanded wellness benefits

Paid time off and holidays

401(k) with company match

Team member discount on Ariat products

Job summary

Ariat International is seeking a General Manager for a high-volume Houston store, responsible for strategic leadership, sales growth, and exceptional brand experiences. Drive profitability, optimize operations, and coach multi-department teams in a fast-paced retail environment.

You will lead customer-focused initiatives, merchandising standards, and inventory management while partnering with Corporate teams to meet local market needs.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of retail management experience leading high-volume, multi-department retail operations.
• Experience in apparel, footwear, lifestyle, or specialty retail environments preferred.
• Proven ability to lead, motivate, and develop large teams.
• Strong business acumen with experience managing sales performance, payroll, inventory, and operational KPIs.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to prioritize and adapt in a fast-paced, dynamic retail environment.
• Proficiency with retail POS systems, inventory systems, and Microsoft Office applications.
• High school diploma or equivalent required; college degree preferred.
• Valid driver’s license required.

Responsibilities

• Drive store performance, sales, profitability, and operational excellence.
• Establish clear goals, performance expectations, and accountability across all departments.
• Analyze KPIs and retail performance metrics to identify opportunities and improve results.
• Champion sales-driving initiatives, incentive programs, and customer engagement strategies.
• Partner with Corporate Buying and Retail Leadership teams to align assortments and inventory with local customer needs.
• Support and participate in community outreach, local partnerships, and store events that elevate the Ariat brand.
• Foster a customer-first culture focused on delivering exceptional service and memorable shopping experiences.
• Ensure customer concerns and escalations are resolved quickly and professionally.
• Maintain best-in-class visual merchandising, presentation, and in-store brand standards.
• Ensure the sales floor is fully staffed, organized, and operationally ready to support business needs.
• Recruiting, developing, and retaining high-performing leadership teams and associates.
• Providing coaching, feedback, and ongoing development opportunities to Department Managers and store teams.
• Conducting regular performance conversations, quarterly check-ins, and annual evaluations.
• Building a positive, inclusive, and collaborative work environment that promotes engagement and accountability.
• Ensuring staffing levels align with business needs and peak selling periods.
• Overseeing all day-to-day store operations, including payroll, scheduling, reporting, inventory accuracy, and compliance.
• Ensuring timely completion of operational tasks, reporting requirements, and expense management.
• Partnering with Corporate Retail teams to resolve operational, inventory, maintenance, and personnel issues.
• Managing physical inventory processes, cycle counts, transfers, damages, and stock movement activities.
• Maintaining compliance with company policies, procedures, and safety standards.
• Serving as the primary contact for landlord and facility-related matters.
• Partnering with vendors and internal teams to address maintenance, repair, and operational needs.
• Ensuring the store environment remains safe, functional, and brand appropriate.
• Assisting with other responsibilities based on business needs.

Skills

Leadership

Team development

Customer service

Strategic thinking

Communication

Adaptability

People management

Education

High school diploma; college degree preferred

Tools

Retail POS systems

Inventory systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

The General Manager (GM) serves as the strategic and operational leader of a high-volume Ariat Retail location, driving business performance, team development, customer experience, and operational excellence. This role leads a store generating $10M+ in annual sales and acts as the key connection between store leadership teams and the Corporate Retail organization.

The GM is responsible for creating a high-performing, customer-focused culture while ensuring execution across all aspects of the business, including sales growth, talent development, operational efficiency, merchandising standards, and inventory management. The ideal candidate is an inspiring leader who thrives in a fast-paced retail environment and is passionate about building strong teams and delivering exceptional brand experiences.

You’ll Make a Difference By

Business Leadership & Store Performance

• Leading overall store performance, driving sales, profitability, and operational excellence
• Establishing clear goals, performance expectations, and accountability across all departments
• Analyzing business trends, KPIs, and retail performance metrics to identify opportunities and improve results
• Championing sales-driving initiatives, incentive programs, and customer engagement strategies
• Partnering with Corporate Buying and Retail Leadership teams to align assortments and inventory with local customer needs
• Supporting and participating in community outreach, local partnerships, and store events that elevate the Ariat brand

Customer Experience & Brand Standards

• Fostering a customer-first culture focused on delivering exceptional service and memorable shopping experiences
• Ensuring customer concerns and escalations are resolved quickly and professionally
• Maintaining best-in-class visual merchandising, presentation, and in-store brand standards
• Ensuring the sales floor is fully staffed, organized, and operationally ready to support business needs
• Recruiting, developing, and retaining high-performing leadership teams and associates
• Providing coaching, feedback, and ongoing development opportunities to Department Managers and store teams
• Conducting regular performance conversations, quarterly check-ins, and annual evaluations
• Building a positive, inclusive, and collaborative work environment that promotes engagement and accountability
• Ensuring staffing levels align with business needs and peak selling periods

Operations & Inventory Management

• Overseeing all day-to-day store operations, including payroll, scheduling, reporting, inventory accuracy, and compliance
• Ensuring timely completion of operational tasks, reporting requirements, and expense management
• Partnering with Corporate Retail teams to resolve operational, inventory, maintenance, and personnel issues
• Managing physical inventory processes, cycle counts, transfers, damages, and stock movement activities
• Maintaining compliance with company policies, procedures, and safety standards
• Serving as the primary contact for landlord and facility-related matters
• Partnering with vendors and internal teams to address maintenance, repair, and operational needs
• Ensuring the store environment remains safe, functional, and brand appropriate
• Assisting with other responsibilities based on business needs.

About You

• 5+ years of retail management experience leading high-volume, multi-department retail operations
• Experience in apparel, footwear, lifestyle, or specialty retail environments preferred
• Proven ability to lead, motivate, and develop large teams
• Strong business acumen with experience managing sales performance, payroll, inventory, and operational KPIs
• Excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to prioritize and adapt in a fast-paced, dynamic retail environment
• Proficiency with retail POS systems, inventory systems, and Microsoft Office applications
• High school diploma or equivalent required; college degree preferred
• Valid driver’s license required

Schedule & Travel Requirements

• Full-time availability required, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and peak retail periods
• Occasional travel for meetings, training, events, or store support may be require
• Physical Requirements
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods
• Ability to regularly bend, reach, and move throughout the store environment
• Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds
• Ability to maintain visual attention to detail in a retail environment

Reporting Structure

Direct Reports: Department Managers

About Ariat

Ariat is an innovative, outdoor global brand with roots in equestrian performance. We develop high-quality footwear and apparel for people who ride, work, and play outdoors, and care about performance, quality, comfort, and style.

The hourly range for this position is $70,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year.

The salary is determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data for geographic locations. Ariat in good faith believes that this posted compensation range is accurate for this role at this location at the time of this posting. This range may be modified in the future.

Ariat’s holistic benefits package for full-time team members includes (but is not limited to):

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance options
• Expanded wellness and mental health benefits
• Paid time off (PTO) and paid holidays
• 401(k) with company match
• Team member discount on Ariat merchandise

Note: Availability of benefits may be subject to location & employment type and may have certain eligibility requirements. Ariat reserves the right to alter these benefits in whole or in part at any time without advance notice.

Ariat will consider qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local laws. Ariat is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetics or any other basis protected under federal, state, or local law. Ariat is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to candidates with disabilities. If you need an accommodation during the application process, email [e-mail].