General Manager, Retail Operations

Optus; United States; Hybrid; AUD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive remuneration and employee discounts

Flexible working arrangements

Additional leave policies

Inclusive parental leave

Development opportunities with micro-credentials

Access to mental health support services

Job summary

A leading Australian telecommunications provider is seeking a General Manager of Retail Operations to drive operational excellence across Branded and Partner retail channels. This role involves leading continuous improvement initiatives, managing compliance, and enhancing the overall employee experience. The ideal candidate will have extensive retail experience, exceptional relationship-building skills, and a strong focus on customer satisfaction. The position offers flexibility with remote work options and competitive benefits, including discounts and parental leave.

Qualifications

• Retail experience in telco preferred, with knowledge of operational standards.
• Track record of improving customer experience and loyalty.
• Ability to lead high engagement teams and drive continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Drive operational performance across customer experience and sales.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives for better processes.
• Manage risk and compliance agenda for retail operations.
• Develop employee experience in partnership with People & Culture.
• Manage financial performance and optimise budgeting.

Skills

Retail and regulated-industry experience

Exceptional influencing skills

Customer-focused approach

Strong risk and compliance capability

Experience leading cultural transformation

Job description

Optus is an Australian telecommunications company, delivering more than 11 million services to our customers every day across mobile, broadband and digital solutions.

The General Manager of Retail Operations is a key strategic leader responsible for driving operational excellence across Optus’ Branded and Partner retail channels. As the primary deputy to the EGM Retail, this role is responsible for day‑to‑day retail operations, ensuring strong execution of the operational agenda and alignment to organisational strategic priorities.

You’ll lead continuous improvement, improve commercial performance, and ensure well-adapted delivery of critical initiatives while maintaining tight alignment with enterprise‑level objectives. Acting as the central coordination point for all retail operational activity, the role builds cohesion across teams and serves as a trusted advisor to senior cross‑functional business partners.

Empowered with delegated authority, the GM of Retail Operations shapes decisions that influence compliance, risk, business performance, and the transformation pipeline, ensuring Retail remains agile, customer‑centred, and positioned for both in‑year success and long‑term strategic growth.

As Optus operates across Australia, this position is open to candidates based in any capital city.

What You’ll Do

• Drive operational performance across customer experience, compliance, and sales by coordinating Retail LT, using data and insights to diagnose root causes and uplift performance across Branded and Partner channels.
• Lead continuous improvement by identifying frontline challenges, eliminating errors, and delivering data‑driven initiatives that strengthen processes, including the end‑to‑end “Research & Purchase” journey.
• Coordinate the Retail Risk & Compliance agenda on behalf of the EGM Retail—managing fraud governance, BCP development and incident response, risk actions, and improvements across WH&S, privacy, fraud, and sales practices.
• Develop the Retail employee experience by partnering with People & Culture on capability development, career pathways, and an engaging, high‑quality onboarding experience.
• Manage financial stewardship by partnering with Commercial Finance to lead all aspects of and optimise the Retail commissions budget.
• Enable strong trade execution by collaborating with product, marketing, and other internal teams to ensure operational readiness and successful delivery of retail initiatives.

What You Bring

• Retail and regulated‑industry experience, ideally including telco, with knowledge of merchandising, operational standards, rostering, and environments committed to meeting regulatory requirements.
• Exceptional influencing and relationship‑building skills, with ability to constructively challenge, build trust, and form strong networks across senior leadership.
• A customer‑focused approach, with a track record of improving customer experience, removing core issues, and driving loyalty and operational uplift.
• A servant‑leadership approach, leading with humility, empowering frontline teams, and fostering a culture of high engagement and continuous improvement.
• Strong risk and compliance capability, with a sophisticated understanding of risk drivers, control frameworks, and operational risk improvement.
• Experience leading cultural and operational transformation, with the ability to influence perspective shifts and embed new ways of working across diverse teams.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive remuneration and employee discounts. Make life easier (and more affordable) with $80 monthly credit and 25% off Optus products and unique shopping discounts with our retail partners.
• Flexible working arrangements with opportunities to work three days in the office, two days remote or home.
• Competitive leave policies, including additional 'Connected’ days to focus on culture, family, health, community, or whatever’s important to you.
• We support growing families with inclusive, carer‑neutral paid Parental Leave of up to 16 weeks.
• Direct your own development and build future‑ready skills with Optus U’s industry‑focused micro‑credentials, developed with La Trobe and Macquarie Universities.
• Build meaningful connections through employee‑led networks and diversity initiatives including Culture Connect, Elevate Women, Disability Network and Express Yourself (LGBTQIA+).
• Put your wellbeing first with free access to counselling and support services, 24/7 — in-person, by phone, SMS, or video.

At Optus, we are strengthened by others and that means valuing diversity and saying ‘yes’ to embracing individual differences. We are committed to ensuring that our application process provides an equal employment opportunity to all job seekers, including individuals from diverse gender, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, individuals with a disability, individuals identifying as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, individuals who may have served in the armed forces or who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. We also want to do our best to make our recruitment process inclusive. If you require any adjustments or accessibility support to participate fairly and equitably in the recruitment process, please email [e-mail] or call 1800 309 170.

For more information on Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at Optus, please visit https://www.optus.com.au/about/inclusion-diversity