Retail Transformation Development Manager

WHSmith; Las Vegas (NV); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

WHSmith is seeking a Retail Transformation Development Manager at our Support Center in Las Vegas to design, develop, and deploy training programs that strengthen store readiness and transformation adoption across North America.

You will partner with Field Operations and Central Teams to translate business priorities into scalable learning solutions, coach leaders, and drive operational performance, compliance, and customer experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Management, Hospitality, Retail Operations, or related field.
• 3-5 years designing, developing, and deploying training programs for leaders and frontline teams.
• Experience applying adult learning principles and instructional design.
• Experience deploying training at scale across geographically dispersed retail teams.
• Experience developing blended learning solutions (ILT, virtual, LMS, train-the-trainer, in-store coaching).
• Ability to measure training effectiveness through adoption data and performance metrics.
• Strong project management skills with cross-functional coordination.
• Willingness to travel up to 50% across North America.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, holidays.

Responsibilities

• Develop strategic training programs to support retail initiatives and drive consistent execution.
• Design, develop, and deploy transformation training plans, materials, and tools that help store teams adopt new processes.
• Build capability, confidence, and adoption among field leaders and store teams.
• Partner with cross-functional and central support teams to create scalable training solutions that support store readiness, project delivery, and sustained adoption.
• Coach local leaders and frontline teams to reinforce adoption and execution.
• Develop, maintain, and deliver operational training materials, playbooks, job aids, and deployment resources.
• Facilitate instructor-led, virtual, and in-store training programs that support operational priorities.
• Provide hands-on coaching focused on operational excellence, inventory control, shrink reduction, compliance, customer experience, and commercial execution.
• Identify operational capability gaps and deliver targeted training solutions that improve performance and consistency.
• Support field teams and Multi-Unit Managers in achieving sales, shrink, labor, cost, and compliance goals through targeted training initiatives.
• Translate enterprise operational strategies into actionable training plans for field teams.
• Collaborate with internal partners to analyze operational data to identify trends, root causes, and improvement opportunities.
• Build scalable action plans that ensure timely, on-budget delivery of training projects.
• Identify focus stores and coordinate targeted operational support based on business needs and performance trends.
• Partner with Multi-Unit Managers to stabilize underperforming or high-risk locations.

Skills

Instructional design

Adult learning

Project management

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional influence

Coaching

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Management, Hospitality, Retail Operations

Tools

Learning Management System (LMS)

Microsoft Office

Analytics tools

Job description

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Job Title

Retail Transformation Development Manager

Location

Support Center - Las Vegas, NV 89119 US (Primary)

Job Type

Full-time

Category

Customer Service

Education

Job Description

The Retail Training Development Manager designs, develops, and deploys practical training programs that strengthen operational execution, improve team capability, and drive consistency across North America retail operations. This role partners with Field Operations, Central Operations, and cross-functional teams to translate business priorities into scalable training solutions that support store readiness, transformation adoption, operational performance, compliance, shrink reduction, and customer experience.

Core Responsibilities

• Develop strategic training programs that support retail initiatives and drive consistent execution.
• Design, develop, and deploy transformation training plans, materials, and tools that help store teams confidently adopt new processes and ways of working.
• Build capability, confidence, and adoption among field leaders and store teams.
• Partner with cross-functional and central support teams to create scalable training solutions that support store readiness, project delivery, and sustained adoption.
• Coach local leaders and frontline teams to reinforce adoption and execution.

Training, Coaching and Capability Development

• Develop, maintain, and deliver operational training materials, playbooks, job aids, and deployment resources.
• Facilitate instructor-led, virtual, and in-store training programs that support operational priorities.
• Provide hands-on coaching focused on operational excellence, inventory control, shrink reduction, compliance, customer experience, and commercial execution.
• Identify operational capability gaps and deliver targeted training solutions that improve performance and consistency.

Operational Excellence and Business Performance

• Support field teams and Multi-Unit Managers in achieving sales, shrink, labor, cost, and compliance goals through targeted training initiatives.
• Translate enterprise operational strategies into actionable training plans for field teams.
• Collaborate with internal partners to analyze operational data, including audits, shrink, known loss, compliance reporting, labor metrics, and operational scorecards, to identify trends, root causes, and improvement opportunities.
• Build scalable action plans that support timely, on-budget delivery of training projects.
• Identify focus stores and coordinate targeted operational support based on business needs and performance trends.
• Partner with Multi-Unit Managers to stabilize underperforming or high-risk locations.

Initiative Deployment and Field Support

• Support the deployment of strategic initiatives, operational programs, new store openings, remodels, and business transformation efforts across North America.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to ensure field readiness, training, communication, and execution plans are delivered effectively.
• Monitor adoption and execution consistency for training initiatives and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

Leadership Expectations and Measures of Success

• Lead through influence, expertise, and partnership, serving as a trusted advisor to field leaders while reinforcing accountability, operational discipline, and execution consistency.
• Demonstrate capability in training development, coaching, operational excellence, project deployment, change management, data-driven decision making, stakeholder management, and cross-functional influence.
• Drive results through effective change adoption, consistent execution, improved team capability, and successful delivery of new processes across target stores.

Key Metrics

• On-time completion of training projects.
• Store readiness sign-off for physical changes and transformation program deployment.
• Closure of project punch-list items within defined timelines.
• Transition effectiveness, including store performance within the first 90 days.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Management, Hospitality, Retail Operations, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3-5 years of experience designing, developing, facilitating, and deploying training programs, materials, and implementation plans for leaders, frontline teams, and multi-site or field-based environments.
• Experience applying adult learning principles, instructional design practices, and needs analysis to develop role-based training solutions.
• Experience deploying training at scale across geographically dispersed retail, field-based, or multi-site teams.
• Experience developing blended learning solutions, including instructor-led, virtual, LMS-based, train-the-trainer, and in-store coaching formats.
• Ability to measure training effectiveness through adoption data, performance metrics, completion rates, field feedback, and operational outcomes.
• Strong project management skills with experience managing training timelines, milestones, deliverables, and cross-functional dependencies.
• Experience supporting change adoption through communication, field readiness planning, coaching, and reinforcement.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Learning Management Systems, and operational reporting and analytics tools.
• Experience supporting retail transformation, process implementation, or operational change initiatives preferred.
• Ability to travel throughout North America, up to 50%, to support operational initiatives, training, and field priorities.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended field assignments as business needs require.

TravelRequirements

• Mustbewillingandabletotravelextensively,75%ormoreofthetime,basedonbusinessneeds,projectdeployments,trainingrequirements,andfieldsupportpriorities.
• Musthavetheabilitytotraveldomesticallyandinternationally,includingthroughoutNorthAmericaandotherbusiness-supportedmarketsasrequired.

About Us

WHSmith is a leading global travel retailer with over 1,700 stores across 30 countries worldwide. WHSmith North America, incorporating Marshall Retail Group (MRG) and InMotion, represents over half of the Company’s international store estate, with a collection of attractive, successful specialty retail stores located in airports and resorts across North America.

EEO/ADA/DFWP

WHSmith North America is committed to employing a diverse workforce. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin/ancestry, age, gender identity, gender expression, military/veteran status, marital status, disability status or any other basis prohibited by law.