AKIRA · 1 day ago
Director of Retail Operations
Chicago, IL
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$135K/yr - $205K/yr
8+ years expAKIRA is a women's clothing boutique that has expanded to over 35 stores across the United States. The Director of Retail Operations will lead the design, standardization, and execution of store operating systems and processes to enhance operational efficiency and support the retail sales organization.
Apparel & Fashion
Responsibilities
Define and maintain store operating standards and playbooks (store layout, visual, omni-fulfilment, service, health & safety, loss prevention)
Lead audit programme: regular store visits, compliance/standards reviews, visual & operations audits, corrective action tracking
Build repeatable processes for new opening readiness, remodels, back-of-house workflows, POS/tech enablement
Oversee inventory lifecycle for ~60K+ SKUs across network: on-hand accuracy, replenishment cadence, surplus/aged inventory reduction, vendor/allocator coordination
Partner with Merchandising/Allocation to optimise stock depth and breadth; minimise markdown burden, reduce stray/obsolescence, ensure right-fit inventory in stores
Manage shrink, returns, chargebacks: lead root-cause analytics and mitigation plans (vendor compliance, store handling, logistics)
Lead end-to-end opening process: site readiness, fixture/visual set-up, POS/CRM integration, field training, go-live checks, early performance diagnostics
Develop a scalable opening model that enables rapid growth (2–3 stores/year), consistent powerhouse launch execution, and quick ramp to chain average
Establish KPIs: labour cost %, sales per labour hour, shrink %, on-hand accuracy, store downtime, system uptime, store tech adoption
Partner with Finance to build budgets (store wages, supplies, travel, facility maintenance) and monitor actuals vs plan; lead cost control and efficiency initiatives
Lead continuous-improvement projects: process standardisation, tech automation (StoreForce, workforce management), task elimination, performance optimisation
Champion store-technology ecosystem (POS, StoreForce, CRM, workforce/scheduling tools, omni-fulfilment systems) to increase selling time and reduce operational friction
Collaborate with IT and eCommerce/CRM teams to ensure store systems are integrated, data flows are accurate, field team visibility is real-time
Lead the operations field team (Operations Managers, Visual/Facilities Leads, Opening Project Managers)
Coach and develop these operations leaders: set development plans, ensure field presence, embed operational best-practices, and build leader bench
Travel frequently to stores to build credibility, lead training, audits, and readiness reviews
Qualification
Required
8–12+ years in multi-unit retail operations
experience scaling systems across 20–50+ stores, ideally 40+
Proven track record in operational excellence
inventory management (high SKU environment)
store opening execution
process improvement and cost control
Strong analytics aptitude: dashboards, root-cause analysis, process mapping, cost modelling
Change-agent: thrives in a growth context
partners cross-functionally (Merchandising, IT, Supply Chain)
drives adoption in field
Bachelor's required
Willing to travel 50–75%
Collaborative leadership style
able to partner closely with Sales Director and other senior leaders
Preferred
MBA preferred
apparel/fast-fashion strongly preferred
Benefits
Medical
Dental
Vision
Pet
Life
LTD
FSA/HSA/Dependent Care FSA
Flex Transit (CTA)
401(k)
Employee discount
Company
AKIRA
AKIRA first opened in 2002 as a single women’s clothing boutique in the trendy Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago and is owned by Eric Hsueh, Erikka Wang, Sarah Hughes, Gordon Liao and Mark Ricard.
1001-5000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Jon Cotay
Founder and Owner
Company data provided by crunchbase