Head of Retail Stores & Operations

Job description

Adventure is our Culture. Join a team that celebrates a lifestyle as bold as the terrain we love. At Backcountry, we are rooted in adventure, recognition, and wellbeing on and off the mountain. We spotlight employee stories, celebrate milestones, and offer exclusive outdoor perks. Whether you are at HQ, in a retail store, or remote, you will be part of a team that thrives on energy, exploration, and connection. **Reports to:** Senior Vice President of Retail and Culinary **Location:** Salt Lake City, Utah (Hybrid - 3x/week in-office) ### About the Role: The Head of Stores is responsible for leading and growing a high-performing retail organization across Backcountry and Backcountry Outlet. This executive will drive profitable growth by developing people, fostering a customer-obsessed culture, expanding rentals and services, and delivering operational excellence across an evolving store portfolio. As the retail business continues to expand, this leader will build the capabilities, talent, and operating model needed to support growth while leveraging AI, technology, and data-driven insights to improve decision-making, simplify operations, and enhance the customer and employee experience. This is a lean team. You will own a lot, move fast, and make decisions with full end-to-end responsibility. ### What You'll Do: - Lead and develop a high-performing field organization by coaching leaders, building succession plans, and ensuring the right organizational structure to support a growing retail business. - Drive sales, profitability, and sustainable business growth through disciplined execution, financial stewardship, and operational excellence. - Grow the business by expanding equipment rentals, services, memberships, and other revenue opportunities while maximizing operational efficiency. - Foster a customer-obsessed culture that delivers exceptional service, builds loyalty, increases conversion, and strengthens the Backcountry and Backcountry Outlet brands. - Oversee equipment rental operations, including fleet management, seasonal staffing, safety, compliance, and operational performance across all locations. - Recruit, develop, and retain top talent while building a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. - Establish clear performance expectations through KPIs, reporting, and accountability, ensuring field leaders consistently deliver results and uphold brand standards. - Partner cross-functionally with Merchandising, Marketing, Finance, HR, Real Estate, and Operations to execute strategic initiatives and support business growth. - Champion the use of AI, analytics, and emerging technologies to simplify operations, improve productivity, enhance decision-making, and elevate both the employee and customer experience. - Develop and continuously improve operating procedures, training programs, and best practices to create a scalable, efficient, and consistent retail organization. ### Required Qualifications: - 10+ years of progressive multi-unit retail leadership experience. - Proven success driving sales, profitability, operational excellence, and a customer-obsessed culture. - Demonstrated ability to develop high-performing leaders and scale a growing retail organization. - Strong financial acumen with experience managing P&L, budgeting, forecasting, and labor. - Experience leading equipment rental or service-based retail operations, including oversight of fleet management, operational execution, and profitability. - Experience leading organizational change and implementing scalable operating practices. - Proven ability to leverage AI, technology, and analytics to improve business performance, productivity, and decision-making. - Exceptional communication, collaboration, and cross-functional leadership skills. - Based in, or willing to relocate to, the Salt Lake City area, with the ability to travel frequently. ### Why Join: The people who do best here are builders. They take ownership, move fast, and want to see the direct impact of their work. - **Executive Access:** Work directly with the SVP of Retail and Culinary and Backcountry's C-suite to shape the future of the brand's retail footprint. - **Leadership Opportunity:** Build a retail organization from the ground up — define the structure, hire the team, and set the standards across a growing portfolio. - **Portfolio-Level Impact:** Own strategy and P&L across all stores and rental operations, with the autonomy to make decisions that drive measurable business outcomes. - **Competitive Benefits:** Paid time off policies, 401(k) match, medical/dental/vision and a variety of supplemental policies, and employee discounts across our portfolio of brands. ### Interview Process: 1. **Recruiter Screen** - A 30- to 45-minute conversation with our recruiting team to align on the role, your background, and what you are looking for. 2. **Hiring Manager Interview** - Conversation with the SVP of Retail and Culinary focused on your experience building retail organizations, driving selling culture, and managing multi-unit P&L. 3. **Panel Interview** - Discussion with cross-functional leaders from Merchandising, Finance, and HR to assess strategic alignment and partnership approach. 4. **Executive Interview** - Conversation with senior executive leadership to discuss vision, organizational build, and long-term growth strategy. 5. **In-Person Interview** - We'd like to meet you at our Salt Lake City office. Details and logistics will be arranged with your recruiter. 6. **Reference Checks** - Conducted in parallel with the final stages where possible. 7. **Offer** - We move quickly for the right candidate. *Interview process is subject to change. Any updates will be communicated promptly and clearly.* ### Please Note: - Part of our interview process is a mandatory in-person interview with someone on our team prior to an offer. Candidates that are unwilling or unable to meet for an in-person interview will be removed from consideration immediately.