Store Director @ Candyland NYC

Job description

Lead the Experience. Shape the Strategy. Build the Team. At Candy Land NYC, we're creating more than a candy store—we're creating an immersive destination where guests of all ages discover wonder, celebrate imagination, and indulge their sweet side. Every visit is designed to spark joy through hospitality, storytelling, playful discovery, and unforgettable moments. As the Store Director, you'll do more than lead a retail business—you'll shape one of the most unique guest experiences in retail. This unique concept blends retail, entertainment, and hospitality into an experience guests will remember long after they've left the store. You'll serve as the visionary behind the daily guest experience, balancing strategic business leadership with people development and operational excellence. You'll inspire an exceptional team, partner with key stakeholders, and continuously evolve the guest experience while delivering outstanding business results and being an impressive steward of the Candy Land brand. If you love building culture, thinking strategically, solving challenges creatively, and making work genuinely fun, we'd love to meet you. Position Summary The Store Director is the strategic and operational leader of the Candy Land NYC experience, responsible for driving business performance while creating an unforgettable destination for every guest. This role goes beyond traditional retail leadership. You'll translate business insights into action, identify opportunities to grow the business, cultivate strong partnerships, and continuously elevate the guest experience through innovation, coaching, and operational excellence. As a visible leader, you'll spend much of your time on the sales floor connecting with guests, coaching your team, celebrating wins, and ensuring every visit feels magical. Behind the scenes, you'll analyze performance, anticipate business trends, develop talent, and create strategies that keep Candy Land NYC fresh, exciting, and thriving. The Store Director is accountable for four key outcomes: • Create Wonder – Deliver unforgettable guest experiences. • Drive Results – Lead strategic business performance. • Grow People – Build future leaders and an exceptional culture. • Imagine What's Next – Continuously evolve the Candy Land NYC experience through creativity, innovation, and strategic thinking. What You'll Do Leadership & Culture • Inspire, coach, and develop a team committed to creating joyful, memorable guest experiences. • Foster a culture where fun, curiosity, hospitality, and accountability thrive together. • Recruit, onboard, develop, and retain exceptional talent while building a strong leadership bench. • Create an environment where recognition, celebration, and continuous learning are part of every day. • Empower leaders to make decisions, solve problems, and think like business owners. • Partner closely with Event Network leadership, property partners, and brand stakeholders to align business priorities, bring new ideas to life, and deliver extraordinary guest experiences. • Encourage innovation by testing new ideas, celebrating creativity, and continuously finding ways to make the experience even sweeter. Guest Experience • Champion the Candy Land NYC guest experience and brand standards. • Ensure every guest interaction reflects our promise of creating lasting memories. • Lead with hospitality, storytelling, energy, and genuine enthusiasm. • Look beyond transactions to create memorable moments guests can't wait to share. • Continuously evaluate the guest journey, identify opportunities to surprise, delight, and improve. • Empower your team to confidently resolve guest concerns while turning challenges into memorable recoveries. • Ensure every visit feels immersive, playful, and unmistakably in Candy Land NYC. Business Performance • Own the business by achieving sales, profitability, labor, and operational goals. • Analyze business trends, guest insights, and performance metrics to develop proactive strategies that drive growth. • Identify opportunities to increase conversion, average transaction value, guest engagement, and repeat visits. • Lead seasonal business planning, promotional execution, and local opportunities to maximize results. • Balance operational efficiency with delivering an exceptional guest experience. • Use data to inform decisions while never losing sight of the magic happening on the sales floor. Operational Excellence • Oversee all daily store operations while maintaining the highest standards of execution. • Ensure inventory accuracy, merchandising excellence, visual storytelling, safety, and compliance. • Maintain a clean, organized, vibrant, and welcoming environment. • Partner with the Assistant Director to prioritize initiatives, solve challenges, and execute with excellence. • Protect company assets while ensuring adherence to all Event Network policies and procedures. • Continuously look for smarter, more efficient ways to improve operations without compromising the guest experience. What You'll Bring We're looking for leaders who are passionate about people, hospitality, innovation, and creating memorable experiences. Preferred Qualifications • 3+ years of leadership experience in retail, hospitality, entertainment, attractions, or other guest-focused environments. • Demonstrated success leading high-performing teams and building an engaging, service-focused culture. • Proven ability to coach, inspire, and develop future leaders. • Strong business acumen with experience managing sales, payroll, labor, inventory, and operational performance. • Experience using business insights and key performance metrics to identify opportunities and drive results. • Excellent communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills. • Creative problem-solving mindset with the ability to adapt in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. • Passion for delivering exceptional guest experiences through storytelling, hospitality, and innovation. • Flexible availability, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and special events. What Success Looks Like The Candy Land NYC Store Director leads across four key pillars. Create Wonder • Deliver exceptional, memorable guest experiences. • Bring the Candy Land story to life in every interaction. • Foster a culture of hospitality, imagination, and fun. • Create moments guests can't stop talking about. Drive Results • Achieve revenue, profitability, and operational goals. • Use business insights and data to make smart, strategic decisions. • Drive sales through exceptional guest engagement, merchandising, and leadership. • Balance operational excellence with an unforgettable guest experience. • Lead with accountability while inspiring your team to achieve shared goals. Grow People • Recruit, retain, and develop exceptional talent. • Build confident leaders ready for their next opportunity. • Create meaningful coaching and development experiences. • Foster a culture of recognition, ownership, accountability, and continuous learning. • Inspire your team to grow personally and professionally. Imagine What's Next • Think like an owner by identifying opportunities to elevate the guest experience and grow the business. • Encourage creativity, curiosity, and innovation across the team. • Use guest feedback, business insights, and emerging trends to continuously improve the experience. • Partner with Event Network leaders, property partners, and brand stakeholders to bring new ideas, seasonal activations, and unforgettable moments to life. • Embrace change, test new ideas, and help shape the future of this first-of-its-kind experiential retail destination. • Inspire your team to ask, "How can we make tomorrow even more magical than today?" Why Candy Land NYC? Candy Land NYC is more than a retail destination—it’s a place where imagination comes to life. As the Store Director, you’ll have the opportunity to shape a one-of-a-kind guest experience, build an incredible team, and develop future leaders while creating memories that guests will cherish long after they leave. If you’re passionate about leadership, hospitality, and creating unforgettable experiences, we’d love to meet you. Physical Requirements To successfully perform the essential functions of this role, the Store Director should be able to: • Stand and walk for extended periods throughout scheduled shifts. • Frequently move throughout the sales floor, stockroom, and guest experience areas. • Lift, carry, push, and pull merchandise and supplies weighing up to 30 pounds on a regular basis. • Occasionally lift or move items weighing up to 50 pounds with assistance or appropriate equipment. • Bend, stoop, kneel, reach, and climb ladders as needed to merchandise products, replenish inventory, and maintain store presentation. • Use a computer, tablet, point-of-sale system, and other technology for extended periods. • Work in a fast-paced retail environment with frequent interaction with guests and team members. • Maintain a flexible schedule, including mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and special events as business needs require. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. Pay range: $37.50/hr-$39.00/hr