Director of Stores

This is a rare opportunity to play a key leadership role in the ongoing success and scaling of one of fashion’s most successful retail concepts. Poised for another record breaking 2019, AKIRA is well positioned to be THE leading destination for women’s fashion on a national scale. If you are maniacal about driving results and building teams that win – all while having a blast – this role is for you! This is the Mother of all Sales Leadership jobs. AKIRA’s distinct competitive advantage/differentiator in the women’s fashion industry is its selling and service culture. Each store has an outstanding commission-based sales team, with the store managers being the best salespeople in their stores. The Director will be in charge of all AKIRA stores, and needs to be the best sales leader in the organization – they have to lead by example, demonstrate top-notch selling techniques, and they have to be able to teach it.

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to the following:

• By demonstration - recruiting, hiring, firing, teaching, coaching, staffing, leading, and inspiring ALL store employees for existing stores as well as for new stores
• Reinforce the selling culture by explaining, demonstrating, imitating, correcting, and repeating proper selling techniques - and teaching managers to train their staff
• Hands-on motivating all DMs, AMs, and Store Managers plus all store staff to keep pushing toward the same goal - setting high expectations and inspiring people to reach them
• Fighting fires - being the first line to respond to issues at the store level and coordinating with others within the company to resolve them in a timely manner
• Setting long-term goals for success, and building strategies to achieve these goals
• Creating, implementing, and enforcing processes to achieve overall efficiency

Experience and Qualifications:

• 5+ years leading a sales organization of at least $50 million in annual revenues
• 5+ years managing at least 100 employees within a geographically dispersed sales team (direct and indirect)
• Proven track record of recruiting and building a best-in-class team from the ground up (i.e., staffing a brand new store)
• Ability to manage a complex sales environment, with multiple channels, alliances and relationships
• Proven track record of increasing revenue and sales productivity throughout career
• Experience managing overall sales process, setting appropriate metrics for sales funnel management an establishing performance benchmarks
• Has exited employees with sensitivity and respect
• Ability to understand the long-term (“big picture”) and short-term perspectives of situations
• Willingness to go above and beyond “responsibilities” to effect positive change for the greater AKIRA organization
• Passion for women’s fashion

The Ideal Candidate:

• Entrepreneurial: A VISIONARY who understands the demands of a private, emerging growth company
• Strong leader: Action orientated and “leads from the front” (a leader vs. a manager)
• Fiercely Intelligent: Dynamic, aggressive and strategic. Has the intellectual horsepower to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of sales, methods, costs and results
• Decision Maker: Analytical thinker who can make swift decisions, adept to changes while staying the course and deliver results. Ability to plan and manage at both the strategic and operational levels
• Disciplined: Proven ability to measure success against defined criteria and objectives. A leader who is capable of building a repetitive, well-oiled sales machine
• Collaborative: Ability to work closely with executive team to develop and direct sales strategies and programs; serve as a bridge between the executive team and the field
• Role model: Charismatic “teacher”with the ability to create a positive work environment, articulate a vision and further AKIRA’s innovative collaborative and open culture
• Well-read and experienced in various selling techniques, methods, systems and programs
• Brings creative ideas to drive sales (i.e., promotions, in-store parties, etc.)
• Strong presence, articulate and phenomenal motivator
• Empathetic, sensitive to a dramatically diverse sales team, a good listener and creative problem solver – but not “everyone’s best friend”; Must be exceptional at driving employee engagement through recognition, support and coaching and fostering a team environment where conflicts get resolved “real time” with a team focused – versus individualist approach
• Thrives in a fast-paced and chaotic environment
• Willing to get hands dirty and multi-task
• Strong emotional intelligence and moral compass
• An accessible servant leader
• Strong work ethic with a willingness to work peak selling hours – Saturdays and evenings