Retail Operations Strategy Manager

Job Title: Retail Operations Strategy Manager

Location: UK – London office

Reports To: Head of Retail

 

About Us: 

Unilever Prestige is a division of Unilever that focuses on the production and marketing of prestige beauty products. Our segment specifically caters to the premium and luxury beauty market, offering a range of high-quality and innovative products. Unilever Prestige encompasses a portfolio of purposeful, well-established, and emerging brands in the premium beauty industry. Unilever Prestige in the UK Hub addresses the growing demand for luxury beauty and personal care products through Murad, TATCHA, Living Proof, K18. The UK market is known for its discerning consumers who seek premium and luxury items, and Unilever Prestige meets these expectations with a diverse portfolio of luxurious brands and products. Within the UK we operate a Prestige Hub, which functions as the Group Headquarters based in Southwark, London. We are: Murad, TATCHA, Living Proof & K18

 

Interfacing with:

• Brands Head of Sales/Senior National Account Managers
• Brands Marketing Managers
• Brands Events and Training Managers
• Commercial Finance & Accounts Payable teams

 

About the Role:

• The Retail Operations Strategy Manager plays a strategic & analytical lead to the field that is mainly responsible for driving focus, structure, and high performance across all field rotas, coverage, brand priorities and sell-out growth.
• The role is critical in analysing retail operations productivity, identifying sales growth opportunities, and ensuring field resources are deployed effectively and strategically to maximise commercial performance and drive brand sell-out growth.
• Analyse field capability and align team efforts to evolving business priorities, working closely with brand partners and leveraging insights gathered through ongoing liaison between brands and the field.
• Monitor and govern brand budgets to maximise return on investment and ensure effective allocation of resources.

 

Key Responsibilities:

• Consolidate brand trade plans into a unified HUB view, providing visibility on key campaigns, net sales phasing, BMI investment, risks and opportunities.
• Coordinate weekly commercial performance reporting in partnership with Finance to ensure accurate tracking and relevant business insights.
•  Support the Head of Retail in leading bi-weekly brand reviews, evaluating trade plans, campaign performance, and commercial priorities.
•  Lead HUB-level collaboration and discussions with brand partners, including coordination of commercial terms aligned with Finance governance.
•  Partner with Finance, the Head of Retail, and NAMs to conduct gap analysis, identify optimisation opportunities, and improve P&L efficiency.
•  Deliver ad-hoc commercial analysis and executive summaries to support business decision-making.
• Drive consistent operational execution across UK stores, aligning training and education initiatives with luxury retail and beauty brand standards through a structured education roadmap.
• Act as the key link between Head Office and field teams, translating strategic priorities into clear operational actions while feeding back field insights to inform business decisions.
• Ensure optimal field team deployment and in-store execution by supporting headcount planning, coverage strategy, and productivity optimisation across locations.
• Monitor and analyse key performance indicators (sales, conversion, inventory accuracy and customer experience metrics) to identify opportunities for performance improvement.
• Support regional retail leadership with workforce planning, rota oversight and operational coordination to ensure efficient store operations.

 

Retail Execution & Operational Excellence

• Conduct regular store visits to evaluate retail execution, operational effectiveness, and customer experience standards, identifying optimisation opportunities and providing actionable insights to the Head of Retail and Brand Managers.
• Translate in-store observations into performance recommendations to strengthen brand execution and commercial delivery across locations.

 

Commercial & Workforce Planning Support

• Partner closely with the Head of Retail to assess store staffing needs, supporting workforce planning, headcount forecasting, and rota optimisation to ensure efficient field deployment.
• Support budget planning and monitor staffing cost allocation across brands to ensure alignment with commercial priorities and financial targets.
• Analyse financial and operational performance reports to identify risks, trends, and opportunities, contributing to continuous improvement and stronger business outcomes.

 

Qualifications

• 5+ years’ experience in retail operations, with a strong background in luxury retail and/or beauty within the UK market
• Experience supporting multi-site operations and store leadership teams
• Demonstrated experience supporting store staffing, managing rotas and cost optimization
• Strong commercial and analytical skills with the ability to interpret KPIs and performance data
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office/Google Workspace

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in luxury beauty, skincare, fragrance, or premium fashion retail
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Retail Management, or a related field
• Experience supporting periods of growth, transformation, or new store openings in the UK
• Future Fit Skills: Creativity, Consumer Experience, Problem Solving
• Winning Behaviours: Care Deeply, Consumer Experience, Problem Solving

 

 

 

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