Lead the Day-to-Day Retail Operations of a Thriving, High-Volume Family Owned Business
The Company
Our client is a long-established, family-owned specialty retail and service business with nearly 60 years of history and a strong reputation for quality, creativity and highly personalized customer service.
Today, the business has grown into a sophisticated operation supported by a large team and serving customers throughout the Greater Toronto Area and beyond.
Despite its growth, the company has retained the warmth, personality and entrepreneurial spirit of a family business. Now entering its next chapter, they are looking to introduce greater operational structure while preserving the culture and customer experience that have made the business successful for generations.
The Opportunity
This is a role for someone who wants to do more than âmanageâ - itâs about becoming the day-to-day operational and people leader of the business.
As Operations Manager, youâll oversee a fast-moving environment that brings together people, inventory, production, customer service and time-sensitive delivery. Youâll create clarity around priorities, strengthen accountability across the team and ensure the operation runs smoothly from start to finish.
This is a highly hands-on role. Youâll be visible on the floor, coaching employees, solving problems and stepping into the operation when needed - while also introducing practical systems and processes that help the business operate more effectively.
What You’ll Own
- Lead, coach and support a diverse team of employees
- Oversee daily operations, workflow, staffing and execution across the business
- Manage scheduling, performance conversations, recruitment, onboarding and employee development
- Coordinate inventory, production, packaging and time-sensitive delivery requirements
- Establish clear expectations and strengthen accountability and follow-through
- Act as an escalation point for customer concerns and service-recovery situations
- Reinforce consistent, thoughtful customer service and sales practices
- Identify operational issues early and take ownership of resolving them
- Recommend practical improvements to systems, processes and communication
- Partner closely with ownership while taking increasing responsibility for routine operational decisions
What You Bring
- 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in operations, retail, hospitality, restaurants or another service-intensive environment
- Proven experience leading and developing a team of meaningful size and complexity
- Strong people-management capability across scheduling, coaching, performance management and hiring
- Experience operating in a fast-paced, high-volume and deadline-driven environment
- Exposure to inventory, logistics, delivery operations or perishable products is highly valuable
- Strong customer-service instincts
- A warm, approachable leadership style combined with the confidence to establish accountability
- Strong organization, communication, problem-solving and decision-making skills
- A hands-on mentality and willingness to step outside a narrowly defined job description
Experience within a family-owned, entrepreneurial or independently operated business is considered an asset. Direct industry experience is not required - transferable operational leadership and the ability to learn the business are more important.
Why This Role
This is an opportunity to become a key leader within a successful, established business at an important point in its evolution.
Youâll inherit an experienced team and strong foundation, but youâll also have genuine room to influence how the business operates moving forward.
- Established family business with nearly 60 years of history
- Newly created leadership role with immediate, visible impact
- Direct partnership with ownership and meaningful autonomy
- Opportunity to introduce structure without layers of corporate bureaucracy
- Close-knit, people-focused working environment
- Potential for the role to expand in responsibility and scope over time
For someone who enjoys being close to the operation, leading people and making things work better every day, this is an opportunity to have a meaningful impact while helping shape the next chapter of an established and growing business.
Compensation
- Base salary target: $75,000 – $95,000
- Employee tips
- Opportunity for increasing responsibility and scope as the business evolves
Please note - the salary range for this position is structured to reflect different stages of proficiency within the role. Compensation at the lower end applies to individuals developing core competencies, while higher compensation is associated with demonstrated expertise and sustained performance. Final offers are determined by the client based on candidate experience and organizational requirements.
