Retail Director (JP)

• As the Retail Director for Japan, you will serve as the primary strategic architect for our brand’s commercial evolution and physical footprint. Reporting to the Head of Japan, you will move beyond operational oversight to lead a comprehensive retail transformation, aligning high-level business strategy with aggressive market expansion goals. You will be responsible for engineering a scalable, high-performance ecosystem—from designing the frameworks and "0-to-1" strategies for new flagship locations to optimizing the P&L through sophisticated, data-backed operational SOPs. As a vital link to our Global HQ, you will translate global brand vision into local market dominance, ensuring that every strategic move is met with operational readiness and commercial excellence. We are seeking a visionary "business owner" who identifies market gaps before they appear, drives efficiency through innovation, and possesses the strategic depth to tell us where the market is going, rather than simply responding to where it is today.

People Leadership & Team Development:

• Lead, mentor, and develop retail team, fostering high performance and continuous improvement.
• Drive talent strategy, including recruitment, onboarding, career progression, and succession planning.
• Cultivate a values-driven culture that is psychologically safe and team-empowering, where people feel heard and valued.
• Own retail performance management, including setting KPIs for store leaders, managing incentive programs, and ensuring retail compliance with HR/Finance support.
• Partner with HR on engagement and retention strategies tailored to retail teams. 

Retail Strategy & Business Performance:

• Develop and implement strategic plans to exceed sales targets and profitability goals.
• Analyze market trends and competitor activities to identify opportunities for growth.
• Own the full P&L for the retail division, managing budgets and optimizing performance.
• Drive accountability for key retail metrics including NPS, traffic, conversion rate, ATV, AOV, UPT.
• Partner with Marketing, Partnerships, Finance, and other cross-functional teams to ensure a consistent brand experience.

Operational Excellence & SOP Management:

• Ensure all retail locations maintain high standards of operational efficiency and visual merchandising.
• Ensure compliance with company policies.
• Foster a mindset of continuous improvement in all operational workflows.

Customer Experience & Retail Innovation:

• Champion innovative in-store experiences that reflect a creative and community-driven identity.
• Collaborate with HQ Visual Merchandising (VM) teams to implement compelling strategies.
• Champion a customer-centric culture, ensuring exceptional service and brand experience.

Store Expansion Strategy:

• Develop the strategic plan for new store openings and market expansion.
• Lead strategic negotiations and align with HQ and relevant partners 

Requirement

• Demonstrated experience in managing P&L and a deep understanding of retail financial metrics.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate large teams.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and analytical skills.
• Proven experience working in a fast-paced environment with a track record of adapting to quick changes.
• Bilingual (Japanese/English) preferred. 
• Must be culturally sensitive and capable of working in a Multinational Corporation (MNC) culture and a global matrix environment
• Robust analytical, decision-making, and execution skills
• Energetic, driven, with strong strategic thinking and business acumen
• Able to thrive in a fast-paced environment and adapt to change
• Willing to travel when necessary