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Retail Experience & Operations Manager

Mountainside, New Jersey

Overview: The Retail Experience & Operation Manager owns how Little Words Project™ shows up across our retail fleet — from the bead bar to fleetwide events, pop-ups, and the everyday in-store experience. Reporting to the VP of Retail, this role is the driver behind our experiential retail strategy: amplifying the bead bar both digitally and in person, taking full ownership of event and pop-up execution, keeping day-to-day retail operations running smoothly, and helping shape asset-light expansion as we bring the bead bar to new locations.

It blends sharp operational coordination with the creative instinct to make every store moment feel unmistakably LWP. The ideal person is equally comfortable running an activation on-site, building a launch deck, and thinking through what it takes to make the brand pop-up-ready anywhere.

Responsibilities: 

Bead Bar Amplification & Experience

  • Own the bead bar as a signature LWP experience — champion its growth across the fleet, both in-store and digitally.
  • Develop and launch innovative offerings that deepen guest engagement at the bead bar.
  • Partner with marketing and the ad team to amplify the bead bar's digital presence (content, influencer moments, social).
  • Track guest experience and booking trends; use insights to refine and evolve the offering.
  • Partner with store teams to uphold a consistent, high-quality bead bar experience at every location.

Events, Pop-Ups & Activations (End-to-End Ownership)

  • Own fleetwide events end-to-end: brainstorm with the brand taskforce, present for approval, execute, and distribute kits to stores.
  • Serve as the primary driver of event and pop-up execution, ensuring activations run smoothly without pulling on the brand team.
  • Support the Brand Activations team on in-store and out-of-store (OOS) activations; attend taskforce meetings and action accordingly.
  • Manage store influencer appointments (target: 2/month); capture, save, and share content with the ad/marketing team.
  • Coordinate the event materials order and route signage to retail teams.
  • Travel as needed to support activations and pop-ups on-site.

Day-to-Day Retail Operations

  • Serve as the communication bridge between Retail HQ, Brand, and store teams — ensuring no initiative moves without the right people informed.
  • Manage signage distribution to stores and property management; flag delays proactively.
  • Create signage using approved templates as needed.
  • Build and share monthly store launch decks with Retail HQ for review.
  • Submit Asana tickets for creative needs tied to retail launches, activations, and promos.
  • Create SKUs in the Master SKU Sheet for retail exclusives and store events.
  • Code Retail Ramp expenses.
  • Own the Retail Experience agenda alongside VP of Retail; take meeting notes and distribute follow-ups and action items to stakeholders.
  • Create memos related to retail launches and activations.

Brand & In-Store Experience Enhancement

  • Partner with the brand experience team to develop and execute initiatives that enhance the LWP™ experience across retail environments.
  • Work closely with marketing to keep brand messaging and visuals aligned across all retail channels.
  • Establish store-wide happenings during holidays and tentpole brand moments.
  • Implement training programs that equip retail staff to uphold brand standards and deliver exceptional guest service.
  • Continuously identify and execute opportunities to elevate the in-store experience.
  • Gather and analyze customer feedback to inform strategic decisions and drive continuous improvement.
  • Stay ahead of industry trends and best practices to keep the LWP brand experience differentiated.

New Store Openings & Asset-Light Expansion

  • Help shape LWP's asset-light expansion strategy — scoping how to bring the bead bar to new locations and keeping the brand pop-up-ready.
  • Support new store openings: submit Asana tickets for creative needs and manage fixture and supply ordering.
  • Coordinate across retail, brand, and ops teams so new store teams are fully equipped for launch.
  • Provide on-site support leading up to openings.

Qualifications:

  • 4–6+ years in retail experience, operations, visual merchandising, or events — ideally with progression into an ownership or management role.
  • A proven track record owning events, activations, or product launches end-to-end.
  • Strong cross-functional project management skills; comfortable coordinating across HQ, store teams, brand, and creative.
  • Experience managing vendors and production (signage, custom fabrication, event materials).
  • Familiarity with new store openings and the logistics of getting teams launch-ready.
  • Comfort with project management and ops tools (Asana, Ramp, Google Workspace; Monday.com).
  • A genuine passion for experiential retail and creating memorable in-person moments.
  • Willingness to travel to support activations, pop-ups, and openings.
  • Bonus: experience in a fast-growing, experience-led retail or beauty/accessories brand.

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