At WHSmith, our people are at the heart of everything we do. They are the ones that go the extra mile for our customers. The ones that enable our growth.
We are looking for an Area Manager to join the team in Ireland. As our Area Manager you'll lead, inspire and develop your team to deliver outstanding commercial results, people performance and customer experience across your area. You'll put people at the heart of your strategy, ensuring every store is safe, legal and delivering to its full potential.
What you'll be doing:
* Leading and inspiring your team through coaching, feedback and empowerment.
* Owning and delivering a compelling talent strategy with clear succession planning across all stores, including Large Airports.
* Building a culture of development through one-to-ones, personal development plans, colleague passports and quarterly leadership reviews.
* Creating a psychologically safe environment where colleagues' opinions and ideas are valued.
* Driving sales performance by growing ATV, transactions and spend per passenger across all formats.
* Ensuring compliance with legal and safety requirements, including Working Time Directive, Right to Work, HMRC and food safety.
* Monitoring operational targets and service level agreements with partners, ensuring WHSmith is recognised as the best partner to work with.
* Taking accountability for costs, expenditure and EBITDA to maximise profit delivery.
* Analysing data to identify actions quickly and communicating plans with clarity.
* Ensuring high execution of brand standards, store activity and operational excellence.
* Advocating new business growth and maintaining excellent relationships with landlords.
* Being resilient, agile and action-oriented — adapting to seasonality, formats and challenges with confidence.
What we are looking for:
* Senior leadership experience ideally in large turnover retail/hospitality/multi-site.
* Prior experience of being responsible for sales and turnover ideally in excess of multi-millions.
* Prior experience holding accountability with budgets and PNL.
* Strong people management experience with HR knowledge and ability to own performance conversations with candour.
* A track record in talent development, succession planning and employee engagement.
* Expert knowledge of retail trends, customer behaviour and commercial performance levers.
* Experience of managing compliance and safety across diverse sites.
* Hospitality/food safety experience desirable.
* Proficiency in MS Suite.
* Leadership or business qualification (desirable).
* Coaching experience (desirable).
How we reward our teams:
* Competitive salary
* Annual bonus based on company and personal performance
* Hybrid working model from home and in the office
* Competitive pension contribution
* Staff discount card for stores and online
About us:
Celebrating 230 years, we're proud to have grown and evolved into a globally recognised brand present in over 30 countries around the world, and we're proud to be that air of familiarity people love and trust on their journey, both in life and through life. As a diverse group of over 5,000 colleagues, we are all on the same journey to a better business through our commitments to our planet, people and the communities we serve.
For UK and International Travel, our mission is simple – to create value for our stakeholders by providing a platform for global brands responsible for essentials and technology in airports (including our InMotion stores), hospitals, rail stations and other markets. Our office is based in a buzzing part of London close to Liverpool Street Station. We are an ambitious team that thrives on pace, collaboration and innovation, resulting in a real entrepreneurial culture at all levels. It's perfect for people who are happy to use their initiative and embrace life outside their comfort zone.
At WHSmith, we're all about creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace where everyone can be themselves and do their best. No matter your background, age, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, race or ethnicity, marital status, religion, sex, sexual orientation or anything else that makes you, you – you're welcome here.
We're also open to flexible working where possible, so if that's something you need, let's chat. And if you need any adjustments during the selection process, just let our Talent Acquisition team know – we're happy to help