Director of BSC Retail Operations

Vibrant Works, a nonprofit organization, has been empowering individuals with vision loss since 1933. Formerly known as San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind and Vision Impaired, we are dedicated to providing rehabilitation services and employment opportunities for people who are blind or vision-impaired. Our mission is grounded in promoting independence, self-reliance, and inclusivity through meaningful work experiences.

About the role

The Director of BSC Retail Operations leads the Base Service Center program and directly supervises Store Managers across all locations. The position is accountable for consistent store execution, financial performance, inventory management, customer service, workforce development, and compliance with Ability One, National Industries for the Blind (NIB), and organizational requirements. The Director builds an inclusive, high-performing culture and provides hands-on support to store leadership.

Responsibilities

• Leads, coaches, and directly supervises BSC Managers; sets clear expectations and holds leaders accountable for store performance, customer service, and policy compliance.
• Serves as the primary escalation point for store operations and provides timely, hands-on support to resolve staffing, customer, facility, inventory, and compliance issues.
• Conducts regular on-site store visits to assess operations, review performance, coach BSC Managers, and ensure consistent execution of organizational and brand standards.
• Coordinates staffing coverage, inventory transfers, and logistics among stores to address operational gaps and peak demand.
• Accountable for achieving BSC sales, gross margin, profitability, expense, and inventory targets across all locations; identifies performance gaps and implements corrective actions in partnership with BSC Managers and the Vice President of Retail Operations.
• Analyzes sales, gross margin, profitability, operating expense, customer trends, and market conditions to identify performance opportunities and implement corrective actions.
• Oversees inventory accuracy, min/max levels, inventory turns, transfers, physical inventory reconciliation, and the reduction of obsolete and non-core inventory to optimize working capital and align inventory with customer demand.
• Ensures compliance with AbilityOne, National Industries for the Blind (NIB), Essentially-the-Same (ETS), military installation, safety, and organizational requirements; maintains appropriate documentation and corrective action follow-through.
• Develops and implements standardized operating procedures, training, tools, and performance-improvement plans to strengthen productivity, consistency, and employee morale.
• Partners with Marketing and Communications to implement merchandising programs, promotions, and new product or service launches while maintaining brand consistency.
• Builds strong relationships with customers, installation partners, vendors, and internal departments to support service excellence and effective store operations.
• Partners with Human Resources and Workforce Development to meet recruiting and training needs, improve accessibility, remove advancement barriers, and create career-development opportunities, particularly for employees with vision loss.
• Leads regular Manager meetings to communicate priorities, review results, share best practices, resolve cross-store issues, and reinforce accountability.
• Maintains knowledge of retail practices, customer needs, competitive conditions, federal acquisition methods, and relevant product and market trends.
• Demonstrates and embodies our core values: Be a Team, Be Limitless, Be People-Centered, Be Resilient, and Be Trustworthy.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business, retail management, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience, required.
• At least five years of progressively responsible retail operations and people-management experience, including direct oversight of multiple retail locations.
• Experience with merchandising, sales, budgeting, inventory management, and operational performance analysis.
• Experience with military or federal acquisition methods and the Federal Supply System, including product nomenclature and numbering systems, preferred.
• Knowledge of office supplies, janitorial and sanitation products, maintenance, repair and operations products, or tactical products preferred.
• Knowledge of the AbilityOne Program and experience working with people who are blind or have other disabilities preferred.
• Valid driver's license with an acceptable driving record per our MVR standard.

Skills

• Demonstrated ability to lead geographically dispersed teams and drive consistent execution across multiple locations.
• Strong financial, analytical, merchandising, inventory-management, sales, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and relationship-management skills, with the ability to provide exceptional service and work effectively with employees, customers, vendors, partners, and leaders at all organizational levels.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to travel up to 75% of the time, including by car and air, to store locations across military bases.
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods while touring retail sales floors, stockrooms, and warehouse areas.
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 25–40 lbs. (e.g., inventory boxes, merchandising displays, and fixtures).
• Ability to work in varied retail and warehouse environments, including occasional exposure to noise, dust, or temperature variation typical of stockroom and loading-dock areas.

Under the AbilityOne Program, Vibrant Works gives hiring preference to individuals who are legally blind. Any decision to disclose a disability by an applicant related to the hiring preference is completely voluntary.