Retail District Manager

About the role

The Retail District Manager is a high-impact, multi-unit operational leader responsible for driving the performance, productivity, profitability, and people strategy of multiple assigned retail locations.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Multi-Unit Leadership & Operational Excellence
• Provide strategic and hands-on leadership for multiple retail locations, ensuring consistent execution of operational standards, financial goals, production expectations, and customer-service standards.
• Lead, coach, develop, and hold Store Managers accountable for achieving established performance expectations and business objectives.
• Conduct regular site visits to evaluate operational performance, production efficiency, inventory flow, merchandising, staffing, safety, and overall execution.
• Create a culture of urgency, accountability, operational discipline, and continuous improvement across all assigned locations.
• Ensure Store Managers effectively lead their teams and maintain consistent execution across all shifts and operating hours.
• High-Volume Production & Throughput
• Drive production performance by ensuring established processing, throughput, output, and productivity metrics are consistently achieved or exceeded.
• Oversee the efficient movement of donated and purchased merchandise from intake through processing and onto the sales floor.
• Evaluate workflow, staffing deployment, labor utilization, and production processes to identify opportunities for increased speed and efficiency.
• Ensure disciplined adherence to production guidelines, merchandise rotation standards, and inventory-flow expectations.
• Partner with Store Managers to make real-time operational adjustments based on production volume, staffing levels, sales performance, and business needs.
• Bring a strong sense of urgency and execution to an environment where merchandise volume, speed, labor productivity, and daily output directly impact business results.
• Financial & Business Performance
• Drive achievement of sales, production, productivity, profitability, and net-income goals across assigned locations.
• Analyze financial statements, labor reports, production metrics, sales results, and other key performance indicators to identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Manage payroll and non-payroll expenses within established budgetary guidelines.
• Optimize labor allocation and workforce deployment to maximize productivity while supporting operational and customer needs.
• Develop and execute action plans for underperforming locations and monitor progress toward measurable improvement.
• Hold Store Managers accountable for understanding and managing the financial and operational performance of their locations.
• Talent, Staffing & Leadership Development
• Recruit, interview, select, and develop high-performing Store Managers and other key management talent.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition and Human Resources to identify staffing needs, build strong leadership pipelines, and address critical vacancies.
• Ensure locations are appropriately staffed to support production demands, operational efficiency, customer service, and business performance.
• Provide ongoing coaching, feedback, performance management, and leadership development to Store Managers.
• Create a culture in which leaders are expected to develop their teams, strengthen performance, and prepare employees for increased responsibility.
• Take timely corrective action when performance, conduct, or leadership expectations are not being met.
• Inventory, Merchandising & Merchandise Flow
• Ensure effective merchandise flow and rotation across assigned locations to maximize sales opportunities and maintain a strong customer shopping experience.
• Reinforce consistent execution of merchandising standards across multiple product categories.
• Oversee the purchased-goods program, including ordering, inventory control, merchandising execution, and shrink management.
• Ensure donated and purchased merchandise moves efficiently through the operation with minimal processing delays or backlogs.
• Maintain a strong connection to Goodwill's mission and the communities we serve.
• Partnership, Compliance & Organizational Leadership
• Partner effectively with Retail Operations, Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, Loss Prevention, Safety, and other organizational functions to achieve business objectives.
• Enforce all personnel, safety, operational, and organizational policies and ensure compliance with applicable company standards and regulatory requirements.
• Model sound judgment, professionalism, integrity, accountability, and commitment to Goodwill's mission.
• Effectively communicate organizational priorities and ensure Store Managers understand expectations and execute accordingly.
• Represent Goodwill professionally with employees, customers, community partners, and the public.
• Business Continuity & New Store Support
• Support new store openings with a focus on operational readiness, leadership and staffing needs, efficient workflow design, production processes, inventory flow, and execution.
• Step in to provide leadership and operational oversight to ensure continuity of staffing, production, compliance, customer service, and business performance until permanent leadership is established.
• Respond with urgency to critical operational needs and changing business priorities across the assigned district.

Leadership Profile

The successful District Manager will be a highly engaged, visible, and results-driven leader who:

• Thrives in fast-paced, high-volume, metrics-driven environments.
• Understands how to lead operations where speed, productivity, labor efficiency, inventory movement, and daily execution directly impact financial results.
• Successfully leads multiple locations and holds leaders accountable from a distance while remaining highly visible in the field.
• Uses data and operational observations to quickly identify performance gaps and implement solutions.
• Develops strong leaders rather than simply managing daily tasks.
• Balances operational urgency with effective people leadership.
• Is comfortable making decisions, addressing performance issues, and driving change.
• Demonstrates adaptability and can successfully lead through changing business needs and priorities.
• Understands that strong operational performance and Goodwill's mission are interconnected.

Skills And Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, coach, develop, and hold multi-unit management teams accountable for measurable results.
• Strong understanding of high-volume operations, production, throughput, labor productivity, workflow optimization, and inventory management.
• Ability to analyze financial, operational, sales, labor, and production data and translate findings into actionable improvement plans.
• Strong business acumen with experience managing budgets, payroll, expenses, profitability, and key performance indicators.
• Knowledge of retail merchandising best practices across multiple product categories.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, locations, projects, and operational challenges simultaneously.
• Strong problem-solving, critical-thinking, and decision-making abilities.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, coaching, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to work independently, demonstrate initiative, and operate with minimal supervision.
• Ability to establish effective working relationships with employees at all levels of the organization.
• Ability to interact professionally and productively with a diverse group of individuals.
• Ability to effectively represent Goodwill and communicate the organization's mission to employees, candidates, customers, and the public.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

Qualifications

• Associate degree in Business Management, Operations, Retail Management, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Minimum of five years of progressive leadership experience, including significant responsibility for multiple locations, business units, or high-volume operations.
• Multi-unit leadership experience in high-volume retail, thrift retail, off-price or value retail, food service, grocery, hospitality, distribution, fulfillment, production, manufacturing, or another fast-paced, metrics-driven operational environment is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading managers and developing high-performing leadership teams.
• Proven success driving operational performance through measurable KPIs, including sales, productivity, labor, throughput, inventory flow, profitability, or similar performance measures.
• Experience managing budgets, labor costs, payroll, and operational expenses.
• Must possess a valid driver's license.
• Must be able to be insured through the Company's insurance carrier.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently throughout the assigned territory.

Working Conditions & Schedule Expectations

This position requires frequent travel throughout the assigned territory and regular presence within retail locations. The role may involve frequent physical exertion, prolonged standing and walking, bending, stooping, stretching, and exposure to donated goods and materials of varying conditions. This position is classified as exempt and requires a high level of professional commitment, ownership, responsiveness, and flexibility. The District Manager must be available to work extended hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, as necessary to support business needs, production demands, staffing challenges, and organizational objectives. The successful candidate must be able to manage a heavy workload, competing priorities, changing operational needs, and periods of high pressure while maintaining sound judgment and effective leadership.