Here at Harding+ we are recruiting for an Area Manager to join our team, you will be responsible for leading, coaching, developing and inspiring Store Managers across multiple cruise ships to achieve the agreed KPIs. You will be guest and sales team focused and support the execution of exceptional shopping experiences, ultimately, accountable for all aspects of the guest experience onboard on behalf of Harding+ to drive NPS.

It’s a great time to join our team, as a growing and scaling retailer with a twist, working and innovating together helps us realise our purpose to ‘make every cruise better’. 

Based in our Miami office - Please be aware that 30-40% of your time will be spent travelling to be present on our ships with your teams

Compensation – competitive salary, bonus scheme, 4 x life assurance, Florida 401k, 21 days annual leave, medical insurance

What you will be doing:

• Accountable for all aspects of every cruise on behalf of Harding+, to enhance the experience for our guests and encourage the loyalty of our teams. Create a great place to work and a great place to shop.
• Lead, coach, mentor, and inspire Store Managers to meet and exceed targets through spending time with teams both virtually and face to face and using meetings and forums to engage and motivate onboard teams.
• Deliver operational and sales excellence driving the customer proposition and experience on every cruise.
• Fosters a positive and motivating work environment that creates accountability and encourages Store Managers and their teams to achieve high levels of KPI performance.
• Manages sales performance by exception, identifying areas for improvement and implements strategies to drive results.
• Ensures adherence of all compliance, policies, processes and legislative requirements and relevant actions are taken to support the strategic aims of Harding+.
• Frequent ship visits including regular sailing to coach and collaborate with Store Managers to identify commercial opportunities through promotional activities on board, merchandising etc. Uses commercial thinking and trading tactics including commercial floor walks, best sellers, reports to drive performance.
• Provide training and development support to Store Managers using the "train the trainer" model, equipping them with the skills needed to develop their teams effectively. Always demonstrates what good looks like including selling to guests.
• Support scheduling to ensure the right specialist teams are in place for each ship in their remit. Share information with other Area Sales Managers where individuals transfer ships to get the best from each member of the team.
• Manage the performance of Store Managers in line with Harding+ expectations, providing feedback to Managers with a view to creating self-sufficient teams.
• Grow Store Manager talent from promising team members, encourage and develop to drive loyalty and consistency within Harding+.
• Sets the Harding+ standard in all aspects including uniform, selling, retail and stockroom standards within key VM and commercial principles.
• Accountable for the positive execution of company initiatives and implementation of projects. Builds momentum on promotions, incentives and initiatives to galvanise support onboard to drive commercial return and clearance profitability.
• Full accountability of stock management and rotation of stock as appropriate for each cruise and ensuring stock accuracy is well managed and KPI targets are achieved.
• Drive KPIs to exceed all measures including the budgeted profit target within the remit. Accountable for the delivery of financial targets and with full P&L accountability.
• Responsible for the preparation and delivery of the openings and refit programme operationally. Enable the store teams to ensure a fully functioning shop onboard each ship within timescale.

About you:

• In-depth understanding of retail sales, preferably within the cruise or travel industry
• Strong knowledge of sales strategies, customer service excellence, and operational best practices.
• Excellent leadership and people management skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate teams. Able to lead and manage at a distance.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships with diverse teams across multiple locations.
• Analytical skills to monitor performance metrics and implement strategies for improvement.
• Proven experience in a multi-site retail management role, preferably as an Area Manager or Regional Manager.
• Demonstrated success in achieving sales targets and driving operational excellence.
• Successful in training and developing teams, with a focus on leadership development.
• Positive communication skills, motivates others and can have difficult conversations leading to enhanced performance.
• Must have an existing right to work in the US

Key Attributes – trust, collaboration, respect, passion, drive, resilience

About us:

Harding+ is the only 100% dedicated cruise retailer, proudly partnering with 12 cruise line operators globally, across more than 80+ cruise ships either in operation or under contract. Our mission is simple: make every cruise better. We operate over 300 retail shops across 80+ ships, covering 17,000m² of retail space and handling 6.6 million transactions annually.  

Our team includes over 1,300 onboard team members and more than 270 landside employees, we stay at the forefront of retailing and consistently provide outstanding customer service, culminating in winning the Cruise Retailer of the Year award for 2022 and 2023. 

Harding+ is an equal opportunities employer.  We believe passionately that employing a diverse workforce is central to our success.  We make recruiting decisions based on your experience and skills.  We value your passion to discover, invent, simplify, and build.  Protecting your privacy and the security of your data is a longstanding top priority for Harding+. 

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