Post job

What is a director of retail operations and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Eric Olsen

The Director of Retail Operations oversees the consistency of standard operations across all retail stores. He/She ensures the expansion of their customer base. The Director liaises with superiors to develop and implement plans that would promote performance and efficiency among employees. He/She frequently visits all stores to ensure operations are going as planned. Also, he/she analyzes inventory to monitor costs and other expenses. Additionally, his/her duty includes adjusting operations to maximize resources and avoid loss.

Employers prefer either a bachelor's degree in a business-related field or a trade school education in a related specialty. However, you can get a job with a High school diploma. You must also have years of experience in a retail and supervisory role. You must possess communication, leadership, problem-solving, and time management skills. The Director of retail operations earns an average salary of $105,562. Their salary ranges from $68,000 to $161,000.

What general advice would you give to a director of retail operations?

Eric OlsenEric Olsen LinkedIn profile

Professor, Industrial Technology and Packaging, Orfalea College of Business

Times of change are also times of great opportunities. We are going to need new technical solutions to address problems we are just learning about. You have to lean into the issues. Don't be a technologist - be a problem solver. That is why we also emphasize soft skills like lean six sigma, teamwork, and change management.
ScoreDirector Of Retail OperationsUS Average
Salary
7.8

Avg. Salary $108,032

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
9.6

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 6.42%

Black or African American 6.24%

Hispanic or Latino 15.40%

Unknown 4.35%

White 67.13%

Gender

female 32.59%

male 67.41%

Age - 44
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44
Stress level
9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Director of retail operations career paths

Key steps to become a director of retail operations

  1. Explore director of retail operations education requirements

    Most common director of retail operations degrees

    Bachelor's

    72.6 %

    Associate

    13.3 %

    Master's

    9.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific director of retail operations skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Retail Operations23.68%
    Business Development21.99%
    Project Management4.66%
    POS4.41%
    Store Operations3.20%
  3. Complete relevant director of retail operations training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New directors of retail operations learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a director of retail operations based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real director of retail operations resumes.
  4. Research director of retail operations duties and responsibilities

    • Lead cross-functional process improvement teams to identify, recommend and implement changes to enhance billing system and POS system response times.
    • Provide leadership to manufacturing organization by aligning overall KPIs to achieve near term and long term business objectives.
    • Research technology options and cost-effectively procure and execute a solid new POS system.
    • Leverage extensive technical subject matter expertise to evaluate and improve image quality; develop models to demonstrate improvements in establish KPIs.
  5. Get director of retail operations experience

    Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a director of retail operations. The most common roles before becoming a director of retail operations include store manager, general manager team lead and district manager.
  6. Prepare your director of retail operations resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your director of retail operations resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a director of retail operations resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable director of retail operations resume templates

    Build a professional director of retail operations resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your director of retail operations resume.
    Director Of Retail Operations Resume
    Director Of Retail Operations Resume
    Director Of Retail Operations Resume
    Director Of Retail Operations Resume
    Director Of Retail Operations Resume
    Director Of Retail Operations Resume
    Director Of Retail Operations Resume
    Director Of Retail Operations Resume
    Director Of Retail Operations Resume
  7. Apply for director of retail operations jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a director of retail operations job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first director of retail operations job

Zippi

Are you a director of retail operations?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average director of retail operations salary

The average director of retail operations salary in the United States is $108,032 per year or $52 per hour. Director of retail operations salaries range between $72,000 and $161,000 per year.

Average director of retail operations salary
$108,032 Yearly
$51.94 hourly

What am I worth?

salary-calculator

How do directors of retail operations rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Director of retail operations reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

I love being able to mold my team and the distribution center to the culture of respect and accountability! Having senior and executive leadership support is a huge positive factor in making this happen!!

Cons

Long hours and calls outside of regular business hours are the norm!


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019
Cons

There's not much I dislike about the role, but the slow down from having to align multiple departments and functions together before being able to more forward with an initiative is a drain.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019
Pros

People Busy Money Busy and variety in a job Solving problems


Working as a director of retail operations? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall rating*
Career growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse executive management jobs