Job Title: Vice President Retail Operations

Reports into: Chief Business Officer

Department: Operations

Contract Type: Full-time

Location: Hybrid (US based)

About Us

BibliU, is a learning enablement platform that empowers higher education institutions to streamline their textbook and courseware workflows to achieve greater student outcomes, affordability and social mobility! We were so excited to announce the recent acquisition of Texas Book Company (now ‘BibliU Campus’) in order to deliver and innovate for higher ed students, faculty and administrators across the US! As we integrate TBC into our operations, we are actively seeking a highly skilled and motivated individual to join the BibliU Campus team as Vice President Retail Operations.

About Our Role

As Vice President Retail Operations you will be responsible for operating a rapidly growing portfolio of campus book and merchandise stores across the USA, plus our ecommerce service. This includes developing and implementing strategies to enhance efficiency, improve customer satisfaction, and drive sales growth across all retail channels. In parallel you will support the digital teams in driving wide scale digital transformation for those customers as well as design and implement a modern, scalable campus retail capability. A critical aspect of the role will be designing and leading transformative change across our retail offering, making use of modern technologies and innovative partners.

Your responsibilities:

• Develop and execute strategic and financial plans to achieve retail business objectives.

• Overall operational leadership of BibliU Campus’ retail store and ecommerce portfolio, including campus store management, inventory control and supply chain management. Manage our existing 36 customers, growing to 40 over the summer and forecast to grow rapidly through fall and spring.

• Designing and leading transformational change across our retail stores, making use of modern technologies and innovative partners to enhance service levels while increasing efficiency.

• Line management of at least 5 regional managers, each themselves managing 6-8 campus stores and customer relationships.

• Ownership of financial performance across all store and ecommerce customers. Driving increased sales revenue and improved EBITDA performance. Identify opportunities for growth and expansion in existing and new markets.

• Continually refining operational processes to improve operational efficiency, grow profitability and improve the customer experience.

• Ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.

• Working closely with higher education leaders, building trust in our delivery capability and ensuring that customer requirements are realized.

• Working closely with BibliU’s Digital delivery and change management teams to coordinate store builds with parallel digital transformations for customers on a journey from print to digital course material provision.

• Develop initiatives to enhance the college and university customer experience and increase customer satisfaction.

• Monitor customer feedback and implement improvements based on insights.

• Ensure that all campus locations maintain high standards of cleanliness, organization, and presentation.

• Negotiate contracts and agreements with vendors and suppliers and higher education partners.

• Ensure timely delivery of merchandise and maintain optimal inventory levels.

• Building OKRs and KPIs that track store performance and the roll up to Exec level reporting.

• Developing your team to grow their capabilities and careers.

Requirements

Who we are looking for:

• Must have:

  • Proven experience in retail operations management, with experience in a senior leadership role.

  • Strong strategic planning and decision-making skills.

  • Excellent leadership and team-building abilities.

  • Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.

  • Familiarity with industry-specific regulations and compliance requirements.

  • Willingness to travel as needed.

• Good to have

  • Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends.

  • A passion for retail and a commitment to delivering exceptional customer experiences.

  • Higher Education professional experience a plus

• Qualifications (required):

  • Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Retail Management, or a related field.

Benefits:

• Paid vacation leave for all regular employees who work 25 hours or more per week - depending on tenure, employees can earn up to four weeks per year.

• 8 public holidays (all regular employees)

• 2 wellness days per year following the busiest periods, set by management (fully paid time off in addition to annual leave)

• 401k matching (¼ up to 4% of your own contributions)

• Insurance programs: 2 options of comprehensive medical insurance with a major preferred provider organization as well as 2 dental options, vision, life and supplemental insurance cover.

• Section 125: This allows employees to pay their health insurance premiums with tax-free dollars.

• Employee Discount on merchandise purchased from our college bookstores and wholesale divisions.