Operations Manager Urban Shoemakers
Are you a talented operations leader seeking true opportunity and impact? Want to build something exceptional and have fun along the way?
We’ve got a great business. Help us take it to the next level.
Based in Melbourne, with a subsidiary in Auckland, Urban Shoemakers is a footwear developer, wholesaler and owner of EOS and Los Cabos – two of the most exciting independent footwear brands in Australia and New Zealand.
Over 40 years, we’ve crafted a fantastic business, through strong creativity and design, energised strategy, and hard work. Now, we’re kicking on, to grow, expand and strengthen Urban for the future. And your operational excellence is the final piece of the puzzle.
About the opportunity
As our Operations Manager, you’ll augment and ‘structuralise’ our transition from a wholesale-focused model, to a consumer-facing, branded footwear business. As our presence across ANZ and North America expands, you’ll play a pivotal role in strengthening the business, through the alignment and optimisation of our people, strategies, processes, systems and channels. And if things go well, we’d love to see you stepping up into the General Manager role, within 18-24 months.
Working in our centrally located Port Melbourne workspace, you’ll love taking the lead on:
- System and process analysis, optimisation and renewal, and management, increasing quality, effectiveness and efficiency.
- People and culture management and improvement, ensuring we attract, retain and empower the people we need, in a high performing culture.
- Enabling productive collaboration and communication across departments.
- Budgeting and cost control, working alongside your executive peers to create and oversee two seasonal budgets.
- Supply chain management, including negotiating contracts with service providers, and supporting our Product Development team in critical management of resources and costs, to ensure reliable and cost-effective sourcing.
- Multi-channel coordination, collaborating closely with domestic and international partners, to ensure optimal customer experiences and conversion.
- Other strategic work, including expansion opportunities, risk management and business optimisation.
Wondering about the salary range? Whether you’re a highly experienced Operations Leader or are a little earlier on, we’d love to meet you. We’ll shape the role and expectations around the person we hire, and the salary package will align with that. Let’s discuss this when we meet.
Here’s what you’ll need in order to be successful in this role:
- The permanent right to work in Australia – we’re afraid this is a non-negotiable for this role.
- A proven track record in Operations Management. (It’s not a dealbreaker but we’d love to see experience in the footwear, apparel, or consumer goods industries, and a degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field.)
- A highly organised, process-oriented operator, with strong planning abilities.
- An analytical, data-driven problem solver, with experience in statistical analysis and data processing.
- Practical knowledge of financial management, including budgeting and cash-flow.
- Excellent communication skills and leadership qualities, with the ability to engage and get the best out of our team, our partners and other key stakeholders.
- The ability to quickly learn, appraise and improve current systems. Experience in SAP B1 (ERP), Shopify+ (EComm) or equivalent, would be great to see.
Here’s why we hope you’ll love this role:
- Seize a rare opportunity to build on a strong, solid base and create something exceptional. Use your operations expertise and personal drive, to make a visible, tangible difference that sets you and your career apart.
- Be rewarded for your achievements, through a strong base salary plus meaningful performance bonuses, regular reviews as well as generous discounts and perks.
- Become our next General Manager. We intend to appoint a General Manager within the next 18-24 months. When the time comes, we’d love you to be the obvious choice.
- Work in a culture where you’re trusted, not micro-managed. And where we care about what you deliver, not how many hours you put in.
- Lead, support and learn from a fantastic, DIVERSE workforce – our team of 24 currently includes people from France, Germany, Ukraine, Mexico, Korea, China, Taiwan, Singapore, New Zealand… and yes, Australia!