Retail District Manager

Hi there, we’re Article. 👋 Since 2013, we’ve been making it easy to create beautiful spaces with our online direct-to-consumer modern furniture. Now, we’re moving from clicks to bricks and opening physical retail stores across the US and Canada, expanding our reach from digital-first to a true omni-channel experience. This is where you come in. As our District Manager , you’ll be accountable for the customer experience, commercial, people, and operational performance of Article’s retail stores across Canada and the US. Why We Need You: As District Manager, you will be accountable for the customer experience, commercial, people, and operational performance of Article’s retail stores across Canada and the US. As Article’s first senior field leader, you will help build the field operating model required to grow from one store today to eight by the end of 2027 and support the next stage of network expansion. You will lead the district as a portfolio of businesses, with accountability for district and store-level P&L performance, customer experience, team capability, and operational execution. You will coach Store Managers to understand and actively manage their businesses, address performance gaps, and build sustainable growth in each market. This role combines strategic input with hands-on field leadership. You will spend significant time in stores developing leaders, improving performance, and identifying practices that should be codified across the network. Working with Retail Operations and cross-functional partners, you will translate Article’s strategy into scalable operations, standards, and playbooks, and champion a One Article approach across stores, ecommerce, Interior Design Services, Customer Care, and fulfilment. Most importantly, you believe exceptional customer experiences are created through exceptional leadership. A note on territory: This district initially spans Canada and the US. As Article’s store footprint grows, the network is expected to transition into distinct regional districts. This role will help establish the field leadership model, operating disciplines, and succession pipeline needed for that evolution. What You’ll Do Lead High Performing Teams Recruit, develop, and retain exceptional Store Managers and future leaders. Build leadership capability through coaching, feedback, development planning, and succession planning. Create an environment of accountability, trust, and continuous learning. Foster an inclusive, accountable, and collaborative culture where teams feel empowered to do their best work. Drive Commercial Performance Own district and individual-store sales performance against revenue, profitability, labour, productivity, customer experience, and operational targets. Lead forecasting, performance reviews, and action planning for the district, ensuring identified risks and opportunities are converted into clear store-level priorities. Coach Store Managers to deeply understand their P&L and actively manage the commercial and operational behaviours within their control, including conversion, average purchase value, Interior Design Services utilization, attachment selling, and customer retention. Assess stores as a portfolio, accounting for market potential, store maturity, and performance trajectory when allocating resources and support. Balance short-term business opportunities with the investments required to build sustainable customer and market growth. Support new store openings, including integration into district operating rhythms. Deliver Exceptional Customer Experiences Champion Article’s hospitality mindset and Customer Experience Model, establishing clear expectations and consistent execution across every store. Drive adoption and performance of Interior Design Services. Use customer feedback, service measures, and frontline observations to identify experience gaps, strengthen service recovery, and improve the end-to-end journey. Partner cross-functionally to resolve recurring customer friction at its source and scale improvements across the network. Through active cross-functional collaboration, ensure customers experience Article as one connected brand across physical stores, ecommerce, Interior Design Services, Customer Care, and fulfilment touchpoints. Coach Store Managers to build teams that deliver confident design guidance and relationship-based selling. Execute Operational Excellence Establish and maintain district operating rhythms, including store visits, business reviews, talent reviews, action tracking, and cross-functional escalations. Ensure stores consistently execute operational, safety, and compliance standards while adapting appropriately to local market needs. Build effective partnerships with Retail Operations, Visual Merchandising, Finance, People and Culture, Ecommerce, Customer Care, Interior Design Services, B2B Sales, Marketing, and Logistics. Partner with the New Store Opening team to confirm field readiness, then own each store’s transition, post-opening ramp, and integration into district operations. Identify operational improvements that increase efficiency without compromising the customer experience. Ensure compliance with company policies, safety standards, and operational procedures. Build and Scale the Retail Network Partner with Retail Operations to build the field operating model, management routines, standards, and systems required to scale Article’s retail network. Evaluate the performance and maturity of each store and tailor leadership support across opening, ramp, stabilization, and established-store stages. Identify the practices that drive strong store economics and customer outcomes, then codify and embed them across the district. Provide market and store insights to inform network planning, local market strategies, operating investments, and future growth and expansion planning. Build the leadership capacity and succession pipeline required for additional stores and the eventual creation of regional districts. Lead teams through rapid growth and change while maintaining commercial discipline, customer experience standards, and the Article culture. We use G Suite (Gmail, Sheets, Google Docs, Meet, etc) to work and Slack to collaborate and communicate, with your choice of Mac or PC device. Who You Are 7+ years of progressive leadership experience, including direct accountability for the performance of 5+ store locations through Store Managers. Proven track record coaching and developing Store Managers or equivalent frontline leaders into high performers. Demonstrated ownership of multi-store P&L, including sales planning, forecasting, labour management, controllable expenses and performance improvement. Proven experience helping scale a retail network materially in store count, geographic reach and/or operating complexity, including building or improving the practices needed to support that growth. Strong analytical skills; with the ability to use financial, sales, customer and operational data to diagnose performance and prioritize action across multiple locations. Demonstrated success delivering customer experience excellence in an omnichannel environment, connecting physical retail with digital, service and fulfilment touchpoints Experience partnering cross-functionally with HQ or corporate teams (e.g., Retail Operations, Merchandising, Marketing) to implement programs at the store level. Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence and align store leaders across different markets. Willingness and ability to travel approximately 70% of the time across Canada and the US, including cross-border travel. Legally able to work in Canada. Completion of criminal background check. Perks & Benefits Wealth: The salary range is $120,000 to $140,000 Starting salary is determined by your transferable skills, knowledge, work experience, and the hiring team’s budget, which is based on business needs, market compensation data, and internal equity We believe in Winning Together. When Article hits its annual financial goals, eligible employees will receive a cash bonus 4% RRSP matched contributions through Wealthsimple Life: 20 days of vacation* 1 extra day off (Inclusion and Diversity Day) 6 well-being (sick) days Hybrid work: 3 days a week in the office Work remotely (anywhere in the world) for up to 3 weeks Total Health: Excellent extended health, dental and vision benefits $1000 health/lifestyle spending account* for your total physical and mental well-being TELUS Health App Mental Health Assistance/Counseling Virtual medical appointments Office Space: The Article HQ is a converted warehouse, with an open accessible layout and no offices (even for our founders) Work from your desk, an Article sofa, collaboration spaces, or a private meeting room Standup desks can be requested too Our kitchens are stocked with salty, sweet and healthy snacks, & all the premium coffees and teas to keep you buzzing Onsite fitness equipment with showers and towel service Pickleball, badminton, and table tennis matches happen, from very competitive to very casual A dog-friendly office - well-socialized pups are welcome Getting here: Free street parking (first come, first serve; no reserved spots for senior leaders) Indoor secure bike storage with change rooms and showers 20-minute walk to either Main Street- Science World or VCC Clark Skytrain stations Extra: 45% discount on our entire product range (15% for friends and family) *Prorated #INDARTICLE