San Francisco Store Manager - Branch Furniture Inc.

The Role

As the very first Store Manager at Branch, you’ll be at the helm of shaping our retail operations from the ground up. This is an incredible opportunity for an experienced retail leader who is eager to make a significant impact, drive growth, and help define the future of the fastest growing office furniture brand in North America.

In this position, you won’t just manage a store – you’ll have the unique chance to craft the entire customer experience and contribute directly to our broader business retail strategy. You’ll do more than just manage day-to-day operations; you’ll be a true partner with the Branch leadership team to elevate our vision, expand our footprint, and exceed ambitious targets.

As Store Manager, you'll be the face of Branch in your market, infusing every interaction with our brand values and delivering an extraordinary customer experience. You’ll lead with charisma and purpose, inspiring your team to achieve excellence while building an engaging, inclusive, and supportive work environment. You’ll be both a hands-on leader and a strategic visionary, steering the store towards success by balancing operational efficiency with a strong focus on service, sales, and employee development.

You'll manage and provide oversight of all aspects of profit, people, and process within your store, partnering with Operations, Customer Success, Growth, and Furniture Design departments to exceed targets. This role will work closely with our CEO, and report directly to our Head of Growth.

What You’ll Do

• Revenue & Profitability:
  • Responsible for the financial health and four wall profitability of your store, driving revenue and exceeding targets.
  • Responsible for managing store’s spend & seeks opportunities to minimize costs.
  • Review and monitor daily, weekly, monthly business and people results and create strategic plans in partnership with the leadership team to achieve ideal targets.
  • Support store team in setting and achieving KPI goals, by driving a culture of performance, cost awareness and accountability. Develop the required business acumen to analyze results and plan & execute for improvement.
  • Responsible for mitigating risk within the store, identifying and resolving all gaps or roadblocks to profitability.
  • Form partnership & provide regular feedback to the Furniture Design team to ensure your location has the correct assortment, depth & breadth, designed to drive profitability & sales.
  • Create a scalable process for driving top-line sales while delivering bottom-line results that can be replicated across other markets in future stores.
• People:
  • Ensure that we have the right people in the right positions at the right time and in the right numbers across your store.
  • Own the sourcing, assessment, selection, and onboarding of talent to build the infrastructure necessary to sustain and grow our scaling business.
  • Conduct regular and accurate assessments of our people against performance review criteria and KPIs.
  • Build healthy relationships with our people and establish a positive and engaging work environment.
  • Ensure that store schedules are supported with high quality and accurate inputs and uphold the standards of responsible live-week management.
  • Nurture a sustainable talent pipeline by providing store teams access to learning opportunities to prepare them for success in both current, and future, opportunities.
  • Validate that high performing employees are retained and low performing employees are amicably exited.
• Brand & Customer Experience:
  • Lead by example and validate the quality of the in-store customer experience by communicating, training, and upholding expectations of Branch’s brand values.
  • Be a source of knowledge for not just furniture but also health and ergonomics in the workplace.
  • Provide in-store coaching to staff & Assistant Store Manager, working alongside them to demonstrate best practices in hosting, customer service and product knowledge.
  • Identify opportunities for marketing initiatives to drive new & repeat customers and community engagement at the store level.
  • Partner with the Growth and Sales team to host 1 marquee event per quarter at your store location.
• Operations:
  • Responsible for helping co-own the buildout of Branch’s first retail store in San Francisco, communicating with the general contractor and independent or internal designers to help create a warm and inviting store.
  • Be on the ground during the store buildout on a daily basis, overseeing the development of the store until opening day.
  • Responsible for providing day-to-day support to the store team to ensure all objectives are achieved, operational, brand and product standards are maintained & store teams are set up for success.
  • Identify and escalate opportunities, gaps, risks and roadblocks with urgency and partner as needed with cross functional teams to resolve.
  • Eventually partner with Operations teams to hold limited inventory & conduct cycle counts on a monthly basis.

What We’re Looking For:

• 5+ years of management experience in retail store environments (including interviewing/recruiting, training, and coaching).
• Prior experience working in (or managing) the front and back of house - strong mix of customer-facing and operational capabilities.
• Experience going through the actual buildout process of a store, and working with general contractors to create a superb retail environment.
• Someone who is friendly, positive, and truly passionate about the Branch brand and story.
• Knowledge and/or passion for interior design and helping customers style their homes.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, holidays and weekend shifts.
• Understanding of local market and requirements relevant to new store openings.
• Financial management experience with success in driving top-line sales, interpreting reporting data, managing payroll budgets, and controlling expenses.
• Exceptional leadership capabilities with a track record of attracting, developing, and motivating top talent, swiftly adapting to change, and leading others through fast-paced environments.
• Desire to work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment – you understand the importance of experimentation and iteration.
• Bonus: you’ve opened a store from scratch.
• Bonus: you’ve worked at a start-up or fast-growing company.
• Target Start Date: January 2025.