Director - Operations Strategy

Support Center - Irving

The Director - Operations Strategy is responsible for defining strategies that drive growth and improve efficiency and margin across retail operations. This includes developing innovative operating models, identifying store expansion opportunities, advancing new format initiatives, and enhancing data and analytics capabilities to enable smarter decision-making. This role ensures enterprise strategies translate into actionable retail execution—optimizing store operations, labor models, omni-channel integration, and customer experience—while building scalable processes to support long-term growth. The Director also leads disciplined planning, prioritization, and execution of functional strategic initiatives. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in retail operations and strategy, a strong understanding of omni-channel dynamics, and a data-driven mindset that delivers insights to improve customer experience, operational performance, and financial outcomes.

Major Activities
Strategic Planning & Retail Growth

• Develop strategic evaluations of new market entry, competitive positioning and multi-year strategies for retail portfolio optimization, new store expansion, and new format concepts to influence investment decisions and shape long-term growth strategies
• Translate enterprise vision into clear priorities and execution roadmaps for store operations, labor efficiency, and customer experience.
• Evaluate and prioritize growth opportunities, including market entry strategies, store expansion, international growth and omni-channel integration.
• Partner with real estate, development, and operations teams to deliver cost-effective and scalable new stores and remodels.

Data & Analytics Innovation

• Direct the development and synthesis of key analytics to inform enterprise strategy. Leverage team resources, advisors, or internal stakeholders as needed to unlock insights that support strategic decision-making.
• Develop enterprise operations reporting metrics to track store performance, omni-channel adoption (BOPIS, curbside, ship-from-store), and customer KPIs.
• Partner with analytics and data teams to leverage data mining, predictive modeling, and labor productivity analytics.
• Provide executives with fact-based insights on customer behavior, dwell time, basket composition, and omni-channel profitability.
• Build advanced analytics and data science capabilities to support portfolio planning, omni-channel growth, and performance optimization.
• Leverage predictive insights and real-time data to drive fact-based decision-making.

Competitive Intelligence & Market Insights

• Build a competitive intelligence function to track specialty retail and omni-channel leaders, disruptors, and emerging consumer trends.
• Benchmark against best-in-class retailers to identify innovation opportunities in customer service, digital fulfillment, and store formats.
• Deliver actionable insights that influence pricing, real estate, merchandising, and service strategies.

Program Management Center of Excellence

• Accelerate Operational Excellence: Serve as a thought partner and integrator across business units, ensuring initiatives are properly scoped, resourced, and executed.
• Establish governance rhythms, KPIs, and review cadences to monitor performance and maintain accountability.
• Establish a program management discipline that ensures consistent governance, prioritization, and execution of strategic initiatives.
• Define best practices, tools, and standards for program and project delivery across store and omni-channel initiatives.
• Monitor execution, resolve roadblocks, and ensure accountability for outcomes across large-scale initiatives.

Operational Innovation & Efficiency

• Create strategies that improve store efficiency, simplify processes, and drive sustainable margin improvement.
• Implement new operating models, labor structures, and in-store technologies to boost productivity.
• Establish frameworks for continuous improvement in inventory flow, scheduling, services, and customer engagement.

Leadership & Developing Teams

• Demonstrate agility in leadership style and flexibility of approach, with the ability to think strategically (high-level) and tactically (to drive execution)
• Attract and recruit top talent, motivate the team, delegate effectively, celebrate diversity within the team.
• Lead a sales-focused culture that empowers the team to take risks, creates space for innovation, and expects cross-functional collaboration.
• Manage performance and be a strong developer of talent and drive succession planning and talent development for areas of responsibility.
• Establish an innovative, collaborative, accountable, and inclusive culture that attracts and retains talent in the organization.
• Clearly communicate objectives and priorities to the team creating alignment with the Company's strategic goals, clearly defining and communicating the department's goals to achieve a singular vision across the team.

Preferred Education
Other duties as assigned

• BA/BS degree in Business, Retail Management, or related field

Minimum Type Of Experience Required

• 10+ years of progressive leadership in retail strategy, store operations, or omni-channel growth
• Experience in retail expansion, omni-channel integration, new format development, and operational transformation
• Experience in competitive intelligence, international growth strategy, and data-driven retail insights
• Strong expertise in program management governance, portfolio prioritization, and cross-enterprise execution.
• Advanced analytical and financial acumen, with success using data and analytics to inform strategy.

Other

• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with a track record of translating complex challenges into strategic decisions and enterprise-level impact
• Advanced proficiency in developing executive-level presentations, showcasing strong skills in strategic storytelling, data synthesis, and visual communication
• Demonstrated ability to lead strategic workstreams independently, synthesize diverse inputs, and drive decision-making in ambiguous environments
• Strategic thinker with operational discipline, executive-level communication and presentation abilities.
• Comfort with ambiguity and translating vision into retail execution

Applicants in the U.S. must satisfy federal, state, and local legal requirements of the job.
At The Michaels Companies Inc,
our purpose is to fuel the joy of creativity
. As the leading creative destination in North America, we operate over 1,300 stores in 49 states and Canada and online at and The Michaels Companies, Inc. also owns Artistree, a manufacturer of custom and specialty framing merchandise, and MakerPlace by Michaels, a dedicated handmade goods marketplace. Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Irving, Texas,
Michaels is the best place for all things creative.
For more information, please visit 

At Michaels, we prioritize the wellbeing of our teams by providing robust benefits for both full-time and part-time Team Members. Our benefits include health insurance (medical, dental, and vision), paid time off, tuition assistance, generous employee discounts, and much more. For more information, visit

Michaels is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are here for all Team Members and all
c
ustomers
to create, innovate and be better together.
Michaels is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. In keeping with this commitment, Michaels will assure that people with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. Accordingly, if a reasonable accommodation is required to fully participate in the job application or interview process, to perform the essential functions of the job, and/or to receive all other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact Customer Care at MICHAEL).
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