Role Summary
The Retail Operations Manager is the leadership hub of Wilson Plant Co. — present in the work, trusted by the team, and consistently aligned with ownership's vision for what this company is becoming. This role blends ground-level leadership with strategic oversight, ensuring that the daily rhythm of two busy retail locations, a production operation, a café, and a landscape division flows with intention, efficiency, and care. From the first truck of the morning to the final register count, this person holds the pace, the standard, and the culture — growing over time into an extension of ownership in the truest sense of that word.
Role Responsibilities
Leadership & Team Development
- Leads department managers with a servant mentality, working alongside them to solve problems, clear obstacles, and set the standard through example rather than direction alone
- Fosters a culture of open dialogue, mutual accountability, and investment in each team member's growth — where people feel both challenged and supported
- Cultivates a work environment defined by energy, positivity, and shared purpose, actively managing morale and team dynamics as conditions shift across the season
- Protects consistent time with direct reports, delivering clear feedback that builds confidence, corrects course early, and supports long-term development
Daily Operations & Execution
- Oversees day-to-day operations across both retail locations, ensuring standards of efficiency, safety, customer experience, and presentation are consistently upheld
- Manages staff scheduling across departments and locations weekly and with daily adjustments, balancing labor costs with operational needs and seasonal peaks with a strategic eye & practical hand
- Maintains a working fluency in the systems, rhythms, and responsibilities of every department to recognize when something is off and move quickly to support the team in correcting it
- Manages operational priorities with a weekly and monthly lens, translating company goals into daily and weekly action across the team
Strategic Alignment & Business Growth
- Collaborates closely with ownership to understand strategic direction and translate vision into operational reality — building the systems, habits, and team culture that make growth sustainable
- Analyzes business performance using available reporting tools, identifying trends and opportunities across departments and presenting informed recommendations to ownership
- Approaches resource decisions — labor, time, inventory, capital expenditures — with a company-wide perspective, never optimizing one department at the expense of the whole
- Grows continuously into the mindset of an owner: taking initiative, anticipating what's needed before being asked, and making decisions that reflect the long-term interests of the company and its people
Communication & Cross-Department Collaboration
- Serves as a primary communication bridge between ownership, department managers, and the broader team — ensuring important information flows clearly and consistently in both directions
- Maintains a responsive, proactive communication style with vendors, contractors, and community partners when operational coordination requires it
- Contributes to a work culture where hard things are addressed with crucial conversations, with respect and care, rather than allowed to fester or worsen
- Provides store-specific observations and operational insights to ownership on a regular basis — not just what's happening, but what it means and what should happen next
Customer Experience & Brand Standards
- Models and reinforces customer-first thinking at every level of the operation, from the way a team member greets a guest to the way a transaction is handled at the register
- Collaborates with department managers to address customer feedback and service recovery with grace, speed, and a genuine desire to make things right
- Ensures retail spaces across both locations meet brand standards for presentation, cleanliness, merchandising, and overall atmosphere — and holds the team accountable for maintaining them
Role Qualifications
- 3+ years of management experience in retail, nursery, horticulture, or a closely related industry — with a demonstrated track record of leading people and improving operations
- Horticulture background required, whether through formal education or hands-on industry experience; this is a non-negotiable foundation for leading our team effectively
- Proven ability to manage operations across multiple departments or locations, balancing competing priorities without losing sight of the big picture
- Strong instincts for reading people (customers and team members) and adjusting approach accordingly
- Physical endurance and comfort with active, outdoor work; this role spends over 75% of time on the floor, in the greenhouse, in the nursery, and in all weather conditions, with regular lifting of 75+ lbs
- Valid driver's license with a clean record and ability to pass a physical and obtain a Department of Transportation Medical Examiner's Certificate
- Willingness to obtain a Kentucky Retail Pesticide Applicator's License if required
What Makes This Role Different
- This isn't a desk job — you're in it, every day, with the team, outdoors, and it's exactly as rewarding as it sounds
- You're not just executing someone else's playbook — you're helping build it, with ownership who is interested in your perspective and invested in your growth
- The company is at a real inflection point, which means the person who steps into this role gets to help shape what it becomes, not just maintain what it is
- No two days look the same: two locations, a café, a butterfly house, a landscape division, a production operation, and a team full of people who actually care — there is always something interesting happening here
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
