Director of Retail Operations (Multi-State)
Northeast Alternatives is a growing, award-winning, seed-to-table cannabis retail brand specializing in the highest quality cannabis products Massachusetts, Michigan and New Jersey has to offer. Constantly focused on developing and ingenuity, NEA strives to achieve this by adding skilled and motivated team players. These goals are met by seeking out diverse, talented individuals to further the company's mission and provide unique and new ideas. As the business continues to grow, our team will continue to grow, allowing us to be the best in our specialized market. If you are motivated, eager to learn, dedicated, flexible and excited about joining an incredible industry, Northeast Alternatives is the perfect place to be!
Reports to: VP of Sales
Location: Southern Massachusetts
Travel: Up to 50%, primarily to Michigan, New Jersey, and future markets
Position Summary:
The Director of Retail Operations is responsible for the performance of all Northeast Alternatives and Sapura dispensaries across Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, and future markets.
This leader directly manages Store Managers and centralized retail leaders while maintaining accountability for the performance of Assistant Store Managers, Inventory Managers, Customer Experience Managers, Keyholders, Budtenders, Inventory Agents, and all other retail employees.
NEA/Sapura is a KPI-driven, high-performance company. Every retail role operates against defined, role-specific scorecards, expectations, and measurable results. The Director owns the retail performance-management system and ensures those individual scorecards translate into location-level revenue, profitability, payroll, customer experience, inventory, and team-performance results.
This is a hands-on, field-facing role for a disciplined retail operator who thrives in a results-oriented environment, builds teams of A+ Players—the best of the best, identifies gaps quickly, and drives corrective action with urgency and follow-through.
Success in This Role Means:
- Every location consistently achieves or exceeds its revenue and profitability targets
- Payroll remains within established targets while protecting customer service and execution
- Store Managers and their teams consistently achieve role-specific KPIs and scorecard expectations
- Customers receive a consistent, best-in-class experience at every location and through every channel
- Internally produced product demand is forecasted accurately enough to support production and allocation decisions
- Each location maintains its ideal menu and consistently meets Menu Par expectations
- Promotions generate profitable sales growth and improve inventory productivity
- A+ Players are recruited, developed, retained, and promoted throughout the retail organization
- Compliance, inventory, security, and operating standards remain audit-ready
Core Responsibilities:
Retail Performance, Profitability and Payroll
- Own revenue, profitability, payroll, margin, traffic, and KPI performance for every retail location
- Establish and manage role-specific scorecards for Store Managers and retail leadership, ensuring expectations cascade through all management and frontline positions
- Lead recurring business reviews focused on results, root causes, corrective actions, accountability, and deadlines
- Monitor key drivers including sales, Average Transaction Amount, units per transaction, transactions per hour, customer retention, payroll percentage, productivity, and inventory performance
- Partner with Finance and the VP of Sales to improve store-level profitability and controllable expenses
Leadership, Accountability and A+ Team Development
- Directly lead, coach, and hold Store Managers and centralized retail leaders accountable for measurable results
- Ensure every retail employee understands the scorecard, KPIs, behaviors, and standards required for success in their role
- Recruit, develop, retain, and promote A+ Players who can excel in a demanding, high-performance environment
- Build succession plans and a strong internal bench for Store Manager, Assistant Store Manager, Inventory Manager, and other critical roles
- Address performance gaps promptly through coaching, retraining, corrective action, reassignment, or replacement
- Partner with Human Resources to maintain strong recruiting, onboarding, performance-management, and documentation practices
Customer Experience and Brand Consistency
- Create and maintain one consistent NEA/Sapura customer experience across all locations and customer-facing channels
- Establish measurable standards for service, sales execution, product education, complaint resolution, store presentation, and customer communication
- Monitor surveys, NPS, online reviews, loyalty performance, complaints, call-answer rates, and direct store observations
- Identify inconsistent execution and hold leaders accountable for measurable improvement
- Ensure every location remains clean, welcoming, properly merchandised, and “grand-opening ready.”
Sales and Promotional Planning
- Develop location-specific sales and promotional plans based on revenue goals, inventory, competition, customer behavior, margin, and seasonality
- Partner with Marketing, Purchasing, Inventory, Production, Finance, and Store Managers to build coordinated promotional calendars
- Establish clear targets for promotions and ensure they are properly communicated, configured, stocked, and executed
- Measure results through sales lift, traffic, margin, customer acquisition, and inventory sell-through
- Adjust future plans based on performance rather than assumptions
Inventory Forecasting and Ideal Menu
- Own retail demand forecasting for internally produced products by state, location, category, and SKU
- Translate sales trends, promotions, seasonality, and product launches into reliable production and allocation forecasts
- Compare projected demand with actual results and continuously improve forecast accuracy
- Ensure each location maintains the right assortment, categories, price points, brands, and inventory levels
- Minimize preventable out-of-stocks, aging inventory, expiration, shrink, and unnecessary discounting
- Hold Store Managers and Inventory Managers accountable for Menu Par, menu accuracy, inventory integrity, and inventory-related KPIs
Operational Excellence and Compliance
- Establish consistent operating standards across all locations while accounting for state-specific requirements
- Maintain strong controls over cash, inventory, security, opening and closing procedures, POS systems, and cannabis track-and-trace systems
- Conduct regular store visits, performance reviews, operating audits, and scorecard evaluations
- Ensure performance or compliance gaps result in documented corrective actions with clear owners and deadlines
- Partner with Compliance to maintain proactive, audit-ready operations
- Support new store openings, acquisitions, remodels, and future market expansion
- Provide clear, results-focused reporting and recommendations to the VP of Sales and senior leadership
Qualifications
- Seven or more years of progressive multi-unit retail leadership experience
- At least three years directly leading Store Managers, General Managers, or comparable retail leaders
- Proven success achieving revenue, profitability, payroll, customer experience, and operational targets
- Demonstrated success managing a KPI-driven organization through role-specific scorecards and performance expectations
- Strong experience with P&L management, labor planning, scheduling, retail analytics, and performance improvement
- Proven ability to recruit, develop, retain, and hold A+ leaders accountable
- Experience with inventory forecasting, assortment planning, allocation, or replenishment strongly preferred
- Experience developing retail promotions and measuring their results
- Cannabis retail experience strongly preferred; highly regulated or high-volume retail experience may also be considered
- Strong proficiency with spreadsheets, reporting tools, POS systems, scheduling platforms, and inventory systems
- METRC or other cannabis track-and-trace experience preferred
- Strong communication, analytical, organizational, and decision-making skills
- Demonstrated ability to excel in a fast-paced, high-accountability, results-oriented environment
- Must be based near Southern Massachusetts and able to travel up to 50%
- Must be at least 21 years old and eligible for all required cannabis registrations
NEA/Sapura Leadership Expectations
- Results-owned: KPIs, scorecards, and commitments must produce measurable outcomes
- Customer-obsessed: Customer experience is protected in every decision and every location
- A+ talent builder: The best results come from recruiting and developing the best people
- Data-driven: Decisions are based on facts, trends, and performance—not opinions
- Field-focused: Leaders remain present in stores and inspect what they expect
- Decisive: Performance gaps are addressed promptly and difficult decisions are not avoided
- Compliance-first: Systems are built to prevent issues rather than explain them afterward
Northeast Alternatives has a strong commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and aspires to be reflective of the diverse communities we serve. We aim to attract and hire qualified candidates who hold these same values, provide diverse perspectives, and contribute to creating a workplace where all employees experience a sense of belonging.
Northeast Alternatives is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, genetics, Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by state, federal and local laws. In addition to federal law requirements, NEA complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.
EEO M/F/D/V
NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as assigned to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.