Process Lead – Process Excellence

Role Summary

The Senior Process Lead – Process Excellence is a senior leadership role responsible for driving end-to-end operational excellence across our mid-sized electronics retail enterprise. This role oversees the analysis and redesign of critical business processes spanning store operations, supply chain, and e-commerce channels. By leveraging data-driven insights and broad expertise in enterprise systems, the Senior Process Lead identifies opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, and customer experience. Working closely with cross-functional teams and senior management, this leader champions continuous improvement and effective change management to ensure that process enhancements are implemented smoothly and sustained over the long term.

Key Responsibilities

·      Lead Enterprise-Wide Improvement: Lead end-to-end process improvement initiatives across all retail functions – including in-store operations, warehouse & supply chain, and e-commerce – to streamline workflows, reduce costs, and enhance overall performance and customer satisfaction.

·      Process Analysis & Redesign: Analyze existing workflows and business processes to identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and areas for improvement. Redesign and optimize processes using Lean, Six Sigma, or other best-practice methodologies to achieve higher efficiency and quality.

·      Data-Driven Improvement: Leverage data and analytics to drive decision-making. Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for operational processes, use dashboards and reports to monitor performance, and implement improvements based on quantitative insights.

·      Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with various departments and stakeholders – store managers, supply chain and logistics teams, e-commerce teams, finance, and IT – to ensure process changes are holistic and aligned across the organization. Facilitate workshops or process mapping sessions to gather input and buy-in from all relevant parties.

·      Systems Integration: Ensure that process improvements are effectively integrated with the company’s enterprise systems and tools. Collaborate with IT to align process changes with ERP, POS, WMS, CRM and other platforms, ensuring technology enables and supports the optimized workflows (for example, updating POS procedures or enhancing ERP workflows to match new processes).

·      Project Implementation: Oversee the implementation of process improvement projects from concept to completion. Develop project plans, coordinate resources, and manage timelines and milestones. When new tools or system features are required, work on requirements gathering, user testing, and training plans to successfully deploy these solutions.

·      Change Management: Drive effective change management for all process improvements. Develop communication plans to update employees on process changes, conduct training sessions or create documentation/job aids for end-users, and provide ongoing support to ensure adoption. Act as a change agent, addressing resistance and aligning teams around new ways of working.

·      Continuous Improvement Culture: Champion a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence across the enterprise. Mentor and coach team members and department staff on process excellence practices. Introduce frameworks like Kaizen for small incremental improvements and encourage employees at all levels to propose ideas that improve our operations or customer experience.

·      Monitor & Sustain Improvements: After implementation, monitor new processes to ensure they are yielding the expected results and meeting compliance or quality standards. Conduct periodic process audits and gather feedback from frontline teams. Make adjustments as necessary and establish standard operating procedures (SOPs) to sustain the improvements over time.

·      Strategic Alignment & Reporting: Align process improvement initiatives with the company’s strategic goals and key business priorities. Regularly report on project status, outcomes, and impact to senior leadership. Provide insights and recommendations for additional operational enhancements, ensuring that leadership remains informed and engaged in the process excellence roadmap.

Required Qualifications

·      Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Operations Management or a related field (advanced degree or MBA is a plus).

·      Experience: 8+ years of experience in process improvement, operational excellence, or operations management roles. Significant exposure to retail operations, supply chain, or e-commerce environments is required, preferably in a leadership capacity.

·      Process Improvement Expertise: Proven track record of leading successful process improvement or transformation initiatives across multiple business functions. Strong knowledge of continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, etc.) and hands-on experience with process mapping, analysis, and redesign.

·      Enterprise Systems Knowledge: Broad familiarity with enterprise systems and tools used in retail. Working knowledge of ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle or similar), Point-of-Sale (POS) systems, Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms, and other relevant tools. Ability to understand and utilize these systems in support of process changes (for instance, knowing how inventory management in ERP ties into store and online operations).

·      Analytical & Data Skills: Strong analytical skills with the ability to collect, interpret, and draw conclusions from data. Proficiency in using data analysis and visualization tools (Excel, BI dashboards, etc.) to identify trends, support recommendations, and measure results. Comfortable defining KPIs and using metrics to drive accountability.

·      Project Management: Excellent project management capabilities, with experience managing complex projects or programs. Able to develop detailed project plans, coordinate cross-functional teams, handle multiple initiatives simultaneously, and deliver results on time. Formal project management training or certification (PMP or similar) is an advantage.

·      Communication & Collaboration: Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal. Able to clearly articulate process changes and their benefits to all levels of the organization. Strong facilitator who can lead workshops and meetings effectively. Demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate with stakeholders in different departments (from front-line staff to senior executives) to drive change.

·      Leadership & Change Management: Demonstrated leadership in driving change. Experience in change management practices – managing stakeholder expectations, training users, and ensuring adoption of new processes or technologies. Ability to lead cross-functional project teams (directly or indirectly) and mentor junior members in best practices.

·      Retail/Operational Acumen: Solid understanding of how retail businesses operate, from store-level workflows to back-end supply chain processes. Awareness of industry trends in retail and e-commerce, and how process improvements can enhance customer experience, operational agility, and profitability.

Preferred Qualifications

·      Advanced Education: Master’s degree or MBA in Business, Operations, or related field.

·      Certifications: Professional certifications in process improvement or project management, such as Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (or Green Belt) and/or PMP certification. Any certification in change management (e.g., PROSCI) would be a plus.

·      Industry Experience: Prior experience working specifically in an electronics retail environment or a similar multi-channel retail business. Familiarity with the unique challenges of electronics retail (such as managing fast product turnover, omnichannel customer service, warranty/repair processes) is highly desirable.

·      System Implementation Experience: Hands-on experience leading or contributing to the implementation or upgrade of major enterprise systems (ERP, WMS, POS, CRM, OMS) in a retail context. Comfort with emerging retail technologies or process automation tools (for example, RFID inventory tracking, process automation/RPA, or advanced analytics platforms) is a plus.

·      Strategic Planning: Experience in strategic planning or business consulting roles related to operations improvement. Ability to connect process improvement initiatives with broader business strategy and to think holistically about end-to-end business performance.

·      Regulatory Knowledge: Understanding of any regulatory or compliance requirements relevant to retail operations and supply chain (for example, data security in POS/CRM, labor regulations in store operations, import/export regulations in supply chain). While not mandatory, this knowledge can be beneficial in process design.