Duties and responsibilities
A regional manager is a retail manager is oversees the management and control of stores within their designated region. They have the same duties and responsibilities of a retail manager (i.e., ensuring high levels of customer service and to maximise sales potential) in a particular region (e.g., interstate metropolitan areas or intraterritory regions). They can work in any retail sector (e.g., household, pharmacy, food, bakery, gifts) and typically will have anywhere between eight to twenty stores to oversee. Their typical duties and responsibilities include:
- Ensuring the each store manager, and their staff, keep the stores to the highest possible standard
- Ensuring all stores in their region are properly merchandised
- Adhering to policies, procedures and controls
- Controlling stock and ensuring that the companies assets are protected/minimizing loss
- Aiding store managers in the hiring process
- Analyzing data to ensure regional stores are meeting targets
- Providing training programs, where necessary
- Settings sales and operational goals, and ensuring these are met through regular monitoring
- Regularly visiting stores to check compliance with everything listed above
Qualifications
All regional managers will need significant work experience in the industry. Most companies will promotes regional managers from store manager or retail manager roles and provide them with suitable training. It is possible to progress into regional management positions with only a high school diploma. However, it is highly advisable to achieve a bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as business management or finance.
Skills and relevant work experience
As well as relevant work experience, regional managers will need skills such as:
-
- Verbal communication skills, as this will help regional managers effectively communicate with store managers and their staff
- Written communication skills, as regional managers will need to write reports and respond to emails
- Numerical skills, as regional managers need to manage budgets, stock and employee performance
- Leadership skills, are regional managers oversee large teams
- Customer service skills, as regional managers will need the interpersonal skills to interact, listen and respond to customers. They will also need to be able to demonstrate these skills to others
- Analytical skills, as regional managers need to evaluate how their staff are performing and develop strategies for meeting goals
- Decision making skills, as regional must be able to make informed and timely decisions
Hours
Most regional managers will work full time. They may often find themselves working overtime and long hours, as well as travelling to different stores across the region.
Salary
According to Linkedin.com, the median annual salary for regional managers in the United States is $90,000. At the lower end, you can expect to earn $55,ooo per annum. Whereas, the higher end is an annual salary in excess of $140,000.
Progression
Regional managers tend to progress from sales representative and store manager roles, after gaining significant work experience. They can then progress, with more experience and training, to more senior roles. For example, they may become a national manager. Typically they will stay in the same sector (e.g., food, baking, household goods). However, they may progress into more sales focused roles (e.g., global sales).