Senior Director, Retail Operations

Welcome to Warner Bros. Discovery… the stuff dreams are made of.

Who We Are…

When we say, “the stuff dreams are made of,” we’re not just referring to the world of wizards, dragons and superheroes, or even to the wonders of Planet Earth. Behind WBD’s vast portfolio of iconic content and beloved brands, are the storytellers bringing our characters to life, the creators bringing them to your living rooms and the dreamers creating what’s next…

From brilliant creatives, to technology trailblazers, across the globe, WBD offers career defining opportunities, thoughtfully curated benefits, and the tools to explore and grow into your best selves. Here you are supported, here you are celebrated, here you can thrive.

PRIMARY PURPOSE OF POSITION

The Senior Director, Tokyo Retail Operations will direct and lead the retail operations teams across Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo, two central Tokyo stores and oversee the e-commerce operations. This position will be responsible for delivering upon the retail strategy, driving operations and taking the senior commercial role across all Tokyo retail stores.  They will ensure that all store locations maintain a commercial, service and safety focus, as well as partnering with the Senior Leadership Team across Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo and the SVP, Retail Experiences for Worldwide Tours & Retail to support the growth and continued success in Tokyo. 

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Create, deliver and maintain progress on the commercial retail strategy for Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo and two stores in central Tokyo.
• Oversee the operation of the Japan E-Commerce operation, maintaining visibility regularly, driving quality, accuracy and efficiency standards. 
• Support the VP & General Manager, WBSTT to exceed visitor expectations at the Studio Tour, ensuring store standards and staff engagement are consistently strong.
• Take a senior leadership role, working alongside the Senior Director, Tour Operations to maintain a high-performing and safe visitor attraction at WBSTT.
• Hold an active senior leadership role in the project management and opening of any new Retail stores within Tokyo, liaising with Construction vendors, WBD stakeholders and the operations teams to ensure an efficient and successful launch.
• Directly managing the Director, Retail & Commercial and Store Management team for the stand-alone stores to drive standards, lead their teams and ensure quality recruitment remains a focus.
• Oversee the commercial forecasts for all Retail within Tokyo, providing regular commentary and action plans for improvement of per cap, conversion and EBITDA.
• Collaborate with the Marketing & PR leaders to drive footfall to the central Tokyo stores, and support PR coverage for the Studio Tour across all Retail activities.
• Drive a cross-functional leadership structure, enabling consistent action across partnered departments including but not limited to, IT & Technology, Finance, Visitor Experience, Security and Marketing & PR.
• Regularly identify, present and take action on opportunities for increased secondary spend across the Studio Tour and stand-alone retail locations.
• Work with the Finance team to create and control the labour and operational expenses budget for Studio Tour Retail and the Tokyo stores, encouraging the leadership team to manage costs effectively and optimise labour usage.
• Act as a key liaison between the Merchandising, Buying, Design and Visual Merchandising teams to support the Director and Store Management teams to operate the retail function, providing feedback and data on behalf of the Tokyo teams.
• Actively communicate with the WB Worldwide Studio Tours & Retail senior team, taking responsibility for reporting status, incidents, performance and support required.
• Ensure the Store Operations teams are maintaining accurate stock control, reporting, and stock turnover to optimise inventory performance across WBSTT and Tokyo retail stores.
• In collaboration with the Marketing team and Director, Retail & Commercial, maintain an overview and administer brand assurance to ensure all commercial activities meet strict brand guidelines.
• Benchmark the retail product and commercial visitor experience externally, bringing new learning into the Tour and retail locations to maintain alignment with the local and national market.
• Support the Senior Leadership team to communicate with external stakeholders including building relationships with local and national government as required.

• Work within WB processes and procedures.

• Work with our Health and Safety Management and on-site security team to promote the health and safety of all WBSTT and retail store staff and visitors.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

• The candidate will have held a senior leadership / senior director role in the retail industry, including major high street retailers and ideally experience in the tourism, leisure, attraction, or heritage industry.
• Educated to degree level or higher.
• Management qualification would be an advantage.
• Native-level fluency in Japanese and business-level English proficiency is required.
• Experience of a start-up operation would be an advantage.
• Senior project leadership and new opening experience.
• Able to demonstrate commercial ability including growing primary and secondary income.
• Extensive senior level experience of driving customer service standards across multiple sites.
• Leadership and development of management staff within a sales environment.
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills including Excel.
• Producing and presenting reports.

Working Pattern and Duty Management:

This role is full time, working shifts.  Due to the varied nature of a visitor attraction, regular weekend and evening work will be required, across a seven-day rota.  A high level of flexibility is required to suit the needs of the business.  This can include working weekends, public holidays, school holidays and late evenings, alongside other team members.

How We Get Things Done…

This last bit is probably the most important! Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find them at   along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview.

Championing Inclusion at WBD

If you’re a qualified candidate with a disability and you require adjustments or accommodations during the job application and/or recruitment process, please visit our for instructions to submit your request.