Retail Excellence Training Manager

Department: Education

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Farringdon Training Academy, London

Description

The Retail Excellence Training Manager leads the Retail Excellence Trainer team to deliver impactful, high-quality training that elevates performance across ELEMIS’ retail division. This role ensures the trainers operate at optimum productivity by managing team calendars, coaching performance, and aligning resources to business priorities.

Working in close partnership with the Head of Retail Education and National Sales leads, this role plays a key part in shaping the strategic delivery of retail training, embedding consistency, and driving excellence in both education and retail execution. The manager acts as a central hub for coordination, accountability, and communication, ensuring training initiatives directly support KPIs, retail sales, and the overall customer experience.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & People Management

• Line-manage the Retail Excellence Trainer team, setting clear expectations and monitoring productivity, performance, and development.
• Conduct regular 1:1s, team meetings, and feedback sessions to drive accountability and continuous improvement.
• Support the professional growth of trainers through coaching, mentoring, and structured development plans.
• Manage recruitment, onboarding, and integration of new trainers where required.
• Be abreast of industry wide training methods and innovation to upskill Retail Excellence team and drive brand standards

Strategic Alignment & Support to Head of Retail Education

• Partner with the Head of Retail Education to ensure training priorities align with commercial objectives, retail campaigns, and product launches.
• Provide insights and recommendations on team deployment, trainer workloads, and performance outcomes.
• Prepare team performance reports, including training effectiveness, KPI achievement, and learner feedback, to support strategic decision-making.

Calendar & Productivity Management

• Oversee the Retail Excellence training calendar, ensuring effective scheduling of academy sessions, field coaching, and retail activations.
• Optimize trainer deployment to balance national and regional priorities, ensuring coverage of key stores and retail partners.
• Track trainer productivity, ensuring maximum impact across time allocation, delivery, and follow-up.

Training Program Oversight

• Ensure consistency and quality of retail training delivery across the trainer team.
• Provide feedback to the Head of Retail Education on content development needs for the market and assist with support on key projects as requested.
• Collaborate with the Global Learning Content Designer and education teams to integrate new materials, updates, and innovations into retail training.
• Support planning and coordination of Train-the-Trainer programs for the Retail Excellence team, ensuring readiness and alignment to brand standards.
• Provide feedback post an event to the key stakeholders
• Develop when needed bespoke training sessions for key retailers or activations
• Test and trial new content for the retail channel.

Communication & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as a key communication link between the Head of Retail Education, trainers, and wider business stakeholders.
• Work with the Learning Platform & Community Manager to communicate retail training initiatives, updates, and success stories through newsletters and internal channels.
• Partner with Marketing, PR, and Retail Operations to align training with activations, events, and brand moments.

Lead by Example:

• Execute high level classroom and virtual training to the retail team that strengthens their treatment expertise, product knowledge and selling techniques.
• Execute high level hands-on training and coaching for ELEMIS retail services and other related services.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• 3–5 years’ experience in retail training, education management, or team leadership within beauty, skincare, or luxury retail.
• Proven experience leading, coaching, and developing training teams.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Commercially aware, with strong understanding of KPIs, retail performance drivers, and customer experience.
• Beauty Therapy qualification (NVQ Level 3 or equivalent) highly desirable.
• Strong presentation, facilitation, and communication skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite; experience with LMS platforms advantageous.

Skills and Competencies:

• Knowledge of retail trends
• Patience and encouragement are required within the training environment.
• Adaptable to the diverse learning styles of retail professionals.
• Self-motivated, organised with strong attention to detail.
• Exceptional communication, presentation and facilitation skills
• Experience working within a team environment, working collaboratively, and building positive business partnerships
• Ability to listen and understand the needs of others, translating those needs into elevated education
• Passion for ELEMIS
• Commercial awareness
• Understanding of E-learning a plus

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

• Hybrid: London Training Academy, retail locations, and WFH for admin.
• Travel: Regular travel across UK retail locations and flagship stores, plus occasional conferences and events.
• Some weekend/evening work may be required to support retail activations (time off in lieu provided).

What We Offer You!*

• Generous Staff Discount on all your favourite ELEMIS products and spa treatments, as well as discounts on L\'OCCITANE Group products (including L\'Occitane, Erborian and more)
• Excellent well-being policies including enhanced Maternity & Paternity policies, Income Protection, Life Assurance and more
• Generous Holiday Allowance, increasing with length of service
• Company Pension Scheme
• Bonus/Commission Scheme
• Healthcare Cash Plan (with Dental)
• Employee Assistance Programme for all Associates and their families
• Cycle to Work Scheme, Season Ticket Loan, Length of Service Awards
• Much, much more!

*Some benefit eligibility is based on length of service or contract type