US General Manager

Title: General Manager- US

Reporting To: Directors- UK

Role location: Based in the US with a willingness to travel interstate along with biannual UK head office visits. This role will be based in NYC or LA .

ABOUT US:

Since launching in 2011 around a kitchen table in East London, House of Hackney has carved a reputation as a positive disrupter in the interiors market, becoming a luxury global leader in beautiful, sustainable design and products to service all customers' interior needs. Experiencing sustained high growth since launch, House of Hackney continues to push the boundaries of traditional retail and customer experiences through innovative technology and immersive customer environments; all of which play into the influential and loyal customer base House of Hackney has cultivated since launch. Whilst continuing to drive the brand forward and innovate, House of Hackney has remained true to its core values which run through the business and day to day operations, depicted as the 3 Cs - creativity, compassion and consciousness. Having championed sustainability and community values since the brand launched, House of Hackney was accredited as a B Corp company in 2020. Having experienced significant global growth, the US market has become a key move for the brand. House of Hackney are now looking for a General Manager with exceptional leadership skills to build the US team and business. The US market presents a sizable opportunity for House of Hackney with exciting possibilities for the right candidate.

THE ROLE:

Own the commercial sales growth and operations of the US business, setting the agenda for House of Hackney in the US. Identifying new business opportunities and managing planning through to execution. Building and nurturing the US team from recruitment to training and performance to deliver set strategies. To ensure a strong brand identity is upheld throughout the team through to customer experience and to uphold strong communication with the UK team and directors to align on vision, strategy and cross department support for project execution.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

New business strategy

• Build strategic planning documents to present market opportunities, displaying a competent understanding of strategy execution costs vs potential return, in order to prioritise viable growth strategies. Continuously refining the ‘3 Year Plan’.
• Own and lead new business projects from point of ideation to execution, ensuring cross department collaboration where necessary.
• Continuously look for ways to exceed agreed budgets.
• A market expert, identifying the largest opportunities for growth and feeding back any concerns and barriers to progress with actions to mitigate these.
• Drive brand awareness and customer acquisition strategies to expose and grow House of Hackney to new customer bases through all acquisition channels (digital/ physical/ partnerships/ collabs/ marketing).
• Identify and acquire strategic partnerships to drive sales and brand awareness, presenting partnership KPIs for director sign off, outline costs and expected customer acquisition return.
• Understand the differing landscapes and customer types and their needs within the United States.

Strategy execution and project management

• Follow top line strategic direction to build bottom up plans to execute multiple new business strategies in the local markets. Own the execution of US strategies ensuring buy in and understanding from the US team.
• Adept at knowing the priority opportunities within the US and managing the team’s priorities in an agile way.
• Identify, travel and scope all location opportunities to fulfil overarching business targets. Implement with the team and ensure all trips are potentialized and best practice is followed. Analyse and feedback success to inform future travel and brand strategies.
• Hands on implementation of new strategies and project set up.
• Manage local event execution to ensure event KPIs are hit.

Brand ambassador

• Own and protect the brand representation in all US based activity, ensuring the highest standards are executed from people through to customer experience and physical representation.
• Be the brand ambassador and upholder of House of Hackney best practice and standards for the growing US team.
• Lead by example to enable the US business unit to grow, ensuring brand team and customer values are carried out and upheld.
• Build meaningful and effective relationships and networks with key market contacts to support the growth of the business.

Build successful and effective team

• Coach and develop team to successfully set and execute department and personal goals.
• Review team responsibilities and ensure the right people are in the right place with the right roles to scale the business effectively with little disruption.
• Inspire and motivate the team at all times.

Reporting and UK team communication

• Analyse and report to senior managers success of strategic activity. Reviewing and evaluating project KPIs, areas to improve and resultant actions.
• Observe, feedback and suggest actions to improve any operational or growth barriers for the US business.
• Be the link between the UK team and senior managers and the emerging US business unit.
• Ensure the US priorities align with House of Hackney business strategy.

IDEALLY, YOU WILL HAVE*:

• A passion for House of Hackney - an understanding of its unique positioning and its opportunities with a high motivation to build the ‘House’ in the US.
• A strong brand ambassador – representing in their actions and aesthetic House of Hackney’s ethos and brand values which are integral to the House.
• Self-starter with high levels of initiative and a hands on approach.
• A proven track record in growth success at senior level general or commercial management in a brand.
• Strong leadership skills. Experience at a senior level of management of people and resources.
• A wide knowledge of the industry and commercial landscape
• A high understanding of financial management and wider management principles and techniques.
• A very high level of commercial awareness.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent organisational and planning skills.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Commercial acumen with strong negotiation skills.

*The stated experience and background is a guide and does not preclude applications from candidates with more or less experience, provided the requisite skills can be demonstrated

BENEFITS:

As always, there are some perks:

• 21 days holiday allowance + 6 National Holidays + Maundy Thursday and a half-day for your birthday.
• Competitive medical, dental and vision insurance 
• Seasonal 4 Day Week Scheme
• Competitive medical, dental and vision insurance. 
• Cycle to Work Loan Scheme.
• Payday drinks every month and at least two exciting team gatherings a year, we also celebrate birthdays in the office whenever possible.
• The team is hard-working and upbeat, we often help each other and there's very little we can't conquer together
• 30% discount across HOH products and first grabs on sample sale items.

House of Hackney is an equal opportunity employer. The company will not unlawfully discriminate on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, gender affirmation, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, disability or age, pregnancy or trade union membership. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer a visa sponsorship or remote working.