General Manager (Contract)

Company Description

WHO WE ARE

Indigo is a physical and digital place inspired by and filled with books, ideas, beautifully designed lifestyle products, and the creative people who help make it all happen. We believe in real books, living life fully and generously, being kind to each other and to the environment, and that stories – big and little – connect us. Indigo is our customer’s happy place – for joyful moments of discovery and to connect with people who share their passion for reading, their belief in ideas, and their commitment to making the world a better and more beautiful place.

OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Our Mission is to inspire reading and enrich the lives of booklovers. As such, we believe in the power of people and their stories. We aim to attract top talent, nurture the potential of our employees, and create space for everyone to thrive. Our Guiding Principles are the few key ideas that are meant to influence everything we do, every day.

• We Will Hire, Inspire, Promote and Retain the Best – A’s Hire A’s.
• We Will be Customer Centric.
• We Will Be Data Driven – System Thinking – Entrepreneurial.
• We are Committed to True and Shared Value Creation.
• We Will be Human-Centered and AI Enabled.
• We are Committed to Caring About Each Other, Our Communities, Our Environment.

Job Description

The General Manager translates Indigo’s strategic priorities into entrepreneurial, locally relevant execution that strengthens community connection and brand affinity while delivering a customer-centric experience that drives sales, engagement, loyalty, and profitability.

Using strong systems thinking, this role ensures store processes and routines are both efficient and effective across customer experience, visual merchandising, product flow, scheduling, loss prevention, and talent development.

The General Manager is a key driver of retail results, fostering a high-performance, customer-focused environment where employees build their capabilities, contribute to team success, and bring the Indigo brand to life through meaningful business outcomes.

KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS

• Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• Net sales and profitability
• Loyalty (plum and email acquisition)
• Key Process Scorecard results
• Store engagement score

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES – what the work is

• Leads the translation of Indigo’s strategic priorities into focused, store-level execution, leveraging the My Performance Scorecard process to align objectives, drive disciplined action, and deliver measurable results.
• Anticipates and mitigates risks to execution, identifying systemic barriers and influencing cross-functional partners to enable consistent delivery of the intended customer and operational experience.
• Ensures the Indigo Experience and R.E.A.D. customer service model are consistently brought to life through strong Sales Generation Leadership (SGL) practices, including active, in-the-moment coaching to reinforce behaviours, elevate execution, and drive customer engagement and results.
• Champions meaningful connection to the local community through book localization, curated events and experiences, and an authentic social media presence that builds engagement, relevance, and brand affinity.
• Ensures consistent delivery of Indigo’s brand standards through disciplined visual merchandising execution, leveraging the VMA process to reinforce presentation, drive consistency, and enhance the customer experience.
• Drives effective and efficient store operations through regular review of Key Process Scorecard performance, using insights to coach the team, reinforce accountability, and continuously improve execution and results.
• Owns the scheduling process, ensuring effective deployment of labour to deliver a consistent customer experience while optimizing productivity and operational efficiency.
• Delivers profitability through disciplined resource management and leadership of targeted shortage and shrink action plans, mitigating inventory risk while protecting sales and operational performance.
• Applies strong business acumen to identify opportunities, assess performance, and take action to improve store results.
• Ensures clarity of roles, responsibilities, and accountability across the store team, reinforcing expectations aligned to the store structure and RASI model.
• Recruits, develops, and retains a high-performing store leadership and CER team through structured onboarding, coaching, and ongoing development.
• Leads talent review, calibration, and succession planning within the store, identifying high-potential employees and creating targeted development opportunities.
• Identifies and addresses performance, conduct, and engagement risks, taking appropriate action to maintain a strong, values-aligned team.
• Drives employee engagement through strong employee relations, meaningful action planning, and the creation of a collaborative, inclusive team environment.
• Ensures the health and safety of employees and customers, maintaining full compliance with all provincial policies, procedures, and standards.
• Models and embeds Indigo’s guiding principles and values, fostering a positive, accountable, and high-performance team culture.

Reports to: Regional Director/District Manager

Manager once Removed (MOR): Senior Vice President, Retail

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Internal:

• Store employees
• Store leadership team
• Regional Human Resources Manager
• Regional Loss Prevention Manager
• Regional Visual Merchandising Manager
• Retail Operations team
• Facilities/IT support

External:

• Customers
• Consignment authors/agents and event vendors
• Landlord/facilities contacts and service providers, as required

Qualifications

WHO YOU ARE:

• 6+ years of progressive leadership experience in a specialty retail and/or multi-unit environment, including experience leading leaders and managing high-performing teams
• College degree preferred or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
• Demonstrated ability to lead a customer-first culture, delivering exceptional employee and customer experiences that drive engagement, loyalty, and business performance
• Adaptable and resilient leader who can lead calmly through change, model a growth mindset, and foster a collaborative, inclusive, and accountable team culture
• Strong business acumen with ability to translate enterprise priorities and sales results into focused store-level plans, routines, and measurable actions that drive customer, employee, and business outcomes
• Data-driven and technology-enabled, with the ability to interpret reports, simplify insights into clear priorities, embed available tools into store routines, and use data to influence action and improve outcomes
• Strong systems-thinking capability, with the ability to connect customer experience, product flow, visual merchandising, scheduling, loss prevention, and talent routines to deliver consistent store performance
• Effective communication and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate complex situations, including escalated customer and employee matters
• Demonstrated operational discipline, with the ability to execute consistently, manage competing priorities, and deliver results in a fast-paced environment
• Sound judgment and employee relations maturity, with the ability to address performance, conduct, and engagement issues in a fair, respectful, values-aligned, and solutions-oriented manner
• Full alignment with Indigo’s values as reflected in the Guiding Principles
• A passion for Indigo’s mission and delivering a meaningful customer and team experience
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays
• Ability to be mobile on the sales floor for extended periods and safely lift medium to large items (up to 40 lbs) using appropriate equipment and techniques
• Bilingualism (French/English) required for roles based in Quebec

Additional Information

Indigo uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist with certain aspects of the hiring process, such as screening and assessments. These tools support our team but do not replace human judgment. We are committed to using AI responsibly, fairly, and in compliance with applicable employment and anti-discrimination laws. We regularly review these tools to help prevent bias or discrimination.

At Indigo, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility are core to our values. We integrate these principles into our training, policies, and hiring practices and continuously evolve to reflect the needs of the communities we serve. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and lived experiences, including but not limited to individuals who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour), members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and persons with disabilities. If you require an accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact Human Resources at [email protected].

We respect your privacy throughout the recruitment process. Our Candidate Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you apply for a role with Indigo, and the choices available to you.

This posting is for a current opportunity within Indigo.