Director - Garden Centre Operations

Job Posting: Director - Garden Centre Operations

Role Overview

Canadian Tire Hillside has an established, year-round garden centre and is seeking a passionate, results-driven Director - Garden Centre Operations to lead our team and grow our garden centre business. In this role, you will be the driving force behind our daily operations, ensuring exceptional plant quality, a pristine retail image, and an unmatched customer experience.

If you are an experienced horticultural leader with a knack for building high-performing teams and a track record of growing retail garden operations, we want to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Development
  • Lead & Inspire: Cultivate a positive, collaborative, and high-energy work environment for a diverse team of employees.
  • Talent Management: Onboarding and training of all garden centre team members, in the areas of plant knowledge and daily processes, to compliment our mandate of providing a high standard of plant quality, along with a top-of-class customer experience.
  • Performance Feedback: Provide regular coaching, constructive feedback, and performance evaluations to support individual and team growth.
• Operational Excellence & Plant Care
  • Plant Quality: Establish and maintain rigorous standards for plant care, watering, health, and merchandising to ensure a premium product offering.
  • Store Image: Ensure the garden centre is visually stunning, organized, safe, and welcoming for customers year-round.
  • Inventory & Standards: Implement operational best practices to minimize shrink and maximize the visual appeal of all inventory.
• Customer Experience & Business Growth
  • Service Standards: Promote and maintain a culture of exceptional customer service, sharing deep plant knowledge and helpful advice.
  • Business Growth: Utilize your industry experience to identify opportunities, optimize sales, and expand the business based on our core pillars: standards, plant quality, image, and service.
• Qualifications & Experience
  • Proven Experience: Demonstrated success in a similar senior horticultural retail leadership role.
  • Business Growth Track Record: Proven ability to drive business growth through high operational standards and customer-centric strategies.
  • Leadership Skills: Strong experience in training and managing a team of employees with a focus on accountability and development.
  • Horticultural Expertise: Deep knowledge of plants and seasonal plant care practices/processes.
  • Communication: Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills to effectively lead a team and engage with customers.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

In compliance with the store’s Health and Safety Policies and Procedures:

• Standing/walking for 8 hours.
• Lifting and/or carrying of merchandise items, as required, on a regular, frequent and unassisted basis. Merchandise items may vary in weight from “light” to “heavy”.
• Lifting and turning repeatedly throughout the shift.
• Lifting above the shoulder, from floor to shoulder and floor to waist.
• Walking and carrying at the same time and pushing/pulling as required.
• Twisting, turning, reaching and working above shoulder level.
• Working both indoors and outdoors in all types of weather.
• Comfort with training on various forms of worker assist vehicles and machinery.

What We Offer

• Year-Round Stability: Secure, permanent employment in a traditionally seasonal industry.
• Competitive Compensation: Attractive salary package commensurate with experience. This includes a starting salary beginning in the $70,000 - $90,000 range, and additionally offers profit sharing and performance bonuses.
• Leadership Autonomy: The opportunity to truly own the operation and make a tangible impact on business growth.
• Professional Environment: A supportive, quality-focused culture that values your expertise.

We request that applicants fill out the questionnaire themselves and not have AI answer the questions for them. We want to hear from you!

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.