Head of Retail

About the role
The Head of Retail leads the operational execution of Db's physical brand presence beyond the showroom — flagship and shop-in-shop store openings, in-store activations, and Db's presence at key trade shows (including Paris and ISPO). You own the project plan for each opening, activation, or trade show — from brief through delivery — and are the operational backbone that turns the Head of Retail's roadmap into stores, shop-in-shops, and trade show presences that land on time, on brief, and ready to trade. Fields of responsibility
• Own the end-to-end project plan for each new store and shop-in-shop opening: fit-out timeline, supplier and contractor coordination, stock readiness, staffing, and opening-day logistics.
• Own the operational delivery of in-store activations and events (product launches, partnership moments, seasonal campaigns) across all managed retail locations.
• Own Db's presence at key trade shows (currently including Paris and ISPO): stand design and build, logistics, sample and product selection, staffing, and on-site delivery.
• Coordinate with landlords, contractors, fit-out suppliers, and trade show organizers to keep all projects on schedule and on budget.
• Ensure stores, shop-in-shops, activations, and trade show stands meet Db's visual merchandising and brand experience standards.
• Own the project budget tracker across store and shop-in-shop openings and trade shows, and flag cost or timeline risks to the Head of Retail & Managed Space.
• Support recruitment and onboarding logistics for new store and shop-in-shop teams ahead of opening.
• Own the post-project review process for openings, activations, and trade shows, capturing lessons learned to improve future delivery. Work tasks
• Build and maintain a detailed project plan and timeline for each new store or shop-in-shop, tracking milestones against target opening dates.
• Manage day-to-day communication with contractors, fit-out suppliers, and landlords during build-out.
• Coordinate stock delivery, visual merchandising set-up, and systems/POS readiness ahead of opening day.
• Plan and manage Db's trade show calendar and on-site delivery, including stand build, logistics, travel, and staffing for shows such as Paris and ISPO Munich.
• Plan and execute the operational logistics of in-store activations, working closely with Marketing on content, assets, and campaign timing.
• Track project budgets against plan and escalate variances.
• Run post-project reviews with store, trade show, and cross-functional teams.
• Maintain standardized playbooks for store openings, shop-in-shop roll-outs, and trade show delivery, and improve them after each project. Key competences
• Strong project management skills, able to run multiple workstreams — stores, shop-in-shops, trade shows — and deadlines in parallel.
• Highly organized, with strong attention to detail under time pressure.
• Comfortable coordinating external contractors, suppliers, landlords, and trade show organizers.
• Practical, hands-on problem-solver, comfortable being on-site during build-outs and stand set-up/tear-down.
• Good communicator, able to align store, marketing, and supplier teams.
• Fluent in written and spoken English; additional European languages a plus, given trade show and shop-in-shop travel. Qualifications & Experience
• 3–5+ years of experience in retail operations, project management, or event/trade show production, ideally in a premium or DTC retail or consumer goods environment.
• Experience coordinating store or shop-in-shop fit-outs, contractors, or retail construction projects is a strong plus.
• Experience planning or executing trade show stands or large-scale in-store activations.
• Comfortable working with budgets and basic project-tracking tools.
• Willingness to travel frequently, including to trade shows such as Paris and ISPO, and to store/shop-in-shop opening markets.

Location:
Stockholm, Sweden Employment Type: Permanent, full-time Reports to: VP Global Sales Application deadline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.