Operations Manager

We are a growing specialty competitive swimwear and aquatics retail and e-commerce business in Ottawa, Ontario. We serve competitive athletes, families, swim clubs, coaches and teams across Canada. Our operation includes a retail store, a Shopify e-commerce site, club and team programs, custom apparel, in-house decoration, and events.

We are a growing specialty competitive swimwear and aquatics retail and e-commerce business in Ottawa, Ontario. We serve competitive athletes, families, swim clubs, coaches and teams across Canada. Our operation includes a retail store, a Shopify e-commerce site, club and team programs, custom apparel, in-house decoration, and events.

We are looking for a hands-on Operations Manager to own our day-to-day operations while building the systems, processes and team for our next stage of growth.

This is not a role where every process already exists. Some of our systems are well established; others still need to be created, improved or documented. The right person is excited by that.

It is also not a desk-only role. You will work directly in the operation: serving customers, managing orders, coordinating fulfillment, organizing inventory, supporting events and working alongside the team when needed. At the same time, it is a true management role. We need someone who identifies priorities, organizes workloads, anticipates problems, coordinates people and follows through to completion without continuous direction.

Over time, you will take ownership of the day-to-day operation so the Director can focus on strategy, partnerships and growth.

Run the operation. Build the systems. Lead the team. Learn the industry.

• Daily retail and e-commerce operations, the order queue and the fulfillment schedule.
• Daily and weekly priorities, and workload planning in high-volume periods.
• Spotting delays, bottlenecks and risks before they become customer problems.
• Clear ownership and follow-up on every open order, and commitments met on time.
• Shopify order management and related systems.

• Designing, documenting and improving processes, SOPs, checklists and routines.
• Keeping knowledge written down so anyone on the team can do the work if you are out.
• Turning recurring problems into permanent fixes.
• Using technology, automation and AI tools to save time, with human review and care for customer data.
• Helping move the company from owner-dependent execution to a team-led operation.

• Building a culture of attentive, knowledgeable service across email, phone, SMS and social.
• Staying organized and calm with many customers and projects at once.
• Saying no when needed, with empathy, a reason and an alternative, so the customer stays happy.
• Owning customer issues until they are resolved, and supporting relationships with clubs and coaches.

• Setting daily priorities, delegating, following up and holding people accountable.
• Training employees on products, systems and service standards, and coaching junior staff.
• Taking part in recruiting and onboarding as we grow.

• A clean, organized, customer-ready store, with opening and closing procedures done.
• Monitoring stock, receiving and verifying deliveries, and following up on purchase orders and suppliers.
• Coordinating events and preparing inventory and materials. Occasional evenings and weekends.

• Takes ownership and drives results without continuous direction; follows through on commitments.
• Notices unfinished, delayed or disorganized work and acts on it.
• Highly organized, with a real system for managing many tasks and projects; calm in high-volume periods.
• Enjoys creating structure, writing processes down and improving how things work.
• Delegates and follows up; communicates problems early and brings possible solutions.
• Treats customer service as part of the culture, and can say no in a way that keeps the customer happy.
• Comfortable learning new systems and tools, including AI.
• Genuine interest in learning our specialized industry and products.
• Commercial mindset: understands how operations, customer experience and sales connect.
• Comfortable in a growing small-business environment.

If you prefer a detailed daily task list before deciding what to work on, this role is probably not the right fit.

Relevant experience may include retail or store management, e-commerce operations, order fulfillment or inventory, team leadership,…