Retail Operations Consultant Needed for New Store Opening (NSO) Playbook

We are looking for an experienced **Retail Operations / Process Consultant** to help develop the architecture for a **New Store Opening (NSO) Store Leader Playbook** within a global premium retail environment. ### Background We already have various internal guidelines, checklists, and functional materials related to new store openings. However, these materials currently sit across different functions, and there is no single end-to-end playbook that explains the NSO journey from the **Store Leader’s perspective**. The project owner has personally led two new store opening projects and would like to convert those real-world experiences, lessons learned, and existing materials into a practical and repeatable operating model for future Store Leaders. This is **not a full playbook development project at this stage**. We are starting with a focused **Phase 1 Pilot** to define the architecture, operating logic, and one prototype chapter. If the Pilot is successful, there may be an opportunity to continue into Phase 2 and develop the full playbook. ### What We Need We are **not looking for a PowerPoint designer or someone who simply organises existing documents**. We need a consultant who can: * Interview an experienced retail operator and extract practical / tacit knowledge * Review existing NSO materials and identify gaps or overlaps * Map the end-to-end New Store Opening process * Identify key milestones, dependencies, and critical paths * Clarify Store Leader vs. functional team ownership * Structure decision points, risks, and escalation triggers * Build a framework that can be reused by future Store Leaders * Translate practical experience into a clear operating system ### Phase 1 Pilot Scope The Pilot is expected to include: 1. Review of selected existing NSO materials 2. Approximately 2 structured knowledge-extraction interviews 3. Development of the overall NSO Playbook architecture 4. High-level NSO master timeline 5. Workstream structure 6. Ownership / RACI framework 7. Critical path and dependency framework 8. Risk and escalation framework 9. Recommended checklist / tracker structure 10. Development of **one sample chapter** to demonstrate how the final Playbook could work Potential workstreams may include: * People / Recruitment * Training * Product * Store Operations * Visual Merchandising * IT / POS * Logistics * Finance * Facilities * Landlord / Mall coordination * Marketing * Community * Customer Experience ### Ideal Background We are particularly interested in consultants with experience in one or more of the following: * Retail Operations * New Store Opening * Multi-site Operations * Franchise Operations * Hospitality / F&B Operations * Operational Excellence * Business Process Improvement * SOP / Operations Manual development * Process Mapping * Business Process Management * RACI / ownership design * Training or operating system development Experience within a **global retail or consumer-facing organisation** would be highly valuable. Strong interviewing, structured thinking, and knowledge-extraction skills are important. ### What Success Looks Like The output should not simply describe what happened during one store opening. It should create the foundation for a **repeatable Store Leader NSO operating model** that helps a future Store Leader understand: * What needs to happen * When it needs to happen * Who owns it * Which teams need to be involved * What other activities it depends on * What the key risks are * When escalation or a decision is required The consultant is also expected to **challenge and improve the proposed structure**, rather than simply document what is provided. ### Project Structure Estimated Pilot duration: **approximately 2–3 weeks** Suggested working flow: Kick-off → Material Review → Interview #1 → Draft Architecture → Interview #2 / Validation → Refinement → Sample Chapter → Final Review This is a **fixed-price Phase 1 Pilot project**. If the collaboration and output are strong, there is potential for a separate **Phase 2 — Full NSO Store Leader Playbook Development** project. ### When Applying Please briefly answer the following: 1. Please share one example where you developed an SOP, operations manual, operating playbook, or business process framework. What was your role? 2. Have you previously interviewed experienced operators or business leaders and converted their practical knowledge into structured processes? Please briefly explain your approach. 3. If you were given two real New Store Opening experiences and existing cross-functional materials, how would you approach turning them into a repeatable Store Leader NSO Playbook? Relevant work samples or portfolio examples would be appreciated. **Please note:** Internal company materials may be anonymised or limited depending on confidentiality requirements. We will not share confidential or proprietary information without appropriate authorisation.