Manager, Community Relations and Retail Operations

Reporting to the Director, Integrated Marketing, this position is responsible for leading Northwestel’s Yellowknife retail operation while supporting customer growth, local marketing execution, and community engagement activities across the Northwest Territories.

The Manager, Community Relations and Retail Operations is accountable for retail sales performance, customer experience, employee leadership, store operations, local market support, and stakeholder relationship management. The position works with internal teams, customers, Indigenous organizations, community leaders, and local businesses to help ensure Northwestel’s products, services, campaigns, and community presence meet local customer and business needs.

Direct reports include Retail Sales Representatives and other retail employees assigned to the Yellowknife retail store.

Employment Equity

Northwestel values diversity in the workplace and is committed to the goals of Employment Equity. We strive to achieve a skilled workforce that is representative of the population we serve, and as a Northern company, we are committed to the employment and career development of our Indigenous peoples. Candidates must clearly indicate on their application if they are First Nation, Inuit, or Métis; a woman; a person with a disability; or a visible minority, if they wish to receive hiring preference.

Specific Accountabilities

Retail Operations and Customer Experience

• Lead the day-to-day operation of the Yellowknife retail store, including sales, customer service, merchandising, staffing, scheduling, and operational execution.
• Achieve established sales, revenue, product penetration, customer satisfaction, expense control, and store performance objectives.
• Recruit, coach, train, develop, and support employees to deliver strong customer experiences, product knowledge, campaign readiness, and sales results.
• Monitor sales trends, customer feedback, competitor activity, inventory needs, and operational issues and share insights with appropriate internal teams.
• Resolve or escalate customer concerns, complaints, technical inquiries, special requests, and service-related issues in a timely and professional manner.
• Recommend and implement improvements to retail processes, staffing, workflow, merchandising, sales activation, and customer experience.

Marketing and Local Market Support

• Support the planning, execution, and evaluation of local marketing campaigns, customer growth initiatives, promotions, sponsorships, and community events.
• Work with Marketing, Product, Customer Intelligence, Retail, Sales, Digital, Communications, and agency partners to support campaign execution and local market readiness.
• Use customer, campaign, retail, and market data to identify opportunities to improve customer awareness, campaign effectiveness, and local market performance.
• Ensure retail and customer-facing teams are prepared to support product launches, service updates, promotional offers, and customer programs.

Community and Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain positive working relationships with Indigenous organizations, community governments, local businesses, community leaders, and other key stakeholders.
• Support Northwestel’s efforts to strengthen long-term Indigenous and community relationships throughout the Northwest Territories.
• Identify and communicate community engagement, sponsorship, customer education, and relationship-building opportunities that support local priorities and business objectives.
• Provide local perspective to internal teams on community issues, Indigenous relations considerations, cultural context, stakeholder expectations, and appropriate local responses.
• Represent Northwestel at community meetings, public events, trade shows, business functions, and stakeholder engagements as required.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Act as a local connection point between Northwestel’s corporate teams and Northwest Territories customers, communities, partners, and frontline employees.
• Coordinate local implementation of business initiatives, executive visits, community activities, customer education efforts, retail events, and special projects.
• Prepare reports, presentations, briefings, stakeholder updates, and recommendations as required.

Administrative Duties

• Participate fully in organizational health and safety programs, adhere to all safe work practices and procedures, and remain focused on continuous improvement. Ensure Accident Prevention Program, Code of Business Conduct, and Occupational Health and Safety training are completed on time.
• Complete administrative tasks in a timely manner, including time reporting, expense reporting, and submission of corporate card statements, as applicable.

Knowledge and Skills Required

• Three to five years of experience in retail management, sales, customer service, marketing, community relations, stakeholder engagement, or a related field.
• Experience leading employees, including coaching, scheduling, training, performance planning, and employee development.
• Post-secondary education in Business, Marketing, Communications, Community Relations, Indigenous Studies, Public Relations, or a related field would be considered an asset.
• Strong customer service orientation and sound judgment in resolving customer, employee, operational, or community concerns.
• Demonstrated ability to manage sales performance, expenses, inventory awareness, operational priorities, and customer experience.
• Strong communication, presentation, public speaking, relationship-building, organizational, analytical, and time-management skills.
• Ability to interpret sales, customer, campaign, retail, and market information to support decisions and recommendations.
• Demonstrated cultural awareness and respect for Indigenous communities, northern communities, and diverse customer groups.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Teams.
• Knowledge of northern communities, Indigenous communities, telecommunications, retail, customer service, or a regulated business environment would be considered an asset.
• Knowledge of the elements of a health and safety program will be considered an asset.

Nature and Scope

This position operates in a dynamic environment requiring the incumbent to balance retail leadership, customer service, employee development, local marketing execution, community engagement, and stakeholder relationship management. The role has direct accountability for the Yellowknife retail store and supports local customer growth and Northwestel’s market presence across the Northwest Territories.

The incumbent exercises judgment when managing operational priorities, employee matters, customer concerns, community expectations, campaign execution, and local relationship-building activities. Decisions are made within established policies, procedures, and business objectives, with matters of broader risk, reputation, or strategy escalated as appropriate.

Typical Contacts

Internal

Regular contact with Marketing, Retail Operations, Sales, Customer Experience, Product, Customer Intelligence, Digital, Communications, Public Relations, Government Relations, Indigenous Relations, Human Resources, Network Operations, Field Operations, Finance, Legal, and senior management for the purpose of local execution, information sharing, issue resolution, employee support, customer experience, and stakeholder coordination.

External

Regular contact with Indigenous organizations, community governments, public governments, local businesses, customers, community leaders, event partners, vendors, agencies, chambers of commerce, media representatives, and members of the public for the purpose of relationship management, customer support, community engagement, event coordination, and local market support.

Working Conditions

This position is based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and works in office, retail, customer-facing, and community environments. The incumbent manages store priorities, attends meetings, supports community events, participates in business functions, and represents Northwestel in public settings.

Evening or weekend work may be required to support retail activities, community events, public meetings, sponsorships, or business functions. Travel within the Northwest Territories and other parts of Northwestel’s operating area may be required, for example once every two months for up to one week at a time.

What We Offer You

• Health & Wellness Benefits, Pension Plan, Discounts
• Team Incentive Bonus
• Paid Vacation with a Vacation Travel Allowance
• Work-Life Balance
• Community Involvement

Closing

Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted. Posting will remain active until the position is filled.

As a safety conscious COR™ Certified organization, we have an established and comprehensive safety program. We expect all employees to participate in our organizational health and safety programs, adhering to all safe work procedures focused on continuous improvement.