General Manager

General Manager - Phoenix Books

Independent Bookstore Group — Vermont | 3 Locations
Full time, exempt (salaried)

About the Role

We're seeking an experienced, energetic, and innovative retail leader to oversee operations across our three Vermont bookstore locations. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can balance the financial and operational discipline of a growing multi-site business with a genuine love for books and the communities we serve. You'll manage a team of roughly 40 employees across three store managers, own the company's P&L, and set the strategic direction for buying, merchandising, and customer experience across all locations.

This role reports directly to ownership.

Key Responsibilities

Financial & Strategic Leadership

• Own full P&L across all locations — budgeting, margin management, payroll-to-sales ratios, and expense control

• Deliver consolidated financial reporting and analyze site-by-site performance

• Set and track annual revenue and profitability targets

Operations & Inventory

• Lead company-wide buying strategy and publisher/vendor relationships, leveraging combined purchasing volume across sites

• Oversee inventory allocation and stock transfer logistics between locations

• Standardize POS systems, training programs, and merchandising standards while allowing for local flexibility at each site

People Leadership

• Hire, coach, and manage performance for all site-level Store Managers

• Set staffing and scheduling standards across a 45+ person team

• Create and deliver trainings to all staff to support strong skill development

• Build a consistent culture and set of operating practices across all locations

Community & Brand

• Represent the business publicly and maintain relationships with local media, schools, and community organizations

• Guide company-wide events and programming strategy (author events, book clubs, partnerships)

• Travel regularly between all three sites

Qualifications

• 5+ years of retail management or bookstore experience, including multi-site operations 

• Proven experience managing a P&L at a comparable revenue scale

• Proven experience and skill as a bookseller

• Strong buying, merchandising, and vendor negotiation experience

• Demonstrated ability to hire, develop, and hold other managers accountable 

• Knowledge of with POS systems and POS reporting (iMerchant experience preferred)

• Bachelor's degree preferred

• Passion for books and independent retail culture required

• Reliable transportation and willingness to travel regularly between sites required

Compensation

$90,000 base salary plus performance bonus tied to consolidated revenue and margin targets

Location

To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume to View email address on us.fitly.work. We look forward to meeting you!