WLA District Manager

Posted:
8/28/2025, 5:59:12 AM

Location(s):
Kansas, United States ⋅ Lenexa, Kansas, United States ⋅ Washington, United States

Experience Level(s):
Expert or higher ⋅ Senior

Field(s):
Customer Success & Support ⋅ Sales & Account Management

About Ace Retail Holdings

Ace Retail Holdings (ARH), the division of Ace Hardware Corporation that owns and operates the Great Lakes and Westlake Ace Hardware chains, is one of the largest hardware retailers in the United States.  ARH has been in operation for over a century and operates over 220 neighborhood stores located throughout the United States.  Great people make ARH stand out in our industry, and we are looking for individuals who strive for personal and professional growth, and who want to work with a company dedicated to serving our customers and communities.

Service, Passion, Respect, Integrity, Teamwork and Excellence

Job Title:                   District Manager (DM)
Department:            Store Operations                 
Reports To:              Divisional Vice President
Exemption Status:  Exempt (Salaried)
                       
About Westlake Ace Hardware
Ace Retail Holdings, the division of Ace Hardware Corporation that owns and operates the Westlake Ace Hardware chain, is one of the largest hardware retailers in the United States.  Headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas, Westlake Ace Hardware has been in operation for over a century and operates over 150 neighborhood stores located throughout the United States.  Great people make Westlake stand out in our industry, and we are looking for individuals who strive for personal and professional growth, and who want to work with a company founded on (and still led by) our solid Core Values of: 
Winning, Excellence, Love, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility and Teamwork

General Summary
The District Manager (DM) is responsible for overseeing and providing leadership of a group of General Managers who are responsible for sales growth and profitability, customer satisfaction, merchandising standards, recruitment, training and development of staff and operations. The DM position requires strong delegation, leadership, and operational skills to effectively manage high volume performance.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Customer Service
•    Maintain a superior level of customer service at all times by ensuring the execution of the company operational standards for AMAZING service.
•    The DM will lead people to ensure superior customer experience consistently through regular training, assessment, coaching and follow up within the district.
•    Ensure the training of customer service skills to all store associates.
•    Ensure implementation of all merchandising standards, promotions, and overall cleanliness and organization of the sales floor and back room in each store.

Store Operations
•    Oversee the execution and implementation of Westlake ACE Marketing and Merchandising plans at the store level.
•    Deliver the required level of execution by supporting company strategic plans and programs i.e. growing our B2B business by being fully aligned and engaged in the company’s strategic vision for this department.
•    Provide leadership and insight when working with the Store Support Center on store operations and key initiatives.
•    Lead merchandising localization within each market/store they oversee.
•    Ensure stores execute processes and policies according to company operating procedures.
•    Ensure store management team understands and adheres to the proper inventory receiving guidelines.
•    Demonstrate thorough understanding of internal audit process and comply with those operating standards as reviewed.
•    Promote a safe work environment and ensure that all safety issues are documented and safety policies and procedures are followed and practiced.
•    Teach, coach, and train associates to drive change and execute process improvements across the district.

Financials
•    Develop store and district budgets and forecasts to maximize sales and control expenses.
•    Create and execute strategies to maximize district sales including the identification for localized inventory to drive sales.
•    Meet or exceed expectations for the district in sales, margins, payroll, shrink, and overall profitability, etc.


Leadership
•    Hire, develop, and retain high quality management staff for all stores.
•    Hire, develop, and retain high quality management staff for all stores.
•    Set annual goals, administer performance reviews, and develop/lead all direct reports.
•    Train, develop and provide ongoing feedback and coaching on requirements such as: product knowledge, selling skills, visual merchandising, and delivering a superior customer experience.
•    Create a culture and environment in the district that includes a strong drive for results, acceptance of ownership and total store accountability.
•    Encourage, solicit, and react appropriately to suggestions, ideas, and opinions of associates and inspire associate engagement.

•    Provide regular feedback to the district management team through verbal and written accounts of coaching and counseling.
•    Effectively deal with conflict and address problematic situations as they arise with corrective actions and Performance Improvement Plans.

Other Essential Requirements
Ability to exhibit and incorporate our Core Values into daily decisions and interactions with others:
o    WINNING – In business, money is the score. To win, we must perform, compete, and have fun. At Ace, we win through people- our strength is being helpful.
o    EXCELLENCE – Excellence honors God and inspires people. We aspire to be the best, to continuously improve and to inspire others by giving the team our very best.
o    LOVE – Love the people, love the work and love the results.
o    INTEGRITY – For Ace to win, we need to be able to trust each other. And trust will require us to be honest, reliable, caring, of high character and of unquestioned ethics.
o    GRATITUDE – We recognize that we are blessed to be in the business of serving others.
o    HUMILITY – We strive for greatness with a humble, modest and respectful attitude.
o    TEAMWORK – We will fight the natural tendency for control and credit in favor of collaboration and mutual success, recognizing that…Together, we are Ace. 

Minimum Skills, Requirements and Qualifications
•    Bachelor’s Degree desired, or equivalent work experience.
•    Working knowledge of computers and Microsoft suite of programs
•    Experience in a retail, product services or related environment required.
•    Experience in multi-unit field management leadership required.
•    Effectively manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
•    Possess excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
•    Ability to travel as required within the district and region.
•    Ability to relocate, if required. 

Compensation Details

$80000 per year

For a full list of benefits and open positions, please visit us at: https://acehardware.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Westlake_External

Want to be notified when new jobs are posted? Follow the link below to create an account and set up custom job alerts:

Create Job Alert

Equal Opportunity Employer
Westlake Ace Hardware is committed to a policy of promoting equal employment opportunities. The company recognizes the importance of diversity and leveraging the skills and talents of all people to the mutual advantage of each individual and the organization. The company is committed to the prevention of employment discrimination related to race, religion, color, sex (including sexual harassment), gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, disability and military discharge, or any other action covered by federal or state laws.