Leadership Development Manager

Location: This hybrid role requires 3 days on-site at our Burnaby, BC office and 2 days remote per week.

Welcome to Specsavers – where we’re not just about eyecare and eyewear, but changing lives through better sight. Ranked the 5th Best Workplace™ in Canada and 12th globally by Great Place to Work®, we’re proud of our optometrist-owned model that makes high-quality, eyecare and eyewear accessible to all Canadians. 

Founded 40 years ago in the UK by visionary husband and wife optometry duo Doug and Mary Perkins, Specsavers has remained privately owned since day one. Today, we are a $7.8 billion global business with over 45,000 colleagues across more than 2,700 retail optical locations.

In Canada, our support office is based in Burnaby, BC. Since entering the market in 2021, we’ve been scaling rapidly, now with over 270 locations nationwide. With advanced clinical equipment and a wide range of affordable, high-quality eyewear, we’re transforming the way Canadians experience eyecare.

If you’re passionate about making a difference and want to be part of a values-driven organization, join us as we continue to grow. Together, we can change lives through better sight.

What You’ll Do

The Leadership Development Manager - internally titled Partner Engagement & Development Manager (PEDM) - is accountable for lifting the quality of our Partners (store owners’) leadership and commercial judgement across a portfolio of stores, knowing that sustained commercial performance is the result of strong leadership, disciplined decision‑making, and consistent execution.

Using the Partnership Leadership Framework as the primary lens, the PEDM develops, coaches, and challenges Partners to lead effectively across People, Customer, Growth, and Partnership. The role exists to build Partner capability, strengthen ownership mindset, and embed leadership behaviors that drive long‑term business health.

This is a field‑based, travel‑intensive role that relies on presence in store, real‑time observation, and high‑quality coaching. The PEDM does not run stores or solve problems for Partners; instead, they build leaders who can sustainably run strong businesses themselves.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop Partners to operate as business owners with clear purpose, accountability, and long-term thinking
• Coach Partners to have full ownership of performance, decision-making, and trade-offs while strengthening confidence to lead through change and complexity
• Build leadership capability by enabling Partners to create engaging, inclusive environments and develop leaders at all levels
• Support visible leadership, clear expectations, performance coaching, and strong succession to ensure scalable, sustainable teams
• Embed customer-focused leadership, ensuring high standards of care, service, and expertise
• Coach Partners to understand their market and translate customer insights into decisions that drive long-term growth
• Elevate commercial acumen and growth mindset, enabling Partners to define strategy, make informed decisions, and leverage key business drivers
• Build confidence in using data to understand performance and adapt strategies as the business evolves
• Foster a unified Partnership through shared accountability, trust, and values-led leadership, strengthening collaboration across networks
• Maintain strong in-store presence to observe, coach, and challenge leadership, prioritizing impact based on business needs and enabling sustainable performance through others

What We’re Looking For

• Proven experience leading retail operations at a business, regional, or portfolio level, with full accountability for performance and outcomes
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including P&L management, budgeting, forecasting, and understanding key business drivers
• Demonstrated ability to use data and insights to inform decisions, solve problems, and drive sustainable business growth
• Track record of leadership and people development, building high-performing teams and scalable capability
• Strong stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills across all levels and functions
• Highly organised and adaptable, with experience managing multiple priorities, driving change, and improving processes in fast-paced environments
• Extensive travel across all Provinces in Canada is essential. 

Compensation: $115,000 - 135,000 CAD base salary, plus quarterly bonus, profit sharing, and benefits. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience

Speccies’ Benefits 

• 4 weeks of vacation and 1 paid volunteer day per year
• 1 extra paid day off plus an eyecare voucher to celebrate your birthday.
• Health and dental benefits, RRSP matching and a Healthcare Spending Account active from your first day.
• Mental health and wellbeing support, including $3,000 annually for practitioner care and access to our Employee Assistance Program.
• Quarterly bonuses, based on your performance.
• Annual Profit Share program to recognize your part in Specsavers’ success.
• Free parking, access to the building gym, and a fully stocked kitchen with snacks and coffee/tea.
• On‑site wellness offerings in-office, including RMT and yoga sessions.
• Team and company social events, including holiday and annual celebrations. 

Behaviours We Value 

• Collaborative: We work together as one Specsavers to deliver on our purpose
• Curious: We question, explore, and seek out diverse perspectives to develop our knowledge and understanding
• Courageous: We challenge the status quo, we experiment with good ideas, and we are brave, bold, and fast in our decision making
• Compassionate: We care, support, and help each other
• Commercial: We treat money wisely and make decisions that are good for our customers, our partners, our people and for the long term

We hope that in applying with us, you value these things as well!

Our Hybrid Work Model

Experience the best of both worlds. At Specsavers, we embrace a hybrid approach that balances in-office collaboration with the flexibility to work from home. We come together in office three days a week to connect, innovate, and keep our culture thriving.

Equal Opportunity Employer

At Specsavers, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe that a diverse team enriches our work environment and enables us to achieve our goals. We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage candidates of all backgrounds and abilities to apply. If you believe you can contribute to our mission and vision, we welcome your application, even if you don't meet every qualification listed. We value the unique skills and perspectives each individual brings to our team.

Accessibility and Accommodations

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace. If you require accommodations at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know by contacting us at careers.ca@specsavers.com . We will work with you to meet your needs and ensure a fair and equitable experience.

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