Ecommerce Manager

Fractional- Director of E-Commerce

(Hands-On Builder | Retail / Open-Box / Liquidation)

Role Summary

Stu’s Home Improvement Outlet is seeking a fractional, hands-on E-Commerce Leader to design, build, and launch a scalable e-commerce program for a fast-growing open-box, liquidation, scratch-and-dent retail operation.

This role is not about managing listings. It is about building the entire e-commerce engine—platforms, processes, automation, pricing logic, and staff workflows—so online sales become a repeatable, profitable system that supports multi-store expansion.

This is a builder role, not a maintenance role.

Why This Role Is Fractional

• The work is foundational and system-based
• You need senior-level experience, not a junior executor
• Once the system is built, it transitions to internal staff
• Full-time would be inefficient until volume scales further

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE (NON-NEGOTIABLE)

Candidates must have

• 5+ years leading e-commerce in a retail environment
• Direct experience building e-commerce systems from scratch
• Strong background in open-box, liquidation, outlet, returns, or scratch-and-dent retail (preferred)
• Hands-on Shopify experience (required)
• Experience with multi-channel selling:
• Shopify
• Facebook Marketplace / Shops
• Google Merchant Center
• eBay (or similar)
• Proven ability to build:
• SOPs
• Automation
• Pricing systems
• Staff workflows
• Track record of turning chaos into structure

Candidates without hands-on system-building experience will not be considered.

What You Will Own

1. E-Commerce Architecture & Platforms

• Own Shopify as the core platform
• Design channel integrations and inventory sync
• Structure collections, tags, metafields, and feeds
• Ensure systems work for high-volume, mixed-condition inventory

2. Process & SOP Development (Primary Focus)

Build repeatable, documented processes for

• Intake → pricing → listing → publishing
• Online vs in-store pricing rules
• As-Is vs warrantied items
• Inventory aging and automated price drops
• Pickup, delivery, and shipping workflows

Your goal: Staff can execute without improvising.

3. Automation & Efficiency

• Reduce manual work through automation
• Eliminate duplicate entry
• Implement tools that support scale
• Design systems that can handle truckload inventory

4. Pricing & Margin Control

• Build pricing logic based on:
• Cost
• Market comps
• Speed-to-sale
• Protect margins while maintaining urgency
• Lock pricing rules so they’re followed consistently

5. Training & Handoff

• Train internal staff to run the system
• Create documentation and playbooks
• Build a transition plan to full-time execution
• Prepare the system for additional store locations

What “Hands-On” Means Here

• You are configuring platforms yourself
• You are writing SOPs, not just recommending them
• You are testing workflows live
• You are training staff directly
• You are fixing problems in real time

This is operator work, not advisory work.

Engagement Structure (Typical)

• 2–3 days per week
• 90–120 day initial engagement
• Heavy build phase → lighter optimization phase
• Option to extend or convert later

Compensation (Market-Appropriate)

• Monthly fractional retainer
• Performance incentives tied to:
• Online revenue
• System completion milestones
• Clear scope and outcomes (no fluff)

Success Looks Like

• A fully functional e-commerce system
• Staff executing without constant oversight
• Online sales flowing across channels
• SOPs documented and enforced
• A system ready to replicate across locations

Why This Role Exists

To build the machine—not just run it.

Once the system exists, ownership should never have to ask:

“Why isn’t this working?”