The Director of Stock Integrity & Stock Loss Prevention is a senior leadership role responsible for safeguarding the integrity, accuracy, and value of over $100 million in stock across 400+ stores within WH Smith North America. This role combines strategic oversight with hands-on leadership to reduce shrinkage, improve inventory accuracy, strengthen stock controls, and deliver measurable improvements to stock availability and working capital. The Director will lead a dedicated team of 5 and work cross-functionally with Finance, Store Operations, Supply Chain, and Category Planning to ensure stock assets are fully protected and accurately reported.
Duties
Stock Integrity & Accuracy
- Own the end-to-end stock file accuracy across 400 stores and central systems, ensuring reconciliations are timely, complete, and robust.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives to strengthen master data governance, cycle counting practices, and store-level stock management processes.
- Partner with IT and Planning teams to design and deploy stock accuracy tools, dashboards, and reporting solutions.
Stock Loss Prevention
Develop and execute a comprehensive stock loss prevention strategy that balances financial control with operational practicality.Monitor, investigate, and reduce shrink through process controls, analytics, and targeted interventions.Oversee audits and compliance programs, including root cause analysis of variances and implementation of corrective actions.Work with Store Operations and HR to design accountability frameworks for shrink performance.Leadership & Collaboration
Manage and mentor a team of 5 professionals across stock integrity and stock loss prevention functions.Serve as a strategic advisor to the Chief Planning Officer and Executive Leadership Team on stock-related risks and opportunities.Build strong partnerships with Store Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, and Loss Prevention functions to ensure alignment of objectives.Financial & Strategic Impact
Protect and optimize +$100M in inventory assets, delivering measurable improvements to the balance sheet (working capital) and income statement (shrink cost reduction).Set and track KPIs for stock accuracy, shrink reduction, and financial impact, ensuring accountability across the business.Provide insights and recommendations to leadership on investment in technology, process change, and compliance controls.Qualifications
7+ years’ experience in stock integrity, inventory control, or retail loss prevention, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.Proven experience managing stock across large multi-store retail operations ($100M+ inventory value).Strong financial acumen with ability to link stock accuracy and shrink outcomes to income statement and balance sheet performance.Excellent knowledge of retail systems, stock file management, and cycle counting best practices.Exceptional leadership skills with demonstrated ability to manage, mentor, and build high-performing teams.Analytical mindset with strong problem-solving skills and ability to leverage data to drive decisions.Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, Supply Chain, or related field (Master’s preferred).Key Experience :
Stock Integrity :Shrink Reduction :Stock File Maintenance / Stock LedgerPerpetual Inventory