Area managers shoulder the overall responsibility for a number of stores in a designated area. They are found in sectors including retail, supermarket, food, telecommunications, insurance, automotive, pharmaceuticals, insurance, and energy. People in area manager jobs essentially act as an interface between an organisation’s top sales management team and its network of frontline salespeople. They are responsible for ensuring their stores hit the sales targets doled out by senior management, and must work closely with other senior managers and department managers. Area managers are sometimes known as regional managers.

Expected job role tasks

Area managers have a lot of responsibility, and therefore a wide variety of tasks are expected of them. They must manage day-to-day operations of their allocated branches to meet business goals, which involves managing sales teams, and ensuring their stores are delivering high-quality products and customer service. People in area manager jobs also analyse sales figures and expenses to uncover opportunities to drive up the cost effectiveness and profitability of stores. Regularly developing business plans and roadmaps detailing the optimal use of resources, and time is a large part of this. Meanwhile, they must regularly evaluate the procedures and plans they have implemented, and recommend improvements where necessary. 

In their role as people manager, they must also assist in interviewing, recruiting, and regularly training staff. They should ensure employee evaluation is going ahead, and develop individual professional development plans to boost employee morale. It is also essential that they strive to develop a safe and positive working environment for all staff under their management. Area managers should also expect to work directly with clients from time to time. In some industries they are tasked with developing strong working relationships with potential clients as they look out for new business opportunities. 

They should also be involved in ensuring customer issues and queries are addressed in an appropriate and timely manner. Marketing is another part of an area manager’s role. While they may have assistance from marketing experts, they must be involved in the development of marketing plans to hit the sales targets set by senior staff, and to increase their brand visibility within their allotted region. Part of this will include conducting market research that monitors competitor activity and empowers data-driven marketing. Finally, they must regularly communicate with senior management to report on the performance of their stores, discuss business updates and any issues or challenges that have arisen.

Primary function

The primary function of an area manager is to assume overall responsibility for the success of the stores allocated to them. They must direct the workings of each store, from operational, to marketing, to financial, to people-all while striving to hit goals set by senior management.

Key hard/soft skills

Strong communication skills are perhaps the most important skill for an area manager to have in their arsenal, as they need to be able to engage with people of different levels of seniority. From senior management to frontline salespeople to customers. Given the need to engage customers and juggle many tasks at once, strong creative skills are especially useful for those seeking area manager jobs. Time management skills and solid organisational skills are also a must. Finely-honed leadership skills serve area managers well, the ability to work well under significant pressure, and the ability to make smart decisions quickly. Commercial acumen is essential to turn stores into successes, while it would be extremely difficult to take on this role without solid planning skills. Meanwhile, confidence, drive, and enthusiasm comprise three useful soft skills when it comes to the role of area manager.

Qualifications required

Previous managerial experience is a prerequisite of area manager jobs. Employers typically consider applications from candidates educated to at least Level 3: A-Level or equivalent. Meanwhile, vocational qualifications such as a Level 4 or 5 foundational degree in retail, or a degree in retail management, business, or marketing would all make a candidate more appealing to a prospective employer.