Softline Associate Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

RESPONSIBILITY LEVEL:
The Customer Experience Manager (CEM) is responsible for overseeing the customer and donor experience, driving store productivity, and ensuring the achievement of sales and margin targets while maintaining brand standards. This role includes managing Softline's, Front of House operations (shopper track, cash office functions), Purchased Goods for Resale (PGFR), merchandising, and seasonal sets. The CEM will ensure that all merchandise, including PGFR, adheres to company brand guidelines and meets customer expectations. Conducts research, evaluates data, and reports on findings, supporting the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and programs. Has familiarity with the Retail stores operations budget, may provide input into spending decisions, particularly as pertains to vendors, systems, and projects. Typically works on projects and initiatives that span 12 months 2 years.
PRINCIPAL DUTIES:
1. Focus on store productivity goals while maximizing the value of all donations to achieve budgeted sales and margin through brand standards.
2. Oversees Purchased Goods for Resale (PGFR), seasonal sets, and merchandise on sales floor, ensuring adherence to company brand standards.
3. Oversee product rotation for Softline goods to ensure a continuous flow of new merchandise, aligned with seasonal sets and overall product availability.
4. Supports the oversight of associates and non-exempt leadership providing adequate donation and/or POS coverage. Maintain customer service levels, donation coverage, sufficient flow of new quality product and store environment standards.
5. Responsible for customer service experience, donor service, staff productivity, troubleshooting, and proper cash controls with the flexibility to also monitor the production and donation operation as needed. Monitor the sales floor as needed.
6. Accurately enter report data on time and monitor team s accuracy of data entry and timeliness, providing coaching if necessary.
7. Analyze report data and other relevant documentation to identify trends and areas for improvement, providing actionable insights to store leadership.
8. Consistently communicate and implement policies and procedures, following up with any team concerns to ensure clarity and adherence.
9. Regularly monitor the sales floor to ensure compliance with operational standards and safety guidelines, maintaining a clean, organized, and customer-friendly environment.
10. Recognize individual employee strengths and delegate challenging work assignments to enhance employee satisfaction, development, and overall productivity.
11. Leading and Developing Talent: May partner with coworkers to advance their development.
12. Project and Change Management: May serve as a team member, or subject matter expert, for formal or department projects. Contributes ideas and helps develop solutions, while balancing demands of project work and routine job responsibilities. Engages effectively in change affecting her/him, communicating appropriately with supervisor. Follows through on learning, skill building, and practice necessary to adapt to change.
13. Problem Solving: Light supervision; works independently. Periodic review of work by manager or direct customer. Researches, analyzes, and evaluates situations and reports on findings. Solves advanced problems.
14. Technical Skill: Advanced knowledge of professional principles and skills. Comprehensive knowledge of principles, practices and procedures of particular field of specialization.
15. Community Engagement: Champions Goodwill s community engagement initiatives. Aware of Goodwill s community partner organizational and participates in volunteer opportunities as pertains to role and interest. Participates in industry/knowledge groups.
16. Responsible for completing other job responsibilities/duties as assigned.
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Two years of college education or experience equivalency, and a minimum of 5 years' experience.
2. Forklift certification, if required at site.
3. Work varied schedule and flexible hours; at least two closing shifts per week and every other weekend as scheduled. Additional nights and weekend shifts may be required to meet business needs.
4. Must have a working phone that allows for communication accessibility.
5. Experience in retail and/or production setting.
CORE CULTURAL COMPETENCIES:
1. Customer Focus: Independently anticipate and meet customer needs, while searching for ways to improve customer service. Internalize customer feedback and follow up with customer to ensure problems are solved by providing innovative ideas to meet their future needs.
2. Values Differences: Seeks out the diverse perspectives and talents of others, striving to work effectively with others who have different perspectives, backgrounds or styles. Behave with sensitivity towards differences in cultural norms, expectations, and ways of communicating. Challenge stereotyping or offensive comments.
3. Communicates Effectively: Shares information and updates with others, while ensuring a clear, concise and professional communication through reports, documentation, written and other communications. Listens with interest to what others have to say.
4. Situational Adaptability: Demonstrates flexibility of responses to different situations through adapting to the changing needs, conditions, priorities or opportunities. Monitors how well an approach is working to see if a change is needed, recognizing cues that suggest a change in approach or behavior is needed.
5. Drives Results: Demonstrates a strong drive to achieve meaningful results, through driving tasks to successful completion and closure. Sets high standards for own performance, showing determination in the face of obstacles and setbacks.
6. Ensures Accountability: Takes responsibility and ownership for successes and failures in own work. Monitors progress of performance and changes approach accordingly, following through on commitments.
PHYSICAL/SENSORY DEMANDS:
Regularly lifts and/or moves up 10 pounds, frequently lifts and/or moves up to 20 pounds, occasionally lifts and/or moves up to 50 pounds. Moves about to accomplish tasks. Lift: Raises objects from lower to higher position or moves objects horizontally. Stoop, kneel crouch or crawl: Positions self to retrieve objects. Reach: Extending upwards or downwards to retrieve objects. Workers are subject to weather conditions (hot, humid, dry, cold etc.). Workers are subject to human blood, body fluids or tissue. Worker is subject to hazards: proximity to dangerous machinery, moving vehicles, electrical currents, chemicals, or high places. Required to stand for extended periods of time, required to hear and respond to warning devices on equipment, vision Required for while using computer keyboard and work with written and electronic information and to assess store and donation center operations, travel required.
When determining placement within the salary range for this position Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago considers education, experience, internal equity, market demands and other qualifying criteria. It is not typical for individuals to be hired at or near the top of the rage for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on facts and circumstances of each case.
Certain roles are eligible to participate in an incentive plan. Participation in this plan does not guarantee an incentive payment and is subject to the terms and conditions of the plan, which are subject to change.
In addition to compensation, we offer a competitive benefit program that may include medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, life insurance, retirement plan, paid time off (PTO) and more. The specifics of each benefit package will vary depending on factors such as full or part time jobs, contracted, temporary, or other job categories.
Equal Opportunity Employer
(SEW)
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.