ReStore Brand Experience Manager

Overview: ReStore is a home improvement center that accepts donated goods from businesses manufacturers, contractors, and individuals. Donations are then processed and sold at discounted prices to the general public. The store's operations generate funds to support Habitat Chicago. The current ReStore in Chicago, located in the Sauganash neighborhood, is a 29,000 square foot facility generating $1.4M in annual sales, with a net of $550K to local programs. Habitat Chicago plans to open a second ReStore in Chicago in the near future with plans for additional stores based on market demand and potential.

Position Summary: The ReStore Brand Experience Manager provides overall management for Habitat for Humanity Chicago ReStore's in-store and digital brand experience, systems, sales data, analytics, and reporting and contributes to the financial growth associated with this business line. The ReStore Brand Experience Manager is responsible for creating and implementing a comprehensive training, sales, and promotional strategies that meet organizational plans, ensuring budget planning and oversight, managing and developing ReStore Experience & Merchandising staff, and being a leading advocate of Habitat Chicago's mission and vision.  

The ReStore Brand Experience Manager manages and mentors a sales and merchandising team that performs at standards that ensure an engaging Habitat for Humanity/ReStore brand experience. They work closely with Habitat Chicago staff, serving as the ReStore liaison on matters of human resources, accounting, communications, technology, and programs while collaborating with ReStore Chicago staff on warehouse operations, volunteer engagement, procurement, and donor relations. 

The ideal candidate is a personable leader and manager who thrives on responsibilities that:

• Sustains a safe, well organized, growth-oriented, effective, and efficient operation that builds capacity for growth and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Provide an open, safe, productive, learning, and transparent environment.
• Nurtures a positive and rewarding staff, volunteer, customer, and donor experience. 
• Eliminates friction and prevents chaos in an eventful, unpredictable, demanding, and fast pace environment.

Strong candidates possess a proven track record in retail operations, customer service, communications, strategy, determining priorities, organizational growth, creating and executing plans with productive and observable outcomes, managing in a complex environment, seeing opportunities to leverage talent, managing simultaneous business development projects, and leading teams. 

This position is an excellent opportunity for well-organized professionals interested in leading ReStore Chicago growth in a metrics-driven organization focused on expanding its impact both in Chicago and nationally.

Key Responsibility: Resource Management (25%)

The ReStore Brand Experience Manager oversees the effective merchandising of the floor, maximizes available display space, and uses inventory control and pricing to ensure appropriate turnover of merchandise. This “on the floor” work will be done in conjunction with a team of staff and volunteers to achieve sales and operations objectives and lead staff to exceed expectations.

• Continually inspect sales floor for hazards, sales opportunities, product and merchandising needs
• Establish, train, and enforce policies and procedures applicable to loss mitigation
• Facilitate opening and closing duties, including daily sales reconciliations, and provide support and back-up to staff, as needed
• Oversee development of standardized operation procedures that address all aspects of the business, including, but not limited to financial, pricing, customer tracking and engagement, checkout, sold inventory, donors, etc.
• Proactively manage ReStore assets including supplies, amenities, and office equipment to ensure the productivity and safety of employees, volunteers, customers, and others, ensuring that required licenses, operation manuals, signage, and other documentation are maintained.

Key Responsibility: People Management (20%)

People management is essential to ReStore’s success and this role will provide leadership that drives an excellent ReStore experience, staff development, donations, sales, and profits of Chicago ReStores to further Habitat Chicago's mission. This includes:

• Manage and lead staff, including: developing daily goals and tasks lists and annual job plans with professional development goals; mid-year and year-end performance reviews; and ensure staff schedule developed and updated regularly to ensure coverage
• Communicate, train, and reinforce organization and ReStore policies and procedures, including but not limited to safety, facility operations, OSHA, and personnel,
• Ensure the ReStore brand experience team is equipped with the appropriate knowledge, skills, abilities, and leadership to accomplish results and maintain employee, volunteer, and customer safety, supervision, and engagement
• Provide operational leadership in the absence of the Senior Operations Manager and when business needs require.
• Keep ReStore Director timely and appropriately informed of important and sensitive matters.

Key Responsibility: Brand Experience (15%)

Brand experience is integral to the success of ReStore and this work is embedded in both Resource Management and People Leadership. Additional responsibilities include:

• Manage communications tactics as assigned including marketing and promotions calendar, ReStore content, etc.
• Build long-term relationships with new and existing customers and donors; work with staff to resolve customer situations ensuring alignment with core values and exceptional customer experience.
• Establish and maintain service and experience standards

Key Responsibility: Financials and Reporting (15%)

The ReStore Brand Experience Manager oversees data and ensures financial procedures are managed throughout. This includes, but is not limited to, systems for daily cash transactions and deposits, accurate coding and invoice submissions, reconciliation, sales reporting, etc.

• Track sales data to determine categories with high to low volume and adjust procurement strategies to meet customer demand
• Develop and enforce pricing policy and processes for store merchandise. Review and adjust pricing as necessary for changing market conditions.
• Serve as the financial liaison to the central office for ReStore accounting, financials, and continuous improvements.
• Implement and monitor systems for daily operations that ensure continuous improvement in communication, productivity, efficiency, safety, and satisfaction

Key Responsibility: Planning and Technology (15%)

This role will also oversee project management of annual plan goals tied to brand experience and merchandising and front of house operations that improve customer and donor experiences.

• Collaborate to develop annual operating budgets and recommend capital expenditures.
• Create an aggressive, achievable, multi-faceted annual sales & merchandising plan that supports ReStore Chicago's future growth, targeting key areas for growth based on metrics and strategy
• Embrace technology solutions to effectively track and improve projects, productivity, logistics, impact, donors, inventory, and volunteers
• Work collaboratively with the ReStore leadership team, developing strategies to integrate the ReStore's team, operations, and programs with the broader Habitat Chicago organization
• Participate in long-range planning and visioning for ReStore growth including the location search, functional design, staff development, and management of additional ReStore locations in the Chicago area
• Serve as Technology Committee representative for ReStore systems care and planning.

Key Responsibility: Leadership and Teamwork (10%)

As a leader on the ReStore team, this role contributes to our organizational health through enthusiastic collaboration, leadership, and personal integrity.

• Maintain a “team first” outlook, supporting the success of the team and the mission in attitude, ideas, and actions; lead by example and with active, creative input for growing and improving the organization
• Participate in organizational investment strategy decisions, helping to define direction and team needs
• Contribute to organization events, helping as necessary with set up/take down, management, networking, various tasks, etc.
• Engage with all members of team, donors, customers, program participants, and core volunteers

Successful Habitat team members share the following characteristics:

• Trust: You invest in your fellow team members, and you do what you say you will do. You thrive on constructive feedback and have a high level of integrity.
• Commitment: You have a "go above and beyond" attitude; nobody here works just for a paycheck.
• Engagement: You embrace bringing people to the Habitat mission.
• Innovation: You are a creative problem solver who works across teams.
• Curiosity: You express curiosity and reserve judgment.
• Achievement: You love results and hate excuses. You will help Habitat Chicago grow to be a leading organization.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES

• Strong leadership qualities, including the ability, both to delegate and to execute, thereby leading by word and by example  
• History of successfully adapting to rapidly changing conditions, a demonstrated ability to prioritize and emphasize collaborative efforts, and setting team goals that motivate team members and help them achieve desired results  
• Demonstrates initiative represented by a sense of urgency, energy, enthusiasm, attention to detail, and follow up 
• A goal-oriented personality who is resilient and creative when faced with shifting challenges and opportunities 
• Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills with groups and individuals characterized by the ability to listen, speak and write well 
• Demonstrated proficiency in training, managing, leading, and developing staff in a consistent, positive, and safety conscious manner
• Quick, sound, and decisive decision-maker in rapidly changing conditions; anticipating, addressing, and solving problems
• Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the technology tools including Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; Salesforce CRM; project management systems  
• Familiarity with warehouse equipment, such as a forklift (certification), pallet jacks, etc.
• Team building through positive and productive communications and strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage confidential information with discretion and tact
• Current authorization to work permanently in the United States  
• Valid driver's license

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree 
• A minimum of four years of experience in retail management/business development or other relevant management experience
• Experience implementing goal-oriented operational strategies with a team
• Proven sales track record
• Personal volunteer experience 

Position Details

Hours: Full-time, including weekends; evenings and meetings as required. 

Supervises: Initially, four direct reports. Upon opening of a new store(s), the Brand Experience Manager leads site-specific Store Manager(s) who manage the day-to-day business utilizing staff and volunteers.

Environment: The existing Habitat Chicago ReStore is located at 6040 N. Pulaski Rd. in Chicago. It is accessible by car or by public transit. The ReStore Business Development Manager will have a desk, computer, and phone line in an office. 

Conditions: Ability to safely lift and position up to 70 pounds. The job entails occasional bending, kneeling and reaching, often in awkward or tiring positions. 70% of the time is spent walking and standing in the showroom managing staff and assisting customers.

Compensation: Salaried position ranging from $56,000-60,000, depending on experience, 30+ vacation/sick/personal days per year. 90% employer paid health insurance; access to dental, vision and 401k (3% match) plans. 

FLSA Status: This position is exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). It does not earn overtime or compensatory time for additional time worked.