Job Responsibilities:

·   Directly responsible for managing the activities related to merchandising, sales performance, customer service and sales support functions for the designated departments that comprise the Soft lines business within the store.

·   Conducts financial review, analyses, long-term planning, and management of business and key drivers to impact sales and profit within the Soft lines departments.

·   Along with the Store Manager, develop strategies to improve outliers, e.g., customer satisfaction, sales, controllable costs, profit, margin, operational processes, and compliance against plan and/or established standards.

·    Manages inventory levels and product lines through report analyses of sales and product turnover; makes decisions regarding assortment levels and product offerings. 

·   Manages inventory and promotional events to meet the business needs of the store, customer and local market focus. 

·   Proactively manages and controls the Soft lines departments to ensure achievement of sales and gross margin goals.

·   Actively coach and counsel Department Sales Managers to reach their fullest potential, maximize business opportunities and to develop them to the next level.

·   Manages, plans and directs the Company’s merchandise presentation initiatives as communicated in the MSP for assigned departments.  This includes sales floor layouts, merchandise placement and sales promotion set up.

·   Plans, directs and supervises the work and productivity levels of the Department Sales Managers that are assigned to a Soft lines department.  Has overall responsibility for work and productivity levels of the Merchandise Pricing and Consultative Salesassociates that report to the Department Sales Managers in the Soft lines departments.

·   Provide training and coaching to Department Sales Managers and associates to develop merchandising skills.

·   Provide disciplined leadership including setting clear expectations and holding the team and self accountable for results.

·   Direct Department Sales Manager to properly plan and execute the Company’s Playbook process within set timelines.

·   Conduct weekly department walks with Department Sales Managers to identify sales and presentation opportunities and to develop and prioritize action plans with timely follow up.

·   Direct customer focused strategies, policies and programs as measured by Customer Satisfaction Survey data and verbatim comments. Directly solicit feedback from customers on their shopping experience and satisfaction in order to identify customer service opportunities.

·   Develops a high performance team by hiring, coaching, developing and managing performance of Department Sales Managers and Merchandising Pricing and Consultative Sales associates in the Soft lines department.

·   Conduct the planning and coordination to ensure the client’s (brand/business) plan is consistently executed in the Soft lines departments and provide ongoing fact based feedback to Store Manager and appropriate business including competitive intelligence.

·   Ensure Department Sales Managers are providing the proper leadership to hourly associates, including training and disciplinary actions, to achieve consistent delivery of acceptable compliance scores as measured by the Standards Based Store Visit & Client Commitment tools.

·   Makes appropriate decisions on associate performance and discipline, including disciplinary actions as needed, up to and including termination of employment.

·   Create a positive work environment that results in retention. Supports storewide associate engagement activities through demonstrating leadership behaviors.

·   Develop workforce that understands and delivers the company’s Customer Service vision.  Create and maintain a culture of winning that resonates with associates.

·   Consistently uses communication vehicles such as Ready All Day meetings, Resource meetings, Communication Boards, Staff meetings, etc. to ensure associates are well-informed of upcoming store events and company initiatives, business and merchandising strategies and goals.

·   Ensure the department is operationally certified and every associate is certified to do his/her job.

·   Assume storewide manager responsibilities when Store Manager is not in store.

·   Adhere to the Manager scheduling requirements (weekly exceptions must be approved by the Store Manager)

o        95% of time spent on the sales floor

o        Minimum of 2 nights per week

o        Minimum of 2 weekends per month scheduled during peak hours (e.g., Friday night, Saturday mid-day through evening, Sunday)