Department Manager

Overview
REI is committed to becoming a fully inclusive, antiracist, multicultural organization. To fulfill our brand promise of enabling a life well-lived outside for everyone, we are seeking candidates who demonstrate shared values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism.
The Department Manager is a key member of the store management team who leads a team of store staff to achieve REI's Member, Employee, Business, and Impact goals. Department Managers hold employees accountable for their actions, empower and develop their team to achieve weekly, quarterly, and yearly delivery of goals and metrics. In addition, Department Managers minimize office and administrative time by adopting efficient work methods and REI's Standard Operating Procedures to spend majority of their time in department focusing on performance management, employee engagement, and department and store delivery of outstanding customer experience. This role models and acts in accordance with REI's guiding values and mission.
Key Responsibilities

• Motivate, lead, and performance manage a team of hourly non-management staff to deliver REI's Member, Employee, Business, and Impact goals.
• Daily and future focused: responsible and accountable for team's daily performance as well as creating strategies for weekly and quarterly achievement of goals and metrics.
• Deliver a prescribed service model daily to maximize customer engagement and sales opportunities through visual merchandising, product placement, replenishment, and selling performance of staff.
• Prioritize and delegate workload to complete necessary tasks and fulfill responsibilities in a timely manner.
• Observe and assess strengths and opportunities of team members and respond appropriately through feedback, coaching, recognition, and development conversations.
• Monitor business performance, use trends to identify strengths and opportunities, and coach employees to desired behaviors in areas of responsibility. This includes sales, merchandise by department, membership, co-branded credit card, Cooperative Action Fund donations, and any additional initiatives from Store Manager and / or Assistant Store Manager (where applicable) and REI.
• Identify potentially larger opportunities within department and communicate to the Store Manager or Assistant Store Manager (where applicable). Work with management team to determine appropriate solutions.
• Ask for feedback, listen to others, and treat ideas and input with respect.
• Communicate clearly, concisely, and proactively to team, to provide clear direction and expectations.
• Communicate in an open and respectful style using appropriate tone, manner, and channels.
• Respond to emails, phone calls, other correspondence, and requests in an appropriate and timely manner.
• Build and maintain positive, professional relationships with direct reports, store staff, and co-workers.
• Establish and maintain rapport both internally within the store and externally with others in the organization.
• Manage daily store operations, including opening and closing responsibilities.
• Partner with Department Manager responsible for visual merchandising to align on everyday visual standards, use floor set guides for visual expectations for key initiatives and sales events, and ensure consistent visual excellence in areas of responsibility.
• Monitor daily function and condition of store facilities and promptly act or request repairs as needed.
• Partner with the management team and Human Resources as needed to assist staff to navigate benefits, accommodations, and other Human Resources related needs.
• Recruit, hire, onboard, and develop employees in areas of responsibility using established REI practices.
• Ensure effective training of new staff in areas of responsibility.
• Schedule employees in accordance with REI's scheduling guidelines.
• Understand and practice all REI policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Hold employees accountable for policy violations in an appropriate and timely manner.
• Conduct quarterly review conversations with all direct reports.
• Embrace change and support all management decisions and change initiatives.
• Build change agile service focused teams who are comfortable with constant evolution.
• Partner with the management team and direct reports to implement and promote adoption of REI's Standard Operating Procedures.
• Maintain employee files and information according to Human Resources standards.
• Support inclusive and welcoming store and department for employees and customers.
• Champion employee engagement.
• Perform all other duties and tasks assigned.
• For Massachusetts stores only: Responsible for the maintenance of all consumer price scanners within the food department.

Responsibilities and Qualifications
The 10+ Essentials:

• Minimum of 3-5 years of successful retail management experience.
• Demonstrated dynamic leadership skills with the ability to lead, motivate and develop future leaders.
• Proven ability to understand and drive store profitability through employee engagement and customer experience.
• Proficiency in interpreting and utilizing key retail financial metrics to drive key performance indicators.
• Meet availability requirements including nights and weekends.
• Demonstrated ability to set standards and hold team members accountable.
• Excellent problem-solving ability.
• Effective written and verbal communications skills in primary language of business.
• Effective communication skills.
• Be an active participant in your own development.
• Commitment to outstanding customer experience.
• Builds capacity of individuals and teams through effective employee development, involvement, communication, and leading from the front.
• Creates a welcoming, safe, mutually supportive culture of belonging where people can be themselves and do their best.
• Establishes trust and inspires others.
• Makes effective organization and people decisions in a manner consistent with REI's values and ethics.
• Delivers on commitments and holds others to same.
• Champions the organization and advocates solutions in the overall Company's best interest.
• Uses business knowledge, innovative thinking, risk-taking, and sound judgment in the solution of problems or the pursuit of business opportunities.
• Consolidates information from various sources including feedback from others to reach sound decisions.
• Considers the ultimate impact of decisions and actions on internal and external customers.
• Fosters change in company direction.
• Effectively plans and executes changes.

REI hires, trains, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law. We remain deeply committed to making the Co-op a place where everyone can feel safe and be themselves. Join us.
Closing
At REI, we believe the outdoors is for all. We are committed to becoming a fully inclusive, anti-racist, multicultural organization. We know that there's strength in our diversity - that each employee brings unique skills, experiences, and perspectives. Every day you are driving change, fostering a culture of respect, and knowing you're backed by benefits that support your whole life. To work towards this commitment and fulfill our brand promise of inspiring and enabling a life outside for everyone, we seek employees who demonstrate different ways of working, create a sense of belonging, and actively listen and learn.
Pay Transparency
We are committed to practices that promote pay equity and transparency. As required by applicable Pay Transparency laws, REI provides a range of compensation for roles that may be hired in locations under these requirements. Factors that may be used to determine your actual salary may include a wide array of factors, including: your specific skills and experience, geographic location or other relevant factors.
REI offers all regular employees a generous employee discount, access to health benefits, a retirement savings plan and accrued time off. Click here for a detailed overview of benefits plans by employee profile.
Pay Range
$28.79 - $36.01 per hour