Department Manager at Whole Foods Market

At Whole Foods Market, we are working to nourish people and the planet. In this role, you will support the Team Leader in leading and executing the Customer Service & E-Commerce programs; this means you are responsible for the checkout experience and grocery delivery & pickup at your assigned store. You will focus on driving safety, quality of outbound online orders, excellent pickup experience, team productivity, and program execution. You will monitor key performance indicator metrics and visual cues in-store to assess the Team’s performance in these areas. You are responsible for daily operations including managing capacity, labor utilization, adherence to pick processes, and drop of task execution (for E-Commerce); and, cash management, customer demand management, labor utilization, and execution of store processes (for Customer Service). You may be responsible for aspects of managing non-inventory supplies management & expense control. You are responsible for regulatory compliance, and special projects and/or assignments. As the Associate Team Leader, you support the Team Leader in leading and developing Team Members. You may participate in hiring activities. You must strive to support WFM core values, Leadership Principles, and goals, promote national, geographic-specific, store programs and initiatives, and ensure adherence to all applicable health and safety regulations.

Job Responsibilities:

• Delivers outstanding customer experience; and holds all Team Members accountable for delivering outstanding customer service.
• Establishes clear expectations for balancing in-store customer service and completing online orders.
• Monitors in-store and online customer flow; assigns customer service-related and online order completion tasks balancing the needs of all customers.
• Monitors the schedule to maintain in-store customer needs, online order capacity, and cognizant of labor budget.
• Sustains strong knowledge and awareness of relevant competitors and industry trends.
• Ensures an effective and efficient response to customer questions, requests, and/or concerns.
• Supports collaborative and productive relationships with departmental leaders, store leadership, and 1P/3P partners, e.g., Amazon delivery drivers.
• Fosters and encourages a positive environment of outstanding teamwork, mutual respect, and exceptional morale.
• Maintains Team Member safety and security standards.
• Ensures compliance with relevant regulatory rules and standards.
• Develops, coaches, mentors, and motivates Team Members in a manner that sustains a high performing Team and minimizes turnover.
• Maintains cleanliness of workspaces including staging area and coolers.
• Maintains security of equipment, e.g., MSRs, phones, currency counters.
• Proactively identifies process improvement opportunities.
• Consistently communicates and models WFM core values, leadership principles, and supports goals.

Job Skills

• Strong ability to perform task management, balancing dynamic customer flows.
• Demonstrated understanding of how labor utilization and task management drive performance metrics and customer experience.
• Strong analysis skills to root cause underperformance (either observed or demonstrated by metric performance).
• Strong ability to communicate performance analysis findings and actions, both verbally and in writing.
• Excellent interpersonal, motivational, team building and customer relationship skills.
• Capable of teaching others in a positive and constructive manner.
• Demonstrated decision-making ability, leadership skills, and ability to prioritize and delegate.
• Proficient with email, Microsoft Office, and operations-related applications.
• Proficient with mobile applications, dashboards, and basic understanding of retail systems capabilities.

Qualifications

• 18+ months retail experience including 6+ months of supervisory experience.

Physical Requirements/Working Conditions

• Must be able to lift 50 lbs.
• In an 8-hour workday: standing/walking 6-8 hours.
• Hand use: Single grasping, fine manipulation, pushing and pulling.
• Work requires the following motions: bending, twisting, squatting, and reaching
• Exposure to FDA approved cleaning chemicals
• Exposure to temperatures 90 degrees Fahrenheit
• Ability to work in a wet and cold environment.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays as needed.
• Ability to use tools and equipment, including box cutters, electric pallet jacks, and other heavy machinery.