Store Manager (Chicago)

Catbird is looking for an experienced retail Store Manager to join the team at our new store opening in Chicago. As Store Manager you are responsible for store sales, people management of the store staff, and developing store processes & procedures to continuously elevate the customer experience, and overall growth of the business. This position is expected to start in January 2025.

Store Managers build their team’s capabilities to drive strategy and achieve key business results; and ensure all aspects of store operations are engaged, performing, and delivering a personalized, genuine, & memorable customer experience.

About Catbird

In over 20 years in business, Catbird has become an icon, the ultimate destination for gifts and jewelry. Founded in Brooklyn, NY, Catbird is a mecca for an international cast of shoppers who come to visit the brick and mortar stores of their beloved website. Both our stores and website are filled with a carefully curated selection of designers, including our in-house line of jewelry. Our Catbird line is made in our Brooklyn studio and with a few trusted partners, using ethically sourced materials and conflict-free stones. Highly trained Catbird jewelers oversee every step of the process. We are dedicated to a return to local manufacturing - what our neighborhood was famous for. Catbird is a proud member of the CFDA, certified Made in New York, and No Dirty Gold.

The key to our success is remaining true to our values:

• We believe in being an anti-racist organization and actively championing diversity, inclusion, and equity
• We believe in making and selling things people will want to keep forever and will bring continuous joy
• We believe in doing everything we can ourselves
• We believe in always thinking of the long game and not focusing on a quick profit
• We believe we are the best at what we do and we work hard to make sure we know how to sustain it as we grow
• We believe in treating everyone (coworkers, customers, vendors) with deep respect, kindness, and honesty
  
  
  

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver exceptional customer experience: By nature, you are overjoyed to work directly with customers and on a retail sales floor. You provide an exceptional level of service, setting the standard in your store for customer experience. You coach, train, motivate and develop multiple levels of store staff (entry level associate to Assistant Manager) to ensure your team is meeting our customer service standards. You are ready to solve any customer issue that arises and develop your team to do the same.
• Create a great employee experience: You build a bench of exceptional customer-centric sales associates. You onboard, train and develop an entrepreneurial and customer-obsessed team. You provide ongoing feedback and coaching to develop your team to be their best.
• Communicate like a pro: You give clear, kind feedback to improve performance, you ensure your team has access to all necessary information, you send clear and concise written communication utilizing appropriate communication channels, and you are pro-active in your communication with your manager.
• Schedule your retail floor: You can schedule your retail floor with a meticulous attention to detail according to business needs, employee availability and requested time off. You work smarter to find the most efficient ways to complete this business-critical task so that your retail store operates like a well-oiled machine. You are meeting the weekly, period and quarterly payroll goals
• Manage competing priorities: You love and appreciate that although Catbird isn’t a new kid on the block, we’re always learning, growing and changing. You are eager to lead with solutions not complaints and you know that when you prioritize effectively you can handle anything.
• Drive business results: You are hungry to analyze business reporting on a daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly basis and adjust your business strategy and motivate team performance to drive sales and achieve key business metrics. You manage performance and processes to company policies and maintain all store operations in alignment with policy updates. You can oversee, execute and approve payroll and store expenses. You utilize your tools to effectively manage your inventory levels and maintain an exceptional level of visual display at your store.
• Leverage your resources: You are the first one to ask for help, but not before checking the tools and resources available to you. You’re ready and willing to pick up the phone and partner with your manager and key business partners to solve problems, initiate new ideas and create new experiences.
  
  
  

Our Ideal Candidate

• 4 years retail leadership experience required Experience leading a team of 10-25 store employees with a demonstrated commitment to a team culture of kindness, respect and organization. Experience and ability prioritizing time and attention when there are multiple competing tasks to complete. Flexibility in regards to availability and location, must have weekend availability. Experience in creating/managing staff schedules. Experience analyzing business reporting. Experience with google office suite (Docs, sheets, pages) A natural passion for customer service and a desire to be active on the sales floor interacting with customers. More than 50% of a Store Manager’s time is spent on the sales floor. Jewelry and/or Clienteling experience a plus Retail positions involve physical requirements that include standing for extended periods, light lifting, reaching, and repetitive wrist and hand movements during tasks like welding permanent jewelry, etc. We’re happy to discuss reasonable accommodations to support individual needs
  
  
  

Perks & Benefits

• Health Insurance
• Paid Vacation & Sick Time
• 401(k) with employer contributions
• Professional Development Stipend
• Holiday Pay
• Paid Parental Leave
• And more!
  
  
  

Plus bonus