Lead Sales Associate

Job description

A mutually rewarding experience.

Work. Realize your ambitions. And realize there’s more to being in business than just making a profit. That’s the Mars philosophy. And the opportunity we offer every one of our Associates. An opportunity to take what you do and make it mean more for you, for those around you and for the planet.  What you get here is challenging, interesting work. You get the tools you need to do a great job and you get to have the best possible people on your side to help you do it. And at the same time as getting to find ways to do business better today than we did it yesterday and driving a great career, you also get to build a more enlightened business and drive sustainability.

Because it’s never just about a single person, a single project or a single brand. It’s about how you can grab everything that’s within your reach here and use it to pursue mutual, long-term gain. It’s about having ideas. And ideals. Being prepared to risk failure because the promise of success means we’ll all be a little better off. It’s that mix of integrity and ambition that makes Mars such a special place to work. And why working here is always about more than just a job.

Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, operates six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 75,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.

Mars brands include: Petcare – PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, BANFIELD® Pet Hospital, CESAR®, SHEBA®, DREAMIES® and NUTRO®; Chocolate – M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Wrigley – DOUBLEMINT®, EXTRA®, ORBIT® and 5™ chewing gums, SKITTLES® and STARBURST® candies, and ALTOIDS® AND LIFESAVERS® mints. Food – UNCLE BEN’S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS®, SEEDS OF CHANGE® and ROYCO®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience – COCOAVIA® and WISDOM PANEL®.

Purpose of Role:

Partners with the Store Management Team and is accountable for a consistent high level of guest service, associate engagement, operations, inventory flow, and financial results in their retail cluster of stores.

 

Principal Accountabilities

What are the key accountabilities of the role? (Consider – why does the position exist, what does it do and what is the planning horizon)

·  Partner with Store Management Team to insure the smooth operation of the retail store cluster, with main responsibilities in opening/closing of store, ensuring highest standard of food safety requirements are met, and ensuring training and procedures are followed in cash handling
·  Models exceptional customer service and motivates team to meet or exceed objectives and store performance as defined by the brand and measured by secret shopper reports and sales performance
·  Drive sales to meet or exceed sales and ADS goals
·  Assess and coach associates.  Provide recommendations on assessment of associates to Store Manager
·  Drive associate engagement daily and partner with Store Management Team on execution of impact plans
·  Manage staffing levels in the store through effective scheduling based on business needs and budgets
·  Maintains inventory control and accuracy to reduce shrink and reduce store expenses
·  Maintains visual merchandising standards
·  Other duties as assigned by the Store Management Team

 

Mission Critical Competencies

What are the must have skills that allow the best associates to exceed the challenges and create the outputs described above?  What is the handful of skills (i.e. the top 7 and no more) that would separate the best from the rest? (Don’t think about the “nice to have”, this is about the “must haves”)

·  Motivating Others
·  Drive for Results
·  Customer Focus
·  Directing Others
·  Action Oriented

 

Key Functional Skills/Knowledge

What does an associate have to be able to do & know to create superior results in this role?

·  Guest Service
·  Standards management to include merchandise and operational procedures
·  Ability to communicate effectively both written and verbally.
·  Must possess basic math and computer skills
·  Knowledge of a retail POS system, Word, Excel and PowerPoint

 

Key Experiences

What professional experiences (assignments/ time in roles) must they have had and for what length of time in order to create superior results?

·  2+ years experience in a guest-focused retail environment
·  Supervisory experience preferred

 

Physical Requirements:

·  Must be able to stand and walk for long periods of time
·  Must be able to climb stairs, kneel and stoop
·  Must be able to lift 30 pounds
·  Must be able to wash hands consistently while working in food service areas
·  Must be able to come in contact with products that contain allergens – Milk, soy, peanuts, wheat, eggs and other tree nuts

 

Desired Education

What key education must the associate have completed in order to be ready to create superior results?

·   High school diploma or GED required

 

Decision Making Authority and Impact

Decisions and their Impact to the Business (What decisions will this associate be expected to make and at what risk to the business? Think of the cost impact, the liability impact, loss of profit, impact on customer service etc when thinking about risk)

·  Ability to make quality immediate decisions regarding associate/ store policy & procedures, and quality and food safety
·  Determine need for confidentiality

 

Recommendations

What recommendations will this associate be expected to make, to whom and to what impact to the business

·  Operational efficiencies to Store Manager with direct impact to P&L for store

 

People Management Responsibility

List the number of direct and indirect roles reporting to this position.

Direct (non-management associates)

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.