Activism Team Leader

Chicago, IL

COVID-19 VACCINATIONS

Patagonia requires all employees to demonstrate proof of receiving a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of their employment.

BENEFITS

Patagonia provides employees with a robust benefits package (unique to each role) that may include environmental internships, free health insurance, paid vacation, paid holidays, an alternative commute reimbursement program, leaves of absence, employee discounts, complimentary product, 401k match and much more.

Our stores are intended to be gifts to the community. As the Retail Activism Team Leader, you will be responsible for leading the activism programming for the store. Your energy and passion for the local community help set the tone for all store employees, encouraging a team approach to environmentalism and social justice.

In addition, you perform the duties of our Retail Team Leader: You maintain an environment that promotes employee learning and customer service through encouragement and coaching. You help to identify the priorities of each day, delegate necessary tasks and train Customer Experience Guides. You partner with the Retail Store General Manager and Retail Assistant Store Manager to ensure operational and brand objectives are met even in their absence. As business allows a minimum of 8 shared hours per week are spent working on environmental activism task.

What You’ll Do

You will contribute to a welcoming store energy that invites the best ideas from diverse, varied voices, including, but not limited to the team and local community. You will lead engagement and education for the staff on Patagonia’s grantmaking and facilitate the annual grant process. You will facilitate the product donation process. Part of your leadership responsibilities will be to promote and oversee Activism Hours (18 per employee) and Internship programs, ensuring new staff are trained and current staff are engaged. While modeling those behaviors, you will start/maintain your store’s Waste Reduction Strategy implementation. You will also maintain relevant processes and systems within the Community Environmental Program, including the Activism Hub Workbook. Serving as point of contact for any local disaster relief or resilience programming should a need occur is a major part of this role. The MTL will support larger marketing and environmental needs as appropriate.

Who You Are:

We look for candidates with proven service experience who thrive in a team-based atmosphere as a leader. We’re seeking people who are passionate about their communities, the environment and caring for others. We need people who appreciate our core sports. Folks who successfully lead an atmosphere with ambiguity, learn on the fly, demonstrate sound judgment and solve problems creatively are most successful with us. We’re looking for someone who builds and maintains relationships with ease and desires to put the customer at the center of everything they do.

Proven experience with environmental activism or social justice nonprofits or issues.
Engaged in your local community, consistently working to create partnerships and foster relationships.
Demonstrate an approachable leadership presence and can prioritize, delegate and coach a team.
Excited to uncover and foster the development of team members for the betterment of the business.
Ability to make sound judgment calls and manage daily store operations in the absence of the manager(s).

YOU ARE AN ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST

You ensure all activism requirements included in the Retail Environmental Activism Program are fulfilled by your store team, including, but not limited to:
Lead the Retail or Community Grants
Product Donations: Manage current and find new organizations to receive donations. Ensure all products are properly removed from inventory, recorded and filed correctly.
Employee Activism: You utilize all your Activism Hours and facilitate and encourage your team members to do the same.
Store Environmental Footprint: Lead your store’s recycling and composting strategies etc.
Patagonia Action Works: Provide education to Retail teams on Patagonia Action Works and facilitate grantee and community engagement with the platform.
Nonprofit and Civic Engagement: Ensure vibrant and inclusive nonprofit partnerships, consistently integrating your store and store team into local initiatives.
Employee Education: You collaborate with your Retail Team Lead partners to educate your team on company environmental campaigns, including elections and civic engagement and local initiatives.
Store Events: You collaborate with the Retail Marketing Team Lead to ensure an activism presence at events.

YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NOT BOUND BY CONVENTION

You empower the staff to offer outstanding service through consistent personal examples and encouragement.
You offer proactive coaching (both constructive and complimentary) to continually elevate customer service.

YOU ARE ACTION-ORIENTED, TAKE INITIATIVE AND DELEGATE

You partner with the In-Store Visual Merchandiser or Visual Team Leader to identify and execute regular priorities.

YOU LEAD BY EXAMPLE AND ACTIVELY COACH

You lead by example and inspire your team to live Patagonia’s mission, both in the store and in the community.
You serve as a role model and coach for the team by identifying and delegating daily priorities of your store's Retail Environmental Activism Program.
You value and enjoy team-based ideation and problem solving.
You maintain positive relationships with management, team members and store partners.
You keep lines of communication open among management and team members by ensuring that expectations are upheld, and objectives are met.
You identify growth opportunities for team members within the Retail Environmental Activism Program and partner with management to address them.
You ensure optimal inventory levels on the sales floor.

YOU VALUE AND DEMONSTRATE QUALITY IN ALL THAT YOU DO

You ensure the safety and well-being of all customers and employees.
You assist management in the hiring of people who pursue passions that are related to our products and philosophy.

YOU ARE A LIFE-LONG LEARNER.

You demonstrate initiative and seek opportunities to grow your own skills.
You welcome feedback and you grow from it.
You assist in training and development of all team members and foster an environment of continued learning.

YOU CREATE A SAFE STORE ENVIRONMENT

You maintain a safe and secure environment for your team and customers and resolve any concerns quickly.
You are deeply committed to creating a working environment that is supportive, positive, respectful, and free from harassment.

YOU CONSISTENTLY EXECUTE ALL DUTIES OF A CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE GUIDE

When not scheduled for Activism duties, the balance of weekly hours will be scheduled as a Team Leader or Customer Experience Specialist.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Able to stand/walk for extended periods of time.
Able to reach overhead, bend, squat, kneel and carry products necessary for customer service, inventory stocking and store merchandising.
Able to walk up and down a staircase carrying boxes, products, and other necessary items.
Able to regularly perform store maintenance: sweep, vacuum, empty trash, clean.
Able to safely lift boxes up to 55 pounds.
Comfortable climbing ladders.
Able to focus on this work in dynamic store environments.

SCHEDULE

Our stores are open seven days a week. The number of scheduled hours per week varies. You must have availability in alignment with the needs of the business which could range from weekday and weekend availability including both opening and closing shifts. As the business allows, a minimum of 8 hours per week are spent working on activism tasks. You must report to work on time or provide notification in advance if absent or late.

WHO WE ARE:

“We’re in business to save our home planet.”

Build the Best Product

In retail, our best product is the world-class service we offer our customers. We create amazing and memorable experiences that leave our customers feeling stoked.

Cause No Unnecessary Harm

Our stores are intended to be gifts to the community. We renovate old buildings into storefronts using low-impact practices and materials. In addition, our retail stores, working with our Worn Wear program, extend the life of customers’ old gear by repairing, reselling or recycling it.

Use Business to Protect Nature

Our stores serve their communities. We strive for deep connections to the people, places, and issues that are relevant there. We are vocal activists for protecting outdoor spaces. Our stores support local environmental groups with grants, donations, volunteers, advocacy, and events that provide a platform to share and engage in activism.

Not Bound by Convention

Retail changes every day. We welcome and embrace change as it inspires us to create new ways to serve our customers. Every retail employee is empowered to make autonomous decisions in line with our mission and values.

EMPLOYEE CONDUCT

It is the responsibility of every employee to contribute to a positive work environment through cooperative and professional interactions with co-workers, customers, and vendors. Clarify, educate, and hold ourselves accountable for embedding justice and antiracism throughout our work and culture.

COVID-19 VACCINATIONS

Patagonia requires all employees who enter a Patagonia owned or operated facility or who physically interact with others as part of their job duties to demonstrate proof of receiving a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of their employment.

Equal Employment Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by law.