Aldi Hiring for eCommerce Strategy and Innovation Operations Manager Job at Aurora, IL Full Time

We’re ALDI, one of America’s favorite grocers. We’ve grown a lot in the past few years, expanding our reach and customer base all around the country. Whether it’s in customer service or our exceptional products, we owe our success to the efficiencies we create in every corner of our company and the people at each level who make that happen.

We’re not just expanding our footprint across the country. We’re also growing across the web, which allows our customers to buy our products faster and more conveniently than ever before. And from planning to pricing, it’s our eCommerce team that keeps our digital strategy in motion. Help us blaze bold new trails and find innovative ways to connect our customers to quality products.

Customer Interaction (CI) at ALDI describes our approach to attracting, converting and retaining customers. These align to the main business areas of CI: Marketing, Customer Services, eCommerce and Digital Presence, across all channels. Customer behaviors are rapidly changing; and the CI ALDI team is responsible to meet our high customer expectations and define our strategy.

In this role, you will be responsible for driving the Strategy and Innovation roadmap of the eCommerce Operations team. This is a critical role in the fastest growing area of ALDI and the successful candidate will be responsible for leading a team to enable ALDI eCommerce Operations to effectively serve our customers across the country both now and in the future.

The successful candidate will be responsible for setting the Strategic Direction for our from-store fulfilment model and then implementing new innovations in-market. This responsibility will stretch across areas such as new methods of picking in-store, analyzing opportunities in-market and investigating new product directions. They will do this by leading and coaching a team of dedicated individuals to achieve ALDI’s eCommerce goals.

The successful candidate will deploy a flexible and analytical skillset to guide the direction of the current pick from store operation and forge a path for future fulfilment innovation. Your principle goal will be to ensure that our significant eCommerce operation is fit for the future across our thousands of stores across the country.

The eCommerce Strategy and Innovation Operations Manager will work closely with the Director of eCommerce, Store Operations, Finance, Marketing, Buying and IT teams (among others) to bring their vision to life. An ability to work collaboratively, creatively plan and project manage ambitious national projects is a must for this role.

The CI department is a quickly changing area for ALDI domestically and internationally. This ALDI role will require flexibility, agility, ability to deal with ambiguity, a drive for success, and previous experience that will help the ideal candidate excel in a fast paced, changing environment.

Position Type: Full-Time

Duties and Responsibilities:

Must be able to perform duties with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Establishes team projects and processes.
• Implements and manages all online retail strategies and retail changes.
• Advocates data-informed decisions while comfortable running a team that works closely with developers and evolving business needs.
• Leads a cost-savings initiatives and improves processes to maintain ALDI competitive advantages.
• Assures the training, development, and performance of their team’s staff to retain a motivated, professional workforce that achieves their career objectives.
• Recruits and recommends qualified employees for their team’s staff positions.
• Approves all time-off requests for direct reports.
• Establishes and communicates job responsibilities and performance expectations to their team to assure mutual understanding of desired results; evaluates performance and achievement of expectations and desired results; resolves internal or external barriers that prohibit successful goal achievement.
• Understands the overarching company strategy, as well as communicates and models the core values, of the organization to create a sense of teamwork and membership among employees.
• Coordinates data extractions from internal sources for new products, product updates and product discontinuation.
• Coordinates marketing for all online third party platforms, including promotions, pricing and content creation.
• Consults with leadership on the development of their team’s strategy.
• Advises leadership to source external vendors for applicable services when appropriate.
• Liaises with regions to ensure timely and efficient communication flow.
• Consults with the business to effectively design and streamline applicable processes within the organization.
• Keeps up-to-date on external best practices and relevant changes to their field/area; communicates updates to leadership.
• Builds and creates alignment across interdepartmental teams.
• Analyzes and tracks data to provide insights to grow the online business.
• Creates, manages and optimizes product listings on third party platforms.
• Manages the process of analyzing competitive data provided from third party platforms to enforce retail strategies.
• Manages their team by driving projects and tasks to completion through effective prioritization, work planning, resource allocation, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Identifies cost-saving opportunities and potential process improvements.
• Serves as the primary link between their team’s staff and leadership to assure understanding of company goals, objectives, and opportunities for improvement.
• Manages and builds brand new global and national online strategies.
• Influences the overarching company strategy and works to influence processes while modelling the core values of the organization.
• Leverage cutting-edge technologies and methodologies to help build & define ecommerce strategies.
• Manage, coach and develop a team of eCommerce specialists who will help build strategies, project manage new initiatives to enable ALDI to be successful in Operations moving forward.
• Develops thorough analyses, quantifying the results of business strategies and approaches.
• Ability to source new products & technologies to keep relevant within the eGrocery industry.
• Compiles data from disparate sources, leveraging both qualitative and quantitative, to build holistic views of eCommerce program: including user experience, efficiencies metrics and key performance indicators.
• Distills complex analyses into presentations and recommendations for non-technical business units.
• Leads or supports training for team members.
• Establishes professional relationships and promotes a positive team atmosphere throughout the organization, bringing together different teams and departments to create a sense of teamwork and membership among coworkers and direct reports.
• Leads cost-saving initiatives and improves processes to maintain ALDI competitive advantages.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job Qualifications:

ALDI Acts Competencies:
Perform within ALDI Acts competencies as outlined below.

• Managing Self: Seeking feedback, reflecting upon personal behaviors and looking for growth opportunities. Displaying composure, resilience and a positive approach to work.
• Communicating with Impact: Communicating clearly and effectively in written, non-verbal and verbal communication to inform, inspire, motivate and influence. Appreciating the importance of listening, empathy and respect.
• Cooperating with Others: Creating and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Actively consulting, managing conflict and appreciating alternative perspectives and cultures.
• Leading People: Fostering a cooperative leadership style that empowers and motivates. Providing clear expectations and direction. Developing people in their roles and supporting future growth.
• Driving Decisions and Results: Showing ownership by making informed decisions, executing efficiently and taking responsibility for results. Pursuing goals and taking initiative. Using market awareness to better meet the customers’ needs (internal and external).
• Managing Change: Demonstrating flexibility and embracing changes to adapt to shifting business needs and emerging technologies. Identifying opportunities for business improvements. Effectively implementing changes in alignment with business goals.

Job-specific Competencies:

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Ability to recommend, interpret, and/or apply company policies and procedures.
• Gives attention to detail and follows instruction.
• Ability to develop rapport, trust, and open communication that enhances the growth and job performance of direct reports.
• Understands the history, strategy, organizational authority, interdependence of job duties, products, systems, and services of the company.
• Conflict management skills.
• Ability to develop direct reports, harnessing individual talents and advancing skillsets for the benefit of the team.
• Thinks critically and analytically.
• Ability to stay organized and multi-task in a professional and efficient manner.
• Effective time management; manages productivity.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Comfortable managing and delegating ambiguous projects under agile working best practices.
• Recruit, maintain, and train a team of 5-10 direct reports.
• Ability to meet quick deadlines and fast turnarounds.
• Knowledge of eCommerce logistics, fulfillment, best practices, and industry advancements.
• Understanding of customer facing front end solutions and API connections to back end.
• Managed OMS (Order Management System) and WMS (Warehouse Management System) solutions.
• Define and refine optimal pick, pack and ship workflows.
• Understanding conversion funnels while maximizing conversion optimization & minimizing bounce rates.
• Worked with CMS (Content Management Systems) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management).
• Utilizing financial and analytical models to recommend and execute strategic business decisions.
• Responsible for achieving key business driving KPIs.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, eCommerce, Marketing, Data Scientist or a related field required.
• A minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in eCommerce, Market Research, and retail operations required.
• Or, a combination of education and experience providing equivalent knowledge.
• Experience with Enterprise solutions such as Adobe SAP, Hybris, Oracle, Salesforce required.
• Held a leadership role for a minimum of 5 years.

Physical Requirements:

• Work is performed in an office environment where a computer, telephone and other office equipment are used as needed to perform duties.
• Regularly required to sit, reach, grasp, stand and move from one area to another.
• Constantly and repeatedly use keyboard/mouse.
• Occasionally required to push, pull, bend, lift and move up to 25 lbs.

Travel:

• Domestic travel required.
• Up to 10%.

ALDI offers competitive wages and benefits, including:

• 401(k) Plan
• Company 401(k) Matching Contributions
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• PerkSpot National Employee Discount Program

In addition, eligible employees are offered:

• Medical, Prescription, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Generous Vacation Time & 7 Paid Holidays
• Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Life, Dependent Life and AD&D Insurance
• Voluntary Term Life Insurance

Click here to learn more about the benefits ALDI has to offer

ALDI is committed to equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. As a proud Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE), we do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, religion, sex, sexual stereotyping, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, pregnancy (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), or any other protected characteristic. Employment may be contingent upon ALDI’s receipt of an acceptable and job-related drug test, motor vehicle report, and/or reference check, as applicable and permissible by law.