Workforce Planning & Operations Manager - Stores

We are looking for a collaborative, analytical and detail-orientated Workforce Planning & Operations Manager to join our team to manage Store Payroll and Workforce Efficiencies. Responsibilities include: Payroll Planning & Budget Ownership • Own the full store payroll cycle, from setting annual budgets to forecasting hours, wage rates and dollars each month. • Partner with FP&A to track payroll expense, explain variances and respond to sales and workload trends so stores stay on budget. • Monitor labor cost and controllable expenses against plan and recommend actions that support store profitability. • Partner with senior leadership to design, run and measure payroll tests and labor investments, such as added selling hours, new roles and peak staffing, quantifying the impact on sales, conversion and service to inform fleet-wide decisions Labor Model & Scheduling • Build and maintain the store labor model, including labor standards, workload drivers and staffing tiers by store volume and format. • Set and maintain scheduling guidelines that put hours where they matter most for customers and sales. • Ensure scheduling practices comply with predictive scheduling and Fair Workweek laws (e.g., NYC, CA, Chicago, Seattle) in partnership with HR and Legal. • Act as the go-to expert for Dayforce scheduling, coaching field leaders and store managers where needed on building efficient, customer-focused schedules and turning labor data into better staffing decisions. Staffing & Headcount • Partner with Field Leadership on store census and staffing recommendations, flexing headcount for seasonality, peak and new store openings. • Support New Store Opening teams with labor plans and staffing models for new locations. Systems, Reporting & Insights • Act as the business owner for store scheduling and hiring systems (Dayforce, Workday): configuration needs, enhancements, issue resolution and user training. • Own labor KPIs (sales per labor hour, labor % to sales, overtime, schedule accuracy) and keep reporting accurate and easy to use for every level of leadership. • Deliver ad-hoc analysis as needed, from new store performance to year-over-year comparisons. Efficiency & Partnership • Find workforce efficiency opportunities, then pilot, train on and track them across the fleet. • Partner cross-functionally with Compensation, Finance, HR, Payroll, Communications and New Store Opening teams, and support broader Store Operations initiatives. DOES THIS SOUND LIKE YOU? Required • 3-5 years of experience in retail workforce management, labor planning or store operations, preferably in a multi-unit, high-volume environment. • Proven experience owning or managing a payroll/labor budget, including forecasting and variance analysis. • Hands-on experience with a workforce management platforms (Dayforce, UKG/Kronos, Legion or similar). • Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, modeling); experience with Power BI or similar BI tools. • Clear communicator who can turn data into recommendations for both senior leaders and store teams. • Strong organizational skills and comfort managing multiple projects with competing timelines. Preferred • Prior store, district or field leadership experience. • Experience building labor models or labor standards. • Working knowledge of predictive scheduling and Fair Workweek requirements. • Workday experience. • BS in Business Administration, Finance or a related field. We welcome you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes. Our passion is scouting life-long learners who are driven by curiosity, and who feel connected to our brands and share our desire to make an impact. We're always seeking bright new talent who leverage their unique experiences to discover, grow and evolve with our teams. Benefits + Perks • Health & Well-being - Eligible associates and family members receive medical, dental, prescription and vision insurance, family planning (fertility, adoption & surrogacy support), fitness discounts, medical travel and more. • Associate Discount - We love our products just as much as you do! That's why we offer a great associate discount across all of our brands (J.Crew, J.Crew Factory, and Madewell). • Summer Fridays - In addition to our hybrid work model, we also close our office at 1:00 PM every Friday during the Summer months. • Community Impact - We support the communities where we live and work through our philanthropic efforts and the J.Crew Cares Program. • Winter Break - In addition to our PTO package, J.Crew Group offers a winter break at the end of December to eligible full-time associates at the Home Office to provide time to refresh and recharge. Note: Availability of these benefits and perks may be subject to work location & employment type and may have certain eligibility requirements. Salary Range: $97,600.00 - $126,300.00 At J.Crew Group (JCG) we aim to pay competitively for our company's size and industry. The base salary offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region of work premises, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. The base salary is just one component of J.Crew Group's competitive total rewards strategy that also includes the opportunity for bonus, competitive benefits and perks.