Customer Experience Leader

Indigo-Books-; St. Catharines; On-site; CAD 52,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

Indigo is a physical and digital place dedicated to books, ideas, and a joyful customer experience. The Customer Experience Leader serves as the execution lead for customer programs, shaping a high-performance, customer-focused environment where staff grow, contribute to team success, and bring the Indigo brand to life through meaningful outcomes.

Reporting to the Customer Experience Manager, you will drive store initiatives, coach team members, and partner with leadership to ensure a seamless

Qualifications

• 1-3 years of leadership experience in a specialty retail and/or multi-unit environment.
• College degree preferred or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Experience executing customer experience and/or omni-channel programs.
• Strong understanding of retail operations, including cash handling, compliance, and fast-paced execution.
• Proven ability to coach and develop team members.
• Strong organizational and planning skills, with the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Effective communication and problem-solving skills.
• Adaptable and agile, with the ability to respond to changing priorities and leverage AI-enabled tools.
• Bilingualism (French/English) required for roles based in Quebec.

Responsibilities

• Leads execution of customer experience priorities within the store, leveraging insights to optimize deployment, service, and sales.
• Ensures Indigo Experience and R.E.A.D. customer service model are enacted through coaching and feedback.
• Leads daily communication routines and sales rallies to reinforce priorities and loyalty initiatives.
• Coaches CERs to deliver intuitive recommendations and exceptional service.
• Supports omni-channel execution, including pickups, returns, and related customer interactions.
• Leads programs such as Plum loyalty, Indigo Love of Reading, events, author signings, and social media efforts.
• Uses Voice of the Customer and store observations to identify improvement opportunities.
• Maintains service areas, cash desk processes, and adherence to cash handling policies.
• Partners with Product Operations to align customer experience with merchandising and readiness.
• Provides ongoing coaching to build capability and accountability across the team.
• Ensures a safe, organized work environment and compliance with health and safety policies.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Communication

Problem-solving

Organizational skills

Planning

Adaptability

Bilingual

Education

College degree

Job description

Indigo is a physical and digital place inspired by and filled with books, ideas, beautifully designed lifestyle products, and the creative people who help make it all happen. We believe in real books, living life fully and generously, being kind to each other and to the environment, and that stories – big and little – connect us. Indigo is our customer’s happy place – for joyful moments of discovery and to connect with people who share their passion for reading, their belief in ideas, and their commitment to making the world a better and more beautiful place.

OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Our Mission is to inspire reading and enrich the lives of booklovers. As such, we believe in the power of people and their stories. We aim to attract top talent, nurture the potential of our employees, and create space for everyone to thrive. Our Guiding Principles are the few key ideas that are meant to influence everything we do, every day.

• We Will Hire, Inspire, Promote and Retain the Best – A’s Hire A’s.
• We Will be Customer Centric.
• We Will Be Data Driven – System Thinking – Entrepreneurial.
• We are Committed to True and Shared Value Creation.
• We Will be Human-Centered and AI Enabled.
• We are Committed to Caring About Each Other, Our Communities, Our Environment.

Job Description

The Customer Experience Leader is the execution lead of all customer programs and results. This position role models and coaches to create a high-performance, customer-focused environment where employees build their capabilities, contribute to team success, and bring the Indigo brand to life through meaningful business outcomes.

KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS

• Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• Net sales and profitability
• Loyalty (plum and email acquisition)
• Promotional execution
• Store engagement score

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES – what the work is

• Leads execution of customer experience priorities within the store, leveraging customer, sales, and omni-channel insights to optimize team deployment, deliver exceptional service, and drive customer engagement and sales performance.
• Ensures the Indigo Experience and R.E.A.D. customer service model are consistently brought to life through strong Sales Generation Leadership (SGL) practices, including active coaching and in-the-moment feedback that reinforce service behaviours and customer engagement.
• Leads daily communication routines and sales rallies that reinforce business priorities, promotional activities, loyalty initiatives, customer opportunities, and service expectations.
• Coaches and develops CERs to deliver intuitive recommendations, meaningful customer interactions, and exceptional service experiences that build customer loyalty and engagement.
• Supports omni-channel execution, including customer pickups, Manhattan order management activities, online returns, customer issue resolution, and related customer interactions, ensuring a seamless and consistent customer experience.
• Leads execution of customer-facing programs and initiatives, including Plum loyalty acquisition and engagement, Indigo Love of Reading, CEO Awards, Staff Picks, customer events, author signings, consignment programs, and store social media activities.
• Leverages customer insights, Voice of the Customer feedback, and in-store observations to identify opportunities and support improvements to customer satisfaction and overall service execution.
• Maintains customer service areas, payment desks, and cash office processes, ensuring compliance with cash handling procedures, operational controls, and company standards.
• Supports store supplies ordering and other customer-facing operational routines to ensure teams have the resources needed to deliver a consistent customer experience.
• Partners with Product Operations leadership to ensure alignment between customer experience, product availability, merchandising execution, and operational readiness.
• Supports the Customer Experience Manager in delivering store objectives by identifying customer-facing opportunities, escalating risks, and contributing to action plans that improve execution and results.
• Provides ongoing coaching and training on customer focused behaviours, building capability and accountability across the team.
• Ensures a safe and organized work environment, maintaining compliance with all health and safety policies, procedures, and standards.
• Models and embeds Indigo's Guiding Principles and values, fostering a positive, collaborative, and accountable team culture.

Reports to: Customer Experience Manager

Manager once Removed (MOR): General Manager

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Internal:

• Store employees
• Store leadership team
• Online Customer Service team
• Indigo Love of Reading team

External:

• Customers
• Consignment authors/agents and event vendors
• Adopt-a-School partners

Qualifications

• 1-3 years of leadership experience in a specialty retail and/or multi-unit environment, with experience leading teams in a customer-facing environment
• College degree preferred or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
• Demonstrated experience executing customer experience and/or omni-channel programs, translating direction into clear actions that drive results
• Strong understanding of retail operations, including experience with cash handling, compliance, and execution in a fast-paced retail environment
• Proven ability to coach and develop team members, building capability through hands-on training and reinforcement of customer experience, operational and cash handling standards
• Strong organizational and planning skills, with the ability to prioritize competing priorities, meet deadlines, and execute effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Effective communication and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify issues, prioritize actions, and support store objectives
• Demonstrated operational discipline, including experience with inventory management, compliance, pricing accuracy, and execution of company standards
• Adaptable and agile, with the ability to respond to changing priorities and leverage technology (including AI-enabled tools) to improve efficiency and execution
• Maintains/obtains required role-specific certifications (e.g., First Aid, Joint Health & Safety Committee) in alignment with provincial and store requirements
• Demonstrates sound judgment, accountability, and a proactive approach to execution and continuous improvement
• Full alignment with Indigo's values as reflected in the Guiding Principles
• A passion for Indigo's mission and delivering exceptional operational execution, inventory integrity, product presentation, and team experiences
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays
• Ability to be mobile on the sales floor for extended periods and safely lift medium to large items (up to 40 lbs) using appropriate equipment and techniques
• Bilingualism (French/English) required for roles based in Quebec

Additional Information

Indigo uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist with certain aspects of the hiring process, such as screening and assessments. These tools support our team but do not replace human judgment. We are committed to using AI responsibly, fairly, and in compliance with applicable employment and anti-discrimination laws. We regularly review these tools to help prevent bias or discrimination.

At Indigo, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility are core to our values. We integrate these principles into our training, policies, and hiring practices and continuously evolve to reflect the needs of the communities we serve. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and lived experiences, including but not limited to individuals who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour), members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and persons with disabilities. If you require an accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact Human Resources at [emailprotected].

We respect your privacy throughout the recruitment process. Our Candidate Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you apply for a role with Indigo, and the choices available to you.

This posting is for a current opportunity within Indigo.

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