Manager, Runner Experience - Direct to Consumer

Brooks Running; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 98,000 - 147,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Paid time off and holidays

Annual bonus opportunity

Employee product discounts

Seattle HQ in-office four days a week

Job summary

Brooks Running is seeking a Runner Experience Manager to lead the Direct-to-Consumer REx team, shaping customer support across channels and ensuring alignment with Brooks' values and strategic goals.

You will drive staffing, training, and system needs, partner across the organization, and uphold service standards while delivering Run Happy experiences to runners in every digital interaction.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or related field required.
• 7+ years in a customer service environment.
• 3+ years of management/leadership experience preferred.
• Experience delivering Wholesale and Direct customer service.
• Able to communicate technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Strong collaboration across departments and cultures.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire the Direct-to-Consumer REx team to deliver best-in-class customer experience.
• Develop staffing, training, and system plans to scale with growth.
• Set and monitor SLAs and productivity goals in collaboration with leadership.
• Partner with eCommerce, Sales, and Product teams to ensure operational excellence.
• Drive a culture of customer obsession and continuous improvement.

Skills

People management

Leadership

Staff planning

Customer service

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic planning

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration

Tools

ERP systems

OMS/WMS

Job description

Job Requirements

As the Runner Experience Manager at Brooks, you will lead, manage, and inspire the Direct-to-Consumer team. Your primary focus is leading the customer-obsessed Direct-to-Consumer REx Team to deliver best-in-class customer experience in support of our business model, core values, and corporate goals. You will develop and drive customer service through traditional and new contact channels (social, online chat, etc.) and partner with peer managers in Runner Experience and across the organization to establish standards and ensure service level agreements (SLAs) and productivity goals are met. You lead the planning of staffing, training and system needs to scale with the growth of the organization. You will work in concert with the eCommerce team to ensure Direct-to-Consumer team alignment in executing strategic and tactical initiatives to deliver a Run Happy experience for runners at every digital interaction.

• People Management
• Partner with REx Director and REx Leadership Team to create departmental goals, direction, and work priorities in alignment with our culture: share vision of goals with employees; set achievable but demanding objectives linked to key strategies and hold the team accountable for attainment.
• Create and manage a people resource plan that provides appropriate and cost-effective support to meet the needs of seasonal or evolving business demands.
• Lead, motivate, and manage the Direct-to-Consumer Runner Experience team and support staff. Develop, delegate, and report on staff planning, hiring, onboarding, training, and supervision.
• Create a culture of customer obsession, driving a consistent environment of problem solving and continuous improvement, creating a frictionless experience and communicating our commitment to runners.
• Responsible for coaching and development of REx Direct To Runner Leadership Team to develop strong leadership skills in alignment with Connect Principles. Develop bench strength in individual functions including building leadership capability as functions grow.
• Cultivate a winning culture measured by high retention and employee satisfaction per our annual Cultural Strengths survey, resulting in superior performance as measured by department KPIs and Customer surveys.
• Create and implement multi-year customer service strategy for the Direct-to-Consumer support team.
• Determine appropriate success metrics and ensure consistent progress toward achieving goals. Identify and mitigate internal and external roadblocks encountered and respond appropriately to ensure success in reaching strategic goals.
• Keep pace with consumer trends and competitor practices to inform our service standards and continuously implement best practices across our teams.
• Recommend new technologies and provide alternatives/suggestions of how to best maximize efficiencies that best service both the company and customer.
• Develop and drive customer service through traditional and new contact channels (social, online chat, etc.), continuously adapting to how runners communicate and engage.
• Contribute to REx strategic plans by benchmarking industry data and providing recommendations for strategy updates.
• Ensure attainment of department objectives by preparing and completing action plans, implementing production, productivity, quality, and customer service standards.
• Focus on problem resolution throughout the department – identify system and process changes and lead implementation of any changes.
• Create plans and contingency solutions for complex customer service issues and be proactive in resolving negative service trends.
• Partner cross-functionally with eCommerce, Sales, and Product teams to lead and ensure operational excellence for our customers.
• Partner with e-Commerce and Digital Products Leadership to elevate the Voice of the Runner and prioritize work efforts related to creating a truly frictionless experience when engaging with Brooks.
• Assist with the creation and management of the department annual operating budget to ensure achievement of overall company goals and maintain enterprise accountability.
• Maintain expert knowledge of our core consumer systems, including ERP, OMS, WMS, Website, etc.
• Lead, supervise and maintain special Consumer projects and programs as needed.
• Systems Management
• Partner with the Systems & Operations Support Team to optimize systems supporting the Direct-to-Consumer channel.
• Identify and implement AI strategies for excellent service delivery at scale.
• Provide direction and clear prioritization for each workstream.
• Lead each workstream to develop reporting to communicate work outcomes to REx Director and other leaders.
• Ensure adequate support for systems that interact directly with REx or Runner. Maintain SME documentation/reporting on each area and lead the development of documentation for the functionality and use of each system.
• Guide Systems resources and other support staff in the creation of business cases for new or enhanced technology.
• Participate in technology related projects throughout Brooks as an advocate for the Runner and REx.

Work Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or related field; equivalent combination of education and years of experience can be considered in lieu of degree(s)
• 7+ years of experience in a customer service environment required
• 3+ years of management and/or leadership experience preferred
• Understanding of the mechanisms involved in providing both Wholesale and Direct customer service
• Ability to understand and communicate technical concepts to a wide variety of audiences
• Exceptional ability to positively deal with adverse situations
• Knowledge of manufacturing and/or the footwear and apparel business, systems, and processes helpful
• Experience working in a global environment with colleagues from different cultures
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, demonstrating effective listening through concise, clear verbal and written communication
• Excellent interpersonal skills that inspire and build trust resulting in effective working relationships across the company
• Experience and comfort with providing performance input and coaching for optimal performance
• Demonstration of innovation and initiative – always looking at improving our products and processes while also displaying a willingness to dive into the details and help wherever necessary

Benefits

Brooks is proud to offer a robust benefits package to our employees and their families!

• Benefits- including medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance, HSA and employer contribution, FSA, family & fertility assistance, 401K Savings Plan and match, employee assistance program, and transportation assistance.
• Paid Time Off- Brooks offers generous time off including five weeks of paid time off, eleven paid holidays, paid sick and parental leave.
• Bonus- in addition to base pay, Brooks employees may also be offered an annual bonus based on company performance.
• Perks- including product discounts, employee recognition, fitness discounts, volunteer and donation benefits.
• Location- You will spend 4 days per week in our Seattle offices, as we believe our organization flourishes when connections, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and celebrations happen in person.

Compensation

The pay range for this position, based out of the Brooks Seattle HQ, is $98,286 - $147,428 per year. Base pay offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.