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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Vans Retail Assistant Store Manager

💰 $45,000 - $60,000

RetailStore ManagementCustomer ServiceFashionFootwear

🎯 Role Definition

The Vans Retail Assistant Store Manager supports the Store Manager in driving daily store operations, developing a high-performing sales team, and delivering an authentic Vans customer experience. This role blends hands-on retail leadership—coaching, visual merchandising, inventory and loss prevention—with operational accountability for meeting sales targets, KPIs, and local execution of brand initiatives. The Assistant Store Manager is a visible, customer-first leader who ensures store standards, operational discipline and team development while modeling Vans culture and streetwear retail expertise.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Sales Associate / Retail Sales Representative
  • Shift Lead / Supervisor
  • Customer Experience Specialist

Advancement To:

  • Store Manager
  • Senior Store Manager / Area Manager
  • District Manager or Retail Operations Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Visual Merchandising Lead
  • Inventory / Merchandising Planner
  • E‑commerce Store Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead daily store operations by opening and closing the store, ensuring compliance with company policies, and maintaining a safe, clean, ON‑brand retail environment that reflects Vans merchandising standards and maximizes customer engagement.
  • Drive sales performance and KPIs by coaching the sales floor, analyzing daily sales metrics, creating action plans to hit targets, and executing promotional and seasonal initiatives with urgency and accountability.
  • Hire, train, develop and retain top retail talent—conduct structured onboarding, lead ongoing coaching conversations, deliver performance reviews, and build a succession-ready team that consistently delivers excellent customer experiences.
  • Build and sustain an enthusiastic, service-driven sales culture by modeling exceptional customer engagement, resolving escalations with empathy and professionalism, and maintaining high standards for product knowledge and brand storytelling.
  • Own visual merchandising execution and on-floor presentation—implement floor sets, window displays and promotional signage according to brand guidelines to maximize conversion and sell-through at category and SKU levels.
  • Manage inventory accuracy and replenishment: perform cycle counts, oversee receiving and stockroom organization, reconcile discrepancies, and partner with inventory/planning teams to prevent out-of-stocks and overstocks.
  • Oversee cash handling and point-of-sale operations: ensure register accuracy, process transactions, manage daily deposits, and maintain rigorous cash control procedures to protect store assets.
  • Coach the team on product knowledge for vans footwear, apparel and accessories—provide meaningful selling techniques and cross-sell strategies that increase average transaction value and customer lifetime value.
  • Execute loss prevention and shrink reduction strategies by enforcing security protocols, monitoring suspicious behaviors, training staff on theft prevention techniques, and partnering with Loss Prevention and local authorities when required.
  • Create and manage daily and weekly staff schedules to support peak traffic, control labor costs, ensure coverage for key functions (receiving, visual, fitting room) and maintain compliance with labor laws and company policy.
  • Maintain compliance with all operational and corporate policies, safety regulations, opening/closing procedures, and audit requirements, escalating risks and implementing corrective actions proactively.
  • Lead in-store events, product launches and community activations—coordinate logistics, staffing, local marketing outreach and post-event analysis to drive foot traffic and brand affinity.
  • Analyze sales trends, conversion metrics and customer feedback to identify opportunities for improvement—translate insights into targeted coaching, merchandising adjustments and promotional tactics to accelerate growth.
  • Collaborate with district leadership and corporate teams to execute national campaigns locally, provide market feedback and ensure consistent brand execution across seasonal rollouts and product drops.
  • Manage administrative tasks including payroll submission, timecard approvals, inventory paperwork, vendor interactions and store communications with clarity and timeliness.
  • Support omnichannel operations: facilitate ship‑from‑store, buy‑online‑pick‑up‑in‑store (BOPIS) and returns processing while ensuring seamless customer experience across channels.
  • Maintain professional relationships with local partners, landlords and community stakeholders to support store initiatives, localized marketing and responsible store operations.
  • Mentor and evaluate team performance: facilitate weekly coaching huddles, set measurable goals for direct reports and implement tailored development plans to cultivate leadership competency within the store.
  • Drive visual and operational resets for seasonal transitions—coordinate logistics for merchandise transitions, ensure team readiness and validate execution against planograms and store scorecards.
  • Prepare for and support audits, credit card settlement, inventory counts and compliance reviews—compile documentation, facilitate root cause analysis and implement continuous improvement changes.
  • Promote and enforce brand standards in every interaction by representing Vans values—authenticity, creativity and community—both on the sales floor and across external communications.
  • Troubleshoot operational issues under pressure, including staffing gaps, supply delays and point-of-sale interruptions, providing pragmatic solutions that minimize customer impact and protect sales.

Secondary Functions

  • Support district and corporate initiatives by collecting local market intelligence and feedback that informs merchandising, assortment and promotional planning.
  • Assist with localized marketing efforts and social media activations to drive store awareness and engagement with target audiences, including event photography and community outreach.
  • Collaborate with regional inventory and planning teams on markdown strategy, transfers and replenishment to maximize sell-through and margin.
  • Participate in merchandising audits and scorecard reviews, preparing action plans and training materials to close store performance gaps.
  • Provide ad-hoc administrative or training support during peak seasons, cross‑training staff in critical roles and enabling smooth operation during high volume periods.
  • Champion brand safety and regulatory compliance for health, labor and environmental standards in the store environment.
  • Maintain vendor relations and support purchase order receiving, inspection and coordination for special deliveries or fixtures.
  • Facilitate inter-store transfers and secondary market coordination when required to support product availability across the district.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Retail operations management and store opening/closing procedures
  • Point‑of‑sale (POS) proficiency; experience with retail systems (e.g., Lightspeed, Shopify POS, Oracle NetSuite Retail or comparable)
  • Inventory management: cycle counts, stock reconciliation, shrink control and replenishment processes
  • Visual merchandising implementation and planogram execution
  • Cash handling, deposit procedures and basic store accounting controls
  • Workforce management: scheduling software experience and labor cost management
  • Sales analytics and KPI interpretation (average transaction value, units per transaction, conversion)
  • Loss prevention protocols and retail security best practices
  • Omnichannel operations knowledge (BOPIS, ship-from-store, returns/exchanges)
  • Basic HR functions: interviewing, onboarding, performance documentation and progressive discipline
  • Microsoft Office / Google Workspace proficiency (Excel/Sheets for basic reporting)
  • Familiarity with retail promotions, markdowns, and seasonal planning

Soft Skills

  • Strong leadership and team coaching skills with a growth mindset
  • Excellent customer service orientation and conflict resolution ability
  • Clear, persuasive communication and active listening
  • High emotional intelligence and ability to motivate diverse teams
  • Problem solving and quick decision-making under pressure
  • Organizational skills and attention to detail in a fast-paced retail setting
  • Time management and ability to prioritize competing demands
  • Adaptability to changing product assortments, promotions and business needs
  • Empathy and inclusive leadership to foster a safe, creative store culture
  • Resilience and a results-driven mindset focused on achieving sales targets

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent

Preferred Education:

  • Associate degree or Bachelor’s degree in Business, Retail Management, Fashion Merchandising, Marketing, or related field

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Retail Management
  • Fashion Merchandising / Apparel Business
  • Marketing / Communications
  • Hospitality or Customer Experience Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2–5 years of retail experience with progressive responsibility; typically 1–2 years in a supervisory or assistant manager role

Preferred:

  • Prior experience in footwear, action sports, lifestyle or streetwear retail environments
  • Demonstrated track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets, strong merchandising execution and experience with loss prevention initiatives
  • Experience working in a multi-store or district retail operation and familiarity with executing corporate brand initiatives at the store level
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