Manager, Customer Service - Direct to Consumer, Runner Experience

Who We Are:

At Brooks, we believe movement is the key to feeling more alive. That’s why we’re driven to create gear and experiences that take people to the place that makes them feel more alive — whether it’s a headspace, a feeling, or a finish line. 

Everyone who works at Brooks is propelled by a company culture that sparks excitement, fuels collaboration, inspires creativity, and ignites innovation.

Our brand values help bond us together and drive our success:  

• Runner First 
  • We act in the best interest of the runner
• Word is Bond 
  • We do what we say we’ll do 
• Champion Heart  
  • We give our all in everything we do  
• There is no “I” in Run 
  • We stay generous with our humanity 
• Keep Moving 
  • We find ways to move every day, because joy is kinetic!

We welcome everyone from every walk of life looking to inspire others through the power of movement - because we’re all moving towards something. Let’s run there.   

Your Job:

As the Runner Experience (REx) 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.

Responsibilities:

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.

 

Customer Service Leadership

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.

Qualifications:

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
Embraces and lives the Brooks values!

At Brooks, we celebrate diversity & equity. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment, and encourage people of all backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and skills to apply. Brooks is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, two-spirit identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, the presence of a physical, mental, or sensory disability, marital status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), caste, citizenship or immigration status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, actual or perceived victims of domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault or stalking, HIV or Hepatitis C infection, political ideology, use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability, or on any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, or any other non-merit based factors.