Workforce Planning & Operations Manager - Stores at J. Crew in New York, NY

Job description

Our Story J.Crew gets you dressed every day, for every occasion. Since 1983, we’ve been creating classics that feel familiar and refreshingly new, crafted with unbeatable quality and distinctive point of view—it’s no wonder we’ve been in your closet for four decades and counting. Today, we continue to do the classics our way, inspiring not only how you shop but how you define your personal style. Our commitment runs deeper than just making great clothes—we’re proud of our role in getting you dressed with confidence, character, and celebrating a distinctly American sensibility that makes us who we are. Our dedication to Diversity, Equity, Belonging & Sustainability has been celebrated with industry recognition, reflecting our commitment to fostering an inclusive and sustainable workplace. 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 fie