Workforce Planning & Operations Manager - Stores

J.Crew•New York, NY

10d•$97,600 - $126,300•Hybrid

About The Position

J.Crew is seeking a collaborative, analytical, and detail-oriented Workforce Planning & Operations Manager to manage store payroll and workforce efficiencies. The role owns store payroll planning and budgeting, builds and maintains labor models and scheduling guidelines, supports staffing and headcount decisions, and oversees store scheduling and hiring systems. It also maintains labor reporting and KPIs, identifies and pilots efficiency opportunities, and partners with field leaders and teams across Finance, HR, Payroll, Compensation, Communications, and New Store Openings. The position supports data-informed decisions that improve store profitability, sales, conversion, and customer service.

Requirements

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 or labor budget, including forecasting and variance analysis.
Hands-on experience with a workforce management platform such as Dayforce, UKG/Kronos, Legion, or a similar system.
Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, and modeling.
Experience with Power BI or similar business intelligence tools.
Clear communication skills and the ability to turn data into recommendations for senior leaders and store teams.
Strong organizational skills and comfort managing multiple projects with competing timelines.

Nice To Haves

Prior store, district, or field leadership experience.
Experience building labor models or labor standards.
Working knowledge of predictive scheduling and Fair Workweek requirements.
Workday experience.
BS in Business Administration, Finance, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Own the store payroll cycle, including annual budget setting and monthly forecasts of hours, wage rates, and payroll dollars.
Partner with FP&A to track payroll expense, explain variances, and respond to sales and workload trends.
Monitor labor costs and controllable expenses against plan and recommend actions to support store profitability.
Partner with senior leadership to design, run, and measure payroll tests and labor investments, quantifying effects on sales, conversion, and service.
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 allocate hours to customer and sales needs.
Partner with HR and Legal to ensure scheduling practices comply with predictive scheduling and Fair Workweek laws.
Serve as the Dayforce scheduling expert, coaching field leaders and store managers on efficient, customer-focused schedules and labor-data-informed staffing decisions.
Partner with Field Leadership on store census and staffing recommendations, adjusting headcount for seasonality, peak periods, and new store openings.
Support New Store Opening teams with labor plans and staffing models for new locations.
Act as business owner for store scheduling and hiring systems, including Dayforce and Workday, covering configuration needs, enhancements, issue resolution, and user training.
Own labor KPIs, including sales per labor hour, labor percentage to sales, overtime, and schedule accuracy, and maintain useful, accurate leadership reporting.
Provide ad hoc analysis, including new store performance and year-over-year comparisons.
Identify workforce efficiency opportunities, then pilot, train on, and track them across the store fleet.
Partner with Compensation, Finance, HR, Payroll, Communications, and New Store Opening teams, and support broader Store Operations initiatives.

Benefits

Medical, dental, prescription, and vision insurance for eligible associates and family members.
Family planning support, including fertility, adoption, and surrogacy support.
Fitness discounts and medical travel benefits.
Associate discount across J.Crew, J.Crew Factory, and Madewell brands.
Hybrid work model.
Summer Fridays, with the office closing at 1:00 PM on Fridays during summer months.
Philanthropic and community support through the J.Crew Cares Program.
PTO package and a winter break at the end of December for eligible full-time Home Office associates.
Opportunity for bonus.
Competitive benefits and perks.