Lead Sales Associate

At the American Cancer Society, we're working to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. Our employees and 1.3 million volunteers are raising the bar every single day. We are a culture comprised of diverse backgrounds and experience, to better serve our communities. 

The people who work at the American Cancer Society focus their diverse talents on our lifesaving mission. It is a calling. And the people who answer it are fulfilled.

Pay: $25/hour, with final compensation based on experience and internal equity.

Schedule: Full-time, approximately 37.5 hours per week, with a primary Tuesday–Saturday schedule. Some flexibility may be needed based on store coverage.

POSITION SUMMARY:

Reporting to the Manager, Discovery Shop, the Lead Sales Associate plays an important role in supporting the daily operations of a retail resale store, contributing to revenue growth and ensuring an exceptional customer and donor experience. This is a leadership position, and core responsibilities include guiding and motivating volunteer staff to ensure smooth daily operations, assisting customers on the sales floor, and accurately operating the point-of-sale (POS) system. The Lead Sales Associate is also responsible for maintaining a clean, organized, and visually appealing sales floor, managing and processing incoming donations, and completing specific tasks as assigned by the shop’s Manager and/or Assistant Manager. This role is instrumental in creating a positive, customer-focused atmosphere while upholding the values and mission of the American Cancer Society.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Provide comprehensive support for daily store operations, including restocking merchandise, setting up visually appealing displays, assisting at the register, maintaining organized sales floors and fitting rooms, following opening/closing procedures, and performing routine cleaning tasks to ensure a welcoming shopping environment.  In the absence of management, responsible for complete store oversight. 30%
• Assist shop leadership in recruiting, training, managing, and recognizing the volunteer workforce.  Ensure that all volunteers provide an overall exceptional customer experience including welcome greetings, assisting with floor navigation, facilitating merchandise sales, ensuring accurate point-of-sale transactions, and offering carry-out support to customers' vehicles when needed. 20%
• Provide comprehensive donor support by receiving donations, assisting with unloading items from donor vehicles, placing donations in designated areas, issuing donation receipts, thanking donors and accurately processing each donation in accordance with organizational procedures. 20%
• Support shop leadership in the development and execution of strategic initiatives, Discovery Rewards (loyalty) program, promotional events, and budgeting guidelines aimed at achieving and surpassing annual Revenue and Net Income Goals. 10%
• Create social media content and other marketing campaigns assigned. 5%
• Communicate the mission of the American Cancer Society to customers and donors, while providing clear information about its toll-free helpline and the direct services available to the community. 5%

EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum Degree Required: High School Diploma or Equivalent
• Preferred Degree: Some college, including basic courses in business, mathematics, and economics is a plus.
• Years of experience:  3 years prior retail/service experience. Some leadership experience a plus (i.e. key holder, lead or above.)
• Driver’s License Requirement(s): Valid driver’s license not required but is a plus.
• Vaccine Requirement(s): As required by government agencies for those working with the public.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITY:

• Excellent communication and customer service skills. 
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability to multitask in a fast-paced retail environment.
• Microsoft Office Suite operational ability (Word, Teams, Excel, Outlook)
• Ability to learn and utilize retail software such as Point of Sale and reporting tools.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

• Occasional, infrequent travel for store visits, team or regional meetings, and local donation pick-up as appropriate.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Frequent walking and standing and occasional sitting.
• Often bend, lift and move up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to focus.  
• Use of hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; balance; bend; talk or hear.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Volunteer Leadership: This role works closely with a large volunteer team and requires someone who can provide direction in a positive, patient, and respectful way.

Fast-Paced & Hands-On: Expect to move frequently between the sales floor, donation processing, customer/donor support, merchandising, pricing, and volunteer support throughout the day.

Donation Processing: This position helps sort, research, price, and organize a high volume of donated merchandise, including identifying items that may require additional research before pricing.

Physical Requirements: This is an active role involving frequent standing/walking and regular lifting and moving of merchandise up to 25 pounds.

Customer & Donor Experience: Strong customer service and emotional awareness are important, as donors may be giving items during meaningful or difficult life transitions.

Ideal Fit: Energetic, outgoing, patient, organized, detail-oriented, flexible, and comfortable working in a busy community-focused retail environment.

ACS provides staff a generous paid time off policy; medical, dental, retirement benefits, wellness programs, and professional development programs to enhance staff skills. Further details on our benefits can be found on our careers site at: jobs.cancer.org/benefits. We are a proud equal opportunity employer.