At L.L.Bean, we believe the outdoors brings out the best in all of us. We are committed to fostering a culture of belonging and creating safe, inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcome—both here and Outside. We value individual differences and are dedicated to maintaining an inclusive work environment where everyone can bring the best of their experience and talents and truly thrive.
L.L.Bean is currently seeking an Operations Manager to oversee our B4B Embroidery functions, activities, and personnel in Lewiston, Maine. In this critical role you will assist in developing and executing strategies, goals, and processes that reduce the CPU of embroidery and increases capacity in the organization. Other responsibilities include managing logo personalization and order fulfillment to ensure accuracy and meeting L.L.Bean’s high customer service standards. You will oversee operational policy developments and improvements including business processes, protocols, procedures, and operational structure while partnering with B4B CS Leadership, B4B Process Managers and OFC Leadership to define service strategies and resolve business and process issues as needed to deliver on overall channel goals and objectives. This role also includes managing relationships with vendors and business partners that provide operational services outside of L.L.Bean.
Responsibilities
Participate in and support B4B channel strategic planning and execution. Lead operational execution to align with channel goals and objectives supporting personalization and order fulfillment. These objectives include increasing capacity and reducing costs.
- Determine equipment, systems, processes and staffing needs to support productive scale of the embroidery operation.
- Provide business analysis and manage business process improvements.
- Critically examine and make recommendations to continuously improve work processes.
- Support cross-functional work group efforts to improve efficiency of operations.
- Prepare department operating budgets for appropriate areas of responsibility and operate within budgetary guidelines.
- Recommend capital projects and expenditures. Ensures that allocated charges for work completed are done in a proper and timely manner.
- Oversee Peak operations planning, implementation and execution.
- Provide a motivating organizational environment and manage area people and activities. Supervision is either direct or through subordinate supervisors. Identify training, operational, and organizational opportunities to support channel goals.
- Make or approve employment decisions, including promotions, transfers, and terminations.
- Establish performance objectives, assign work, and monitor workload/performance.
- Appraise performance of subordinates and ensure the performance improvement process and administration of salaries and wages are applied equitably.
- Coach and develop employees in job related skills through work assignment, direct training, and regular feedback, both positive and negative.
- Administer wages and salaries.
- Resolve personnel issues, following company policies and procedures.
- Assist employees in identifying personal development and career needs. Provide guidance and support on these issues.
- Communicate and monitor adherence to company policies, programs, and procedures.
- Review and update job descriptions, organization structure and staffing levels.
- Oversee the maintenance and updating of related records.
- Minimize risks of work-related injuries and illnesses and associated costs, including lost work time.
- Ensure Supervisors establish and maintain compliance with all appropriate health, ergonomic and safety standards.
Partner with key departments inside and outside B4B Embroidery Operations area and manage external business relationships.
- Establish cross-functional strategies to achieve mutually agreed upon goals based on business needs and directions with an ongoing focus of continuous improvement.
- Play an integral role in partnering with the OFC in developing strategies, identifying, and resolving issues involved in the full scope of OFC activities related to fulfilling B4B orders.
- Develop strong working relationships with partners in other departments and establish strong two-way communication mechanisms to ensure alignment of goals and timely communication of critical business information.
- Manage external business partners assuring that expectations are communicated, execution is monitored, and partners receive ongoing feedback and direction for improvement. Manage vendors to contractual obligations.
Support Benchmarking and Community Representation Efforts.
- Host corporate benchmarking visitors for on-site tours of Operations area.
- Maintain and promote L.L. Bean image in all corporate activities.
Perform additional duties as requested.
- BA/BS required
- 5+ years of relevant experience required
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Demonstrated strategic thinker; ability to identify strategic initiatives and consider whole picture impacts
- Strong presentation skills, including communication to large groups of employees
- Demonstrated people leadership abilities, fostering a motivating team environment that rewards good performance and addresses issues as they arise
- Proven ability to identify and develop talent
- Highly organized, attention to detail, ability to juggle multiple priorities
- Experience building collaborative partnerships and maintaining strong business partner relationships
- Self-directed and goal oriented
- Team player, flexible, and ability to adapt to and champion change
- Proven ability to problem solve using critical thinking and strong analytical skills
- Ability to translate business initiatives into actionable outcomes
- Strong business and financial acumen
- Project management and planning
- Operations experience / knowledge
- Understanding of training and quality measurement practices
- High level of computer skills, demonstrated competency in Microsoft Office products and department systems
If you care about the outdoors, joining L.L.Bean is a great way to feel good about what you do. Our benefits package makes a good thing even better, with programs and perks designed to support your health and financial goals. Plus, maintaining a healthy work-life balance and re-charging outside are all part of the plan.
If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you'd be great at this role, we'd love to learn more about you! At L.L.Bean, we believe the outdoors brings out the best in all of us. We strive to reflect this every day in our commitments to employees and partners and in our efforts to promote belonging.