Social Enterprise Retail Associate

The Associate - Retail (Part-time) supports sales, merchandising, and inventory at MADE by DWC Resale Boutique's storefront, eCommerce platforms, and pop-up shops. This role assists with product preparation, marketing, visual and digital merchandising, and supports job-training participants and volunteers. The ideal candidate is collaborative, detail-oriented, and passionate about mission-driven retail. MADE by DWC serves as a hands-on training site for participants in DWC's LA:RISE workforce development program. In this role, the Associate works alongside trainees, supporting day-to-day retail operations while helping reinforce professional workplace skills, reliability, and customer service practices. The Associate contributes to a supportive, structured environment that promotes learning, confidence, and real-world retail experience. Essential Functions Prepare merchandise for the sales floor, e-commerce platforms, photoshoots, and shipping by ensuring quality controlling, pricing, writing product descriptions, uploading products, packaging, and utilizing shipping software. Provide excellent customer service in-store and online by greeting, asking and answering questions, styling, monitoring fitting rooms, problem-solving, up-selling, and maintaining knowledge of current product, sales, promotions, and incentives. Serve as a MADE by DWC brand ambassador by sharing knowledge of the MADE story, values and businesses including The Café and MADE branded products and contributing to department goals. Protects equipment by following operating instructions, troubleshooting breakdowns, maintaining supplies, and performing preventive maintenance of the boutique. Maintain operational consistencies that promote clean, welcoming, organized, and safe space for staff and volunteers that meet health, safety, and sanitation regulations. Perform opening and closing tasks including store cleaning, maintaining signage, recording sales and KPI goals, EOD checklist, and assisting in POS procedures. Other duties as necessary to meet the goals and mission of the store. Assist job training participants by providing coaching, assisting in training, and supporting daily tasks. Foster a positive store environment through effective communication, teamwork, and collaboration under the direction of the Boutique Coordinator and the Consumer Products Manager. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Competencies Retail experience Possess exceptional customer service skills Time Management skills Flexible Work Schedule Reliability Team Player Problem Solver Proficiency in basic computer applications, including email, web-based systems, and digital tools used for communication, scheduling, and retail operations. Supervisory Responsibility This position does not have supervisory responsibilities but serves as a mentor and coach to job-training participants, modeling professional workplace behavior and supporting on-the-job skill development. Work Environment This position is primarily based at DWC's Los Angeles Street location in downtown Los Angeles, situated within the community where many of DWC's program participants live and receive services. Staff must be comfortable working in and traveling through surrounding urban neighborhoods to access sites, attend meetings, and support operations as part of their regular duties. This role requires frequent, direct interaction with the public. The Associate greets all customers with prompt, friendly, and personalized service, builds rapport by learning customer names and style preferences, and proactively addresses customer needs to support a positive retail experience. Responsibilities include accurately processing point-of-sale transactions, answering phones in a professional and welcoming manner, providing store information and directions, and responding to general product or organizational inquiries. The Associate routinely supports store cleanliness, visual merchandising, and inventory organization, and promptly reports customer concerns, safety hazards, incidents, or operational issues to the Social Enterprise Resale Manager or Assistant Manager. The role requires maintaining a calm, empathetic, and professional demeanor within a trauma-informed, safety-conscious environment that prioritizes dignity, respect, and equity for all customers, trainees, visitors, and staff. Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Frequently required to use hands and fingers for repetitive motions, including handling, grasping, sorting, tagging, and operating retail equipment and point-of-sale systems. Must be able to remain on their feet for the majority of the shift, including prolonged standing and walking while performing sales floor, stockroom, and customer service duties. Regularly required to bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, and reach (including overhead) to stock merchandise, organize inventory, and maintain the sales floor and stockroom. Regularly required to lift, carry, push, and move merchandise and supplies weighing up to 35 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation. Must be able to adjust vision to varying lighting conditions and effectively focus on both close-range and distant objects to support merchandising, inventory tasks, and customer interactions. Regularly required to receive, sort, organize, and manage store inventory, including unpacking boxes, shelving merchandise, and maintaining orderly workspaces. Position Type and Expected Hours of Work The retail store is open to the public from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Operational shifts may begin as early as 8:00 AM and end as late as 4:30 PM to support opening, closing, merchandising, and inventory needs. This is a part-time, non-exempt position, typically scheduled three to five days per week, approximately 20-29 hours per week. Standard scheduling is generally five shifts per week at approximately six hours per shift, though exact hours and days may vary based on business needs. Saturday availability is required, with shifts typically scheduled from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM. Weekday shifts generally run from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with occasional earlier start or later end times for operational coverage. Peak season typically occurs between October and December. Scheduling adjustments, extended hours, and occasional holiday coverage may be required during this period. Flexibility is essential, as scheduled days and hours may vary week to week based on staffing and program needs. Travel No travel is expected for this position. Required Education and Experience High school degree; or GED. Retail experience a plus. Required Knowledge/Skills/Position Qualifications Customer service and sales knowledge POS and cash handling knowledge Must be available to work Saturdays Merchandising knowledge Photography and photo editing skills are a plus, but not required Demonstrate excellent verbal and written skills Attention and eye for detail Flexible and works well with a team Ability to multitask and focus on department goals Cultural humility. Must be a CA resident and live no more than 80 miles from DWC; must be available for in-person meetings at DWC. Must provide documentation of a negative TB test result within the last twelve months, on first day of hire. Pay Range $25.25-25.49/hourly Work Authorization Being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment. DWC does not sponsor employment visas, such as H-1B. Fair Chance Act Statement Downtown Women's Center will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Downtown Women's Center is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting the Civil Right's Department Fair Chance Act webpage. Downtown Women's Center provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants and actively seeks candidates who reflect the rich diversity of the communities that we serve. We are committed to a work environment that embraces and promotes individuality and inclusion. We believe that diversity and inclusion of varied perspectives, backgrounds, and life experiences are essential to our organization's effectiveness, and allow us to serve our clients in the respectful, responsive, and understanding way that they deserve. We define diversity in broad terms to include race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, mental or physical disability, marital status, pregnancy, military and veteran status, medical condition, geography, socio-economic status, and other unique attributes that make us who we are. Downtown Women's Center complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. Other Duties Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Pay Range: $25.25 - $25.49 per hour

Created: 2026-03-10