Manager, Store Planning at Goodwill SWPA – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Position Title: Manager, Store Planning

Job Category: Retail
Requisition Number: MANAG004396
Full-Time
Pittsburgh, PA 15201, USA

Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania and North Central West Virginia is a nonprofit organization that funds job training, education, and other community programs by selling donated clothing and household items in Goodwill stores and online. We offer life-changing work on a mission-minded team. We are 1,000 working as one, and each of us is essential to helping our community thrive. For three years running, Goodwill has been named to Forbes’ list of America’s “Most Inspiring Companies”.

We offer a wide range of career opportunities from entry-level to management in retail, human services, and administrative fields. Learn more about working at Goodwill. You can help. We can show you how.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Manager, Store Planning is a highly hands-on role responsible for planning and physically executing the operational setup of new stores, remodels, refreshes, and other special retail projects across the Donated Goods & Retail division. This position owns the non-construction side of store development, including sales floor and backroom mapping, fixture and equipment layouts, initial stocking and merchandising, and ensuring stores are
operationally ready for opening day and beyond. This role is frequently on-site in stores, working shoulder-to-shoulder with field and store teams to build out spaces, move fixtures, set product, and fine-tune layouts. Partnering closely with all applicable cross-functional stakeholders, the Manager, Store Planning ensures that every new or refreshed location reflects Goodwill SWPA’s brand, delivers a consistent donor and shopper experience, and supports safe, efficient, and sustainable operations. The role also supports pilots and special initiatives that test new layouts, formats, and processes in the retail environment.

Duties will also include but are not limited to:

• Develop and maintain standard sales floor layouts, adjacencies, and fixture plans for new stores, remodels, relocations, and refreshes
• Lead the end-to-end operational setup of new stores, remodels, relocations, and major refreshes – from planning through on-site execution
• Support pilots and special projects (e.g., new formats, category expansions, layout tests, new fixture concepts, technology integration)
• Serve as the primary operational point of contact for store planning on new stores, remodels, refreshes, and special projects
• Conduct post-opening and post-remodel reviews to identify best practices, capture lessons learned, and drive continuous improvement across future projects

Travel: This position requires occasional travel, and the individual must be willing to travel as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelors degree & 2+ years' required experience, Associates degree & 3+ years' required experience, or HS Diploma & 4+ years' required experience

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE:

• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects, sites, and timelines simultaneously.
• Ability to work in active store environments, including spending extended periods on the sales floor and in backroom areas during hands-on setup and execution.
• Working knowledge of retail layouts, adjacencies, merchandising principles, and backroom workflow.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, etc.).
• Strong communication skills and interpersonal skills.
• High degree of initiative, ownership, and problem solving ability, including making sound decisions in real time on-site.
• Experience working cross-functionally with operations, supply chain, facilities, or similar teams in a fast-paced retail environment.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

• Experience with store planning software or CAD-based tools (e.g., AutoCAD, SmartDraw, etc.).
• Understanding of material flow, production processes, and/or backroom organization.
• Ability to use data and performance metrics to inform layout decisions, space allocation, and fixture planning.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams (operations, supply chain, construction, facilities).
• Prior experience leading on-site teams during time sensitive projects.
• Experience in pilot testing, process improvement, or scaling new retail concepts.

External Hiring Range: $55,000-$60,000/yearly

REQUIRED CLEARANCES, LICENSES, AND CERTIFICATIONS:

• Candidates are expected to provide current, valid clearances (Child Abuse Clearance, FBI, and PA PATCH)

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.