Assistant Store Manager - Customer Experience

PetSmart does Anything for Pets – JOIN OUR TEAM!

Assistant Store Manager Customer Experience

About Life at PetSmart

Our associates are the heart of Team PetSmart. Together, we're building the best team in retail through our values-based culture, connection, and teamwork. Our goal is to create a culture where associates learn and grow together, thrive as effective teams, and challenge each other to be the best they can be. This posting reflects an existing vacancy, and we are actively seeking candidates for this role.

Benefits that benefit you

• Paid Weekly
• Health & Wellness Benefits
• 401k Plan with company match
• Paid Time off for full-time associates
• Associate discounts  
• Tuition Assistance  
• Career pathing  
• Development opportunities  

Job Summary

PetSmart’s Experience Leader (ELR) is responsible for providing exceptional leadership and service to our pet parent while upholding the company’s vision, mission, values, and strategy. This role is expected to provide exemplary leadership for the store by driving the pet parent experience through culture and strategies, achieving targeted results. This role has shared responsibility for the safety of people and pets, efficient execution of daily tasks and financial outcomes. 

Essential Responsibilities

Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following and may vary depending on store characteristics and needs: 

People Leadership:

• Participates in employment decisions such as recruiting, interviewing, hiring, coaching, and terminating.
• Facilitates the associate experience and supports associate development. This includes but is not limited to associate reviews, recognition, team events, labor management, training, onboarding, mentoring, succession planning, and coaching for growth.
• Address and administer associate complaints and grievances.
• Prioritize, delegate, and validate daily tasks for associates to meet business and pet parent needs.
• Lead and coach associates on proper processes to ensure pets in our care are safe and healthy.
• Coordinates staffing coverage for experience activities in pivotal areas of the store. 
• Effectively communicates company information and priorities to associates to ensure alignment and deliver on expectations.
• Delegate and validate completion of daily tasks including engagement videos.
• Address and administer associate complaints and grievances. 
• Recognizes and celebrates associates driving overall associate engagement. 

Overall Store Experience:  

• Leads the associate and pet parent experience at all levels and ensures pets in our care are safe and healthy.
• Responsible for the pet parent experience and outcomes conducted over the telephone, in person or online, and responding to general and escalated pet parent’s concerns. 
• Assists with reservations in hotels, salons, and training. 
• Oversees the pet parent experience across PetSmart services (salon, training, hotel and day camp), live pet sales and adoptions. 
• Evaluates operations and seeks opportunities to continuously improve experiences and services.
• Accountable to the successful execution & experience of store events and marketing (adoptions, hotel, salon, etc.)
• Maintains store standards and leads a culture of empowerment by ensuring compliance with our policies and procedures (P&Ps) and code of ethics. 
• Responsible for conducting monthly Services Walks to validate proper execution of policies and procedures.
• Responsible for taking immediate action when a sick/injured pet is identified in the store; transport to the vet as needed. 
• Shared responsibility with store opening and closing procedures to ensure we uphold our brand promise. 

Business Management  

• Drives and identifies opportunities to grow the business and hold associates accountable in achieving store P&L expectations such as sales and shrink targets. 
• Manages expenses such as labor and supplies and any other relevant store metrics. 
• Leverages home office partners and resources to submit and follow up on store related work orders and purchase card allocation. 
• Works directly with the services associates on productivity and scheduling to grow the business and achieve company goals. 

Qualifications

• 3 - 5 years of retail leadership or experience in a customer-focused environment. 
• Full time availability required, flexibility in schedule, able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
• Proficiency in computer applications. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. 
• Ability to react under pressure and maintain composure.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail. 

Supervisory responsibility

• Typically oversees one to six lead associates and ten to seventy non-leader associates. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with PetSmart’s policies and procedures.

Physical demands and work environment

• Associate required to stand, walk, climb a ladder, and use hands to handle, feel, hold, write, etc. The associate frequently is required to reach with hands and arms: stoop, kneel, crouch, talk and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include depth perception. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 
• Associate must frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally team lift and/or move more than 100 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include depth perception. 
• While performing the duties of this job, the associate is occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts, as well as a wet environment with an abundance of pet hair. The noise level is moderate in the work environment; however, associates may be exposed to high levels of noise at times. Exposure to live animals and their handling is common.

Do what you love  

Join us for a chance to make a meaningful impact every day. Whether it's helping a customer choose their first fish, celebrating a pet's birthday, or seeing the smile on a pet parent’s face after a fresh groom—you'll create moments that matter . At PetSmart, we cherish diversity and the unique perspectives of our 50,000 associates, all united by a passion for pets. 

We’re delighted you’re interested in joining our pack and helping us in our commitment to doing Anything for Pets, and the people who love them. We're excited to hear your story and learn more about you! Apply Now!   

PetSmart is an Equal Opportunity Employer

PetSmart provides an equal opportunity for all associates and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. We offer reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout our application process, upon request and as required by law.

This job summary is intended to describe the general nature and level of work associates/leaders assigned to this job perform. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities. You will be provided with a copy of a job description for the actual position you are hired into. Exact rate of pay will be based on relevant experience level, training, skills or knowledge and store location. In no instance will PetSmart pay less than the local minimum wage. This position is also eligible for a quarterly incentive based on eligible earnings and store performance, as well benefits, as described at  

Applicants must be over the age of 18 (except in Montana or where otherwise required by local or state law)

For applicants in our Waterloo, San Francisco, or Los Angeles locations: Pursuant to the Waterloo and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, as well as the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, we will consider for employment, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in a manner consistent with the law.