Alterations Specialist, 57th Street Flagship Boutique

Alterations Specialist

At CHANEL, we are focused on creating an inclusive culture that nurtures personal growth, contributing to collective progress. We believe the uniqueness of each individual increases the diversity, complementarity, and effectiveness of our teams. We strongly encourage your application, as we value the perspective, experience, and potential you could bring to CHANEL.

About the role:

We are looking for an Alterations Specialist who will be responsible for producing high quality, altered merchandise within established time frame standards. They will play a vital role in providing excellent service, while establishing and maintaining customer relationships, and working effectively with the associates and management team in the boutique. CHANEL requires specific skills for its alterations work due to the intricacy of the material used.  Specifically, the chains that are often in our product, the substantial tweeds and delicate silks used etc that require a high organization and strong attention to detail to ensure that all projects are executed accurately and efficiently. The Alterations Specialist will work alongside a diverse and dynamic team and reports to the Operation Manger.

What impact you can create at CHANEL:

·       Uphold production standards to deliver the ultimate CHANEL experience to the client

• Properly fit each garment with client(s) with the ability to alter a wide range of garments
• Organize and maintain client owned pieces in line with CHANEL expectations
• Ability to interact with clients to suggest styling and fitting advice
• Maintain a up to date knowledge of the alteration techniques specific to CHANEL, including fabrication and styling of luxury garments
• Ensuring that sewing machines and other equipment are in proper working order
• Build positive team relationships throughout the boutique to inspire trust and teamwork
• Altering or repairing clients' garments and other articles, which includes hemming, mending, lengthening, as well as taking in and letting out seams
• Fitting garments on clients to determine how the alterations should be done
• Constructing garments and other articles according to clients’ specifications and preferences
• Labeling clients' garments and articles and recording the alterations required
• Communicating with clients to determine their specifications, needs, and preferences
• Using irons and pressing machines to erase the creases on garments and other articles

You are energized by:

·       The history and heritage of the House of CHANEL

·       Demonstrating your strong technical background in specialty skills, such as leather, knits, double-face, beading, fine tailoring, buttonholes, etc.

·       Your strong attention to detail

·       Being truly service minded

·       Working in a team-focused environment and a desire to collaborate effectively

What you will bring to the team:

• Ability to thrive in a team environment and work collaboratively

• Understanding of, and passion for client experience

• Excellent communication skills

• Foreign language skills are preferred but not required

• Passion for the House of CHANEL, its history, product offerings, and commitment to social and cultural initiatives

• Curiosity and desire to learn and grow professionally within the world of CHANEL

Position Logistics:

• Previous alterations experience in a luxury retail environment of a minimum 5 years of related experience preferred
• Sound knowledge of various fabrics and sewing techniques
• Ability to work under time constraints
• Effective communication skills
• Exceptional client service skills
• Detail oriented
• Minimum High School Diploma
• Ability to lift 15 lb.
• A flexible schedule with the ability to work late nights, weekends, and some holidays
• Heart of House: Requires in-store presence to facilitate the opening and closing of the boutique; the receiving of inventory; shipping of product to support sales to ensure optimal client service

*Chanel, Inc. reserves the right to edit, change, or make exceptions on designations where circumstances where deemed appropriate.

What skills you will learn:

(This is best leveraged for internal job posting to best attract internal talents)

• Exposure to multiple boutique business functions and categories

• Growth in additional business and functional areas of the retail business

• Opportunity to collaborate and succeed as a team with colleagues and cross-functionally

• Further grow and develop your skill set with thoughtful career development workshops and self-directed learning modules

Compensation:

• The anticipated base salary range for this position is $28/hour through $41/hour. Base salary is one component of the total compensation for this position. Other forms of variable pay may be offered for this position. Other components may include bonus potential, benefits, and/or perks.

Benefits and Perks:

•       Wellbeing resources include dedicated paid time off for wellbeing (Wellbeing Days in Retail) and a Wellbeing fund

•       Family and care giving benefits (inclusive of parental leave, fertility support, MilkStork, and Care.com Membership)

•       Generous paid time off policies to include vacation, holiday, sick and volunteer days

•       401K and other incentives

•       Robust healthcare offerings; medical, dental, vision, MDLIVE (virtual care), One Medical, Flexible Spending Accounts (Health Care & Dependent Care), Health Savings Account and Employee Assistance Program

•       Life insurance, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, Health Advocate, International Business Travel Accident & Medical, and Commuter Transit & Parking

ONLY FOR INTERNAL POSTING AS NEEDED: 

·       This role is considered critical in terms of skills, capabilities and preparedness needed. Hence, this is a role that has been discussed throughout regular cycles of people development and succession planning discussions. As a result, a few candidates are likely in discussions and advancing through the recruitment process. However, we still encourage your interest and application as we commit to a fair, objective, and developmental process for all. 

Additional Information:

CHANEL is a private company whose values are grounded in creating the conditions for people to perform at their best and feel fulfilled and confident in their work. We offer a unique work environment where individuals are encouraged to better understand the brand, the business, and motivations, so that together we can unlock the possibilities of growth. This is reflected in:

Diversity and Inclusion:

•       At CHANEL, we are intentional in promoting Diversity & Inclusion. We foster respect, empathy, and dignity for all.  We believe strongly that the diversity of our people across the full spectrum of human differences is essential to our organisation and the connections we have with each other and our clients.

•       We offer Employee Resource Groups in the US that are voluntary, open to all, employee-led groups formed around a shared identity or lived experience, whose aim is to foster a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community aligned with the values and missions of the communities they support.

CHANEL Community:

•       CHANEL Community empowers our employees to channel their passions, talents, and sense of purpose to contribute to and learn from our communities.

•       Employees are encouraged to take time off annually to volunteer through CHANEL Community. CHANEL also matches employee donations to select charitable organizations.

Sustainability:

• CHANEL Mission 1.5° is our climate action plan. It is focused on transforming the business in line with the ambitions of the Paris Agreement on climate change to limit the average global mean temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

•       Employees are encouraged to contribute to our US Sustainability efforts at the corporate level and within the divisions, through organized taskforces and initiatives.

Arts and Culture:

• We are committed to extending our legacy of cultural engagement. Global support includes the CHANEL Culture Fund, which supports a select group of leading art culture institutions across the globe, and the CHANEL Next Prize for the next generation of creative talent.  US support currently includes Annual sponsorship of the MoMA film program, Tribeca Film Festival programs and Through Her Lens, Support of the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women and Sponsorship of the BAAND Together Dance Festival at Lincoln Center.

Fondation CHANEL:

• Since 2011, Fondation CHANEL’s mission is for women and girls to be free to shape their own destiny.  Through multi-year partnerships with financial and technical support, Fondation CHANEL is committed to improving the safety and autonomy of women and adolescent girls around the world, impacting over a million women and girls in its first 10 years.   

• For more information, please navigate to the Fondation CHANEL website here.

Career and Leadership Development:

•       We have dedicated in-house teams focused on supporting the onboarding of employees, developing leadership skills via custom programs like Imagine CHANEL People, Heart of Leadership and group and individual coaching, and blended online and live classes offered on our Bloom platform and by skilled trainers, such as Shape Your Career, to develop career building skills.

*CHANEL, Inc. benefits and perks are dependent on eligibility and subject to modification by CHANEL at any time.