Retail Trainer

Job Description

Job Description

About Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries

Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing job training, employment placement, and support services for individuals with disabilities and other barriers to employment. With a focus on empowering individuals to achieve greater independence and inclusion in the community, Ohio Valley Goodwill has been serving the Greater Cincinnati area for over 100 years.

Position Summary:

The Retail Trainer is responsible for delivering engaging, hands-on training across all core retail functions, including merchandise processing, customer service, manager, cashiering, and safety protocols. This role supports both new hire onboarding and ongoing skills development for existing team members. The Retail Trainer serves as a subject matter expert in retail operations and partners closely with retail leadership and the Learning & Development (L&D) team to ensure training is consistent, practical, and aligned with organizational goals.

Through on-site instruction, coaching, and collaboration, the Retail Trainer helps equip employees with the tools, confidence, and knowledge they need to succeed and grow. They also act as a key point of contact for new hires throughout their onboarding journey.

This position is ideal for someone who loves retail, enjoys helping others learn by doing, and is passionate about building strong, capable teams. Whether you have formal training experience or you have simply been the person others look to for guidance on the floor, this role offers the opportunity to turn that strength into impact. This position requires travel to stores on a consistent, weekly basis.

Experience Duties:

• Retail experience highly preferred, ideally in a donated goods or thrift store environment

• Experience at Goodwill is a plus

• Prior training, coaching, or facilitation experience is preferred but not required

Skills:

• Patience and approachability in working with employees of all skill levels

• Clear and confident communication skills

• Enthusiasm for teaching and empowering others

• Brings high energy and positivity to training sessions; sets the tone by modeling the excitement, curiosity, and commitment expected in the field

• Adaptability and willingness to adjust to different learning styles

• Consistency in delivering expectations and reinforcing standards

• Coachability and openness to feedback

• Basic digital literacy skills

• Basic Microsoft Office (especially Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) skills, with willingness to learn more

• Comfortable learning and modeling use of POS and retail systems

Essential Duties:

• Deliver hands-on training in all core retail functions for new and existing employees

• Serve as the primary trainer retail during onboarding (e.g., merchandise processing/production, etc.)

• Partner with Onboarding Specialist to support onboarding for new retail hires

• Adapt and revise training tools and job aids in partnership with L&D

• Collaborate with retail and L&D to identify ongoing training needs

• Track training participation and document employee progress

• Audit training effectiveness by visiting stores periodically and observing performance

• Build store-level capacity by developing Assistant Store Managers and Leads who can provide ongoing coaching and peer training when the trainer is not present

• Provide observations and support to store managers to reinforce learning and consistency

• Participate in relevant L&D, HR, and retail operations meetings to align goals and share insights

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of onboarding and training strategy for retail

• Serve as a subject matter expert and lead trainer for new store manager onboarding in close coordination with retail leadership

• In partnership with the L&D Director, contribute to long-term training and development initiatives, such as defining role competencies, supporting career pathway development, and exploring innovations in retail learning strategy

Periodical Duties:

• Support new store openings, remodels, or transitions with training and onboarding assistance

• Other duties as assigned

Please complete application and attach resume with detailed work experience. Incomplete applications will not be considered for the position.

EEO Employer/Vet/Disabled

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