Senior Retail Trainer Europe

🔝 Reports to: Retail Director EU

📑 Permanent Contract

📍 EMEA HQ, Geneva, Switzerland

👩‍💻🏡 Hybrid mode (2 days/week home-office)

📆 Start date: at the earliest convenience

OUTGROWN YOUR OWN BACKYARD? COME PLAY IN OURS.

At Columbia Sportswear, we’re as passionate about the outdoors as you are. And while our gear is available worldwide, we’re proud to be based in the Pacific Northwest, where natural wonders are our playground.

Every product we make and every task we undertake is inspired by the famous words of our founder Gert Boyle: “It’s perfect. Now make it better.” As pioneers of relentless improvement, we are constantly evolving

Discover a world of diversity within our team of 700+ across 13 European countries, united by the common goal of elevating Columbia to the pinnacle of outdoor brands in Europe. Our omnichannel approach seamlessly integrates Columbia and Sorel brands' engaging in-store and online experiences.

Nestled at the heart of the Alps in Geneva, Switzerland, our European headquarters hosts the Executive Committee, go-to-market functions, and Planning and Logistics teams. In Schiltigheim, near Strasbourg, our shared services center thrives with over 100 professionals managing Finance and Operations/Customer Service. Our distribution center in Cambrai ensures swift delivery to customers, while our 35+ Columbia stores adorn major European outlet centers. Finally, the Sales and Trade Marketing teams are displayed in 3 regions across Europe, close to their customers and markets.

We believe the outdoors is ours to protect and strive to keep our planet healthy. We believe in empowering people to experience the outdoors to the fullest.

And we believe in you.

ABOUT THE POSITION

We are looking for a Senior Retail Trainer to join our Retail team, based at our EMEA headquarters in Geneva.

As our retail network continues to grow across Europe (+50 owned and operated stores, 400 retail employees), we are looking to further strengthen how we develop and support our store teams.

In this newly created role, you will play a key part in shaping a structured and scalable training approach for our retail teams, helping store leaders grow and succeed across the region.

Reporting to the Retail Director EU and working closely with the European Retail leadership team (Area Managers, Store Managers and Retail Operations) as well as the Global Retail team in the US, you will help translate global learning content into programs that are practical, relevant and impactful for our European stores.

HOW YOU’LL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

As Senior Retail Trainer, your mission will be to build and structure the retail training ecosystem for our European stores.

Your main responsibilities will include:

Build and implement a train-the-trainer program

• Design and deploy a structured train-the-trainer framework for Area Managers, Store Managers and internal trainers
• Ensure training is delivered consistently across the retail network
• Develop internal capabilities so training can scale across locations

Design and adapt retail training programs

• Review existing training materials
• Adapt and localize content to fit the operational realities of European stores
• Develop additional learning modules where needed

Structure the retail training landscape

• Create a clear and centralized training structure across the organization
• Consolidate existing materials and platforms into a more coherent learning framework
• Ensure training resources are accessible and aligned across the region

Deliver high-impact training sessions

• Facilitate key training sessions for store leadership and retail teams
• Support onboarding programs for new store openings or major store expansions
• Use engaging facilitation methods that encourage interaction and participation

Drive training adoption and impact

• Build and manage a calendar of training initiatives
• Monitor completion and engagement with training programs
• Continuously improve learning formats based on feedback from the field

YOU ARE

• A passionate learning professional who enjoys helping people develop and succeed.
• You bring strong facilitation skills and know how to engage an audience of retail professionals with energy and authenticity. You are comfortable interacting with store teams and leadership alike, and naturally adapt your approach depending on your audience.
• You are also structured and proactive, able to take ownership of a topic and build practical solutions in a fast-moving retail environment.
• You combine empathy, cultural awareness and strong interpersonal skills, creating learning environments where people feel comfortable participating and sharing.

YOU HAVE

• Around 8+ years of experience in training, learning & development, or capability development
• Proven experience designing and delivering adult learning programs, both in-person and online
• Retail experience strongly preferred
• Strong facilitation skills and the ability to engage diverse audiences
• Experience building training programs or learning frameworks
• Familiarity with learning platforms, LMS tools, or e-learning solutions

• Fluency in English, additional European language (Spanish or Italian) preferred
• Willing to travel across Europe regularly to support training initiatives

PERKS & BENEFITS

🎁 Significant discounts on Columbia and Sorel products

🌍 Soft mobility policy (Geneva office only)

👩‍⚕️ Health insurance allowance for employees in Switzerland

🧘‍♀️ Pilates and yoga classes on our premises, and running groups or sports activities

📚 Unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning

📖 A monthly Learning Hour for training, discovery and learning

👩‍🏫 Unlock your potential: access to in-house training courses (feedback, leadership, Insights®...)

🌈DEI initiatives to exchange and strengthen our involvement around these themes

ABOUT THE CULTURE

• At Columbia Sportswear, we value an inclusive and open culture that emphasizes the absence of barriers between team members. We are committed to fostering a sense of belonging by encouraging personal connections at all levels, which creates a cohesive and supportive work environment.
• Team members serve as ambassadors for our brand, finding motivation in being part of an organization dedicated to activities they are passionate about. This dedication reflects our commitment to building a team that takes pride in our products and values.
• We offer the opportunity to work for a US-based company within a multicultural environment, where your job has an impact across different countries.
• Our "Always Be Learning" culture of continuous learning enables our employees to identify and develop skills that will enable them to continue to grow within the company.
• "Unlock Your Potential" is the spirit that characterizes our vision of employees' development: to offer them opportunities to grow, in their job, in their team or even to change jobs completely. We grow our people to grow our business.

To learn more about us and our culture, visit our page on Welcome To The Jungle: https://bit.ly/49bl1i5

ABOUT THE HIRING PROCESS

1️⃣ Ready to unlock your potential at Columbia Sportswear Company? Apply now to help us connect active people with their passion! The hiring team will review your application in the following weeks.

2️⃣ If your application is selected: a 30-45mn introductory interview with our Talent Acquisition Team to talk about yourself, your motivations and the role

3️⃣ Interview with the hiring manager

4️⃣ Interview with the main stakeholders + case study presentation

5️⃣ Your unique strengths align perfectly with our team: we are thrilled to extend you an offer!

This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities, but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function in the company.