On the Ground Specialist (Contractor)

At Instacart, we invite the world to share love through food because we believe everyone should have access to the food they love and more time to enjoy it together. Where others see a simple need for grocery delivery, we see exciting complexity and endless opportunity to serve the varied needs of our community. We work to deliver an essential service that customers rely on to get their groceries and household goods, while also offering safe and flexible earnings opportunities to Instacart Personal Shoppers.

Instacart has become a lifeline for millions of people, and we’re building the team to help push our shopping cart forward. If you’re ready to do the best work of your life, come join our table.

There’s no one-size fits all approach to how we do our best work. Our employees have the flexibility to choose where they do their best work—whether it’s from home, an office, or your favorite coffee shop—while staying connected and building community through regular in-person events. Learn more about our flexible approach to where we work.

The On the Ground Specialist is responsible for in-store operational success as we bring Caper Carts to new retail stores and grow partnerships in mature stores. In this client-facing role, your on-the-ground presence in partner grocery stores will be pivotal to planning and launching new pilots, supporting Caper operations in launched stores, while also collaborating remotely with Caper’s operations, product, and business teams for enduring performance.

You’ll be joining the Retail Go-To-Market Operations team, a driving force behind operational success for Instacart’s retail partners using our Caper Carts. Our team is instrumental in scaling in-store technology and fulfillment solutions to unlock growth, optimize efficiency, and enhance the in-store experience for both customers and associates.  This role will be focused on Connected Stores, specifically Caper, our smart shopping cart offering using deep learning and computer vision for a seamless grab-and-go retail experience. 

This role will be a temporary contractor role for up to 3 months with the ability to extend if required. This is a unique opportunity for individuals with a passion for retail, technology, and continuous improvement to impact our operations at the grassroots level.

Location: Various locations within the Dover, NJ area (must be willing to travel to multiple store locations) 

• Engage with store teams throughout the launch and implementation cycle of Caper, providing on-site support for testing, training and store readiness.
• Provide hands-on, on-site observation to identify, troubleshoot, and resolve operational challenges.
• Reinforce best practices to drive early adoption and smooth customer experience
• Serve as a crucial link between local store teams and broader strategic operations, ensuring clear communication and feedback loops.
• Oversee the execution of local initiatives and the rollout of new programs, ensuring alignment with company goals and standards.
• Conduct technical testing and troubleshooting, following guides to problem-solve issues with technology, and potentially build or repair elements as needed.
• Utilize performance metrics and data analysis to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence within Caper locations.

Minimum Qualifications

• Demonstrates a passion for operations, an eagerness for continuous improvement, and a strong interest in e-commerce and retail technology.
• Proven autonomy, ability to multi-task and excel in a fast-paced, ever-evolving environment.
• Experience and comfortability in handling technology challenges using guides and troubleshooting resources.
• Customer-focused orientation that aims to over-deliver on expectations
• Collaborative attitude who enjoys working with a team to solve problems
• Experience in retail and/or client facing roles
• Experience in driving program implementation, change management, and successful execution of training
• Exceptional interpersonal, written and oral communication skills with the capacity to adjust messaging based on audience needs.
• Self-motivated with a proactive approach to achieving goals.
• Comfortable working with and explaining new technology.
• Flexibility to travel and spend significant time in retail environments, especially during peak periods.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven track record with process mapping, measurement, and documentation, with a firm grasp of continuous improvement tools and methodologies.
• Proficient in performance monitoring, reporting, and leveraging data for operational improvements.
• Experience promoting or supporting technological products or innovations in a retail setting

Hourly Rate - $40-$46/hour