A Conversation With Mona Cabero

At J.Jill, we’re proud of the candidates we attract to join our team. Their passion for the business and support of our vision to live in a world where the totality of every woman is seen, valued and celebrated, is what makes working at J.Jill such an empowering environment to be in.

Over the past few weeks, we have shared interviews with District Managers who recently received our J.Jill Excellence Award. The award celebrates our top performing Retail associates for their exemplary leadership throughout the year. In our final District Manager profile, we sat down with Mona Cabero, District Manager, to hear more about her career.

J.Jill: Tell us about what you do here at J.Jill and what attracted you to join?

Mona: I have been a District Manager for the Southern California area for the past 18 years. I was recruited here by someone I trust who spoke highly of J.Jill and the talented people they worked with. 18 years later, I am so happy I joined! I love that I get to work alongside some of the most savvy and smart people in the industry who truly love our customer and put her experience above all else. The products are also a perk – I’m obsessed with our high-quality fabrics!

J.Jill: We are so happy that you love it here! What does a typical day look like for you?

Mona: As a District Manager, I wear many hats! Some days I work directly with my teams, coaching and guiding them on how to improve our customer’s experience with us, and other days I work directly with our customers. I also partner closely with our corporate teams to maintain a link between both groups. ?

J.Jill: Looking back at your career, how have you grown professionally since joining J.Jill? ?

Mona: Prior to joining J. Jill, I worked for a large brand where I was one of many. In this smaller environment, I’ve been able to have greater influence, work on projects that I never would have had the opportunity to be a part of, and work more directly with our business partners to build stronger relationships. I’ve also been inspired by our leaders at J.Jill, like Elliot Staples, SVP Creative Director. I love how invested he is in the customer and how he is constantly working to deliver the product she wants while also bringing fresh ideas and trends to the table. All the while, he has been incredibly humble and genuinely grateful for the work his team does. I always leave conversations with him feeling inspired to do more for our customers in my own role.

J.Jill: We are very lucky to have such incredible leaders! What advice would you offer someone interested in joining J.Jill or following a similar career path?

Mona: Stay true to yourself and own your unique style. There are many ways you can approach this job, but for me, being highly connected to my store teams and being present in stores is my preferred approach. Any time that I’ve tried to deviate from that, it doesn’t feel right and shows up in my results.

As far as working as a District Manager, I would suggest starting in store and working your way up. Being grounded in the day-to-day experience of what running a store is like will give you a lot of credibility as a leader and help your teams find solutions to challenges. If you want to be an entrepreneur, are curious, creative, and passionate about the customer, you’ll love working at J.Jill.

Thank you, Mona, for the conversation! Want to join us? We’re hiring! Check out our latest roles?here.