Store Executive Intern (Store Leadership Intern) - Arlington Heights, IL (Starting Summer 2027) ​

ALL ABOUT TARGET  

Working at Target means helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. We bring that vision to life through our values and culture. Learn more about Target here.  

ALL ABOUT THE STORES EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP  
Experience firsthand what it’s like to lead a retail team within a Target store. This internship is a paid 40 hr/week, hands-on training program to develop and prepare you for store leadership. As a Stores Executive Intern, you will get a valuable realistic preview of the Executive Team Leader role (Assistant Store Manager) over a defined period of time. Within this store management internship, you will work closely with other managers and team members to develop an understanding of how Target’s retail business works and what it takes to excel in a management role. You will be introduced to multiple areas of the store’s business, but the majority of your time will be spent leading amongst the team, identifying and working towards store priorities, and delivering great guest service.   

This program is designed to teach individuals how to lead within a retail store and you will:  

• Learn how to drive guest experience and impact your store’s financial, team, and operational performance. 

• Work alongside a mentor and learn how they effectively lead their department within the store.  

• Have the opportunity to step into leading your mentor’s departments- of course, we will be there to guide you and help you learn along the way!   

• Spend your days learning to lead and motivate a team, drive sales results, merchandise products, and provide an exceptional experience for our guests.  

• Have ongoing development conversations, as your development will be a top priority of ours. 

• Lead and support the execution of daily operations by working with your team members to build culture and guide your team to grow and achieve goals. 

Learn more from past Interns, Mentors, and Managers here. 

At Target, we believe in our leaders having meaningful experiences that help them build and develop skills for a career. The goal of the Stores Executive internship is to provide a realistic job preview of an ETL role. The role of a Stores Executive Intern can provide you with the skills and experience of: 

• Guest service fundamentals and experience building and managing a guest-first team culture across the store 

• Guest engagement; problem-solving and resolution 

• Retail business fundamentals 

• Setting and planning department(s) monthly/quarterly workload to support business priorities and managing a team to deliver service and sales goals 

• Managing a team of hourly team members and team leaders while creating business strategies and goals 

• Recruiting, selecting and talent management of hourly team members and leaders 

As a Stores Executive Intern, no two days are ever the same, but a typical day will most likely include the following responsibilities: 

• Spending time on the store salesfloor and backroom leading team members and aligning the team on daily business priorities   

• Working alongside your Executive Team Lead (ETL) mentor and other leaders in the building to gain an understanding of their roles 

• Leading through daily priorities (stocking shelves, ensuring a safe and welcoming environment that’s inviting to guests, helping build displays within the store, etc.) 

• Partnering with leaders regarding team member performance by teaching, coaching, training, and delivering timely performance feedback 

• Addressing team member concerns and removing hurdles to ensure smooth operations and goal attainment 

• Leading/presenting at daily huddles with peer/leadership team 

• Planning daily goals and organizing plans within the building 

• Providing summary of results and priorities with peer/leadership team 

• Working with store leaders each day to set goals and expectations 

• Reviewing business reporting and guest insights to understand, troubleshoot and follow up on opportunity areas.  

• Delivering an exceptional guest experience by ensuring team members are knowledgeable and empowered to make it right for guests 

• Providing new ideas and recommend solutions to business or team opportunities 

• Taking the initiative to learn how to be a Target leader by seeking out opportunities for growth and development; continuously learning throughout the internship experience 

• Commit to learning Target’s expectations of leaders and use them to personally develop by asking questions and seeking feedback 

• Actively participate in internship program training activities, developmental opportunities and events 

• Demonstrate a willingness to take strategic risks and take on new assignments 

• Demonstrate a culture of ethical conduct, safety, and compliance; lead the team to work in the same way and hold others accountable to this commitment 

• Work in a safe manner at all times to benefit yourself and others; identify and correct hazards; comply with all safety policies and best practices 

• Foster an inclusive, equitable, safe, and secure culture 

• Carry out principal duties and responsibilities by the department  

• Gain an understanding of all business areas to develop business acumen 

• Create a welcoming experience by greeting guests as you are completing your daily tasks.   

• When guests need assistance, engage with guests in a welcoming way, to help solve their specific needs 

• Thank guests and let them know we’re happy they chose to shop at Target 

• All other duties based on business needs 

ALL ABOUT YOU 

This may be the right job for you if: 

• You enjoy interacting and helping others - including guests that shop our store and fellow team members you work with.   

• You thrive in a fast-moving, highly active and physically demanding role, where teamwork, flexibility, and creative problem solving are key to success.  

• You are open to working a flexible work schedule with varying hours, days or shifts (including nights, weekends, holidays and other peak shopping times). 

The good news is that we have some amazing training that will help teach you how to be an effective leader within our stores. But there are a few things you need from the get-go: 

• Previous retail experience preferred, but not required 

• Strong interest in working in retail, specifically within our stores in management 

• Leadership skills and team-oriented thinking 

• Learn and adapt to current technology needs 

• Work independently and as part of a team 

• Manage workload and prioritize tasks independently 

• Welcoming and helpful attitude 

• Effective communication skills 

We are an awesome place to work and care about our teams, so we want to make sure we are clear on a few more basics that we expect: 

• Access all areas of the building to respond to guest or team member issues 

• Interpret instructions, reports, and information 

• Accurately handle cash register operations as needed  

• Climb up and down ladders as needed 

• Scan, handle and move merchandise efficiently and safely, including frequently lifting or moving merchandise up to 44 pounds 

• Ability to communicate on multiple frequency devices and operate handheld scanners, and other technology equipment as directed 

• Flexible work schedule (e.g., nights, weekends and holidays) and reliable and prompt attendance necessary