JOB TITLE: Supervisor of Merchandise Operations
DEPARTMENT: Museum Store
REPORTS TO: Director of Merchandise Operations
ABOUT THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL New York's first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution documenting over 400 years of American history through a peerless collection of art, documents, and artifacts. Our offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women's History, the Reiss Family Graduate Institute for Constitutional History, the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Center for Teaching Democracy, the DiMenna Children's History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. We elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States' democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better.
JOB SUMMARY The Supervisor of Merchandise Operations provides the foundation for excellent store operations through accurate management of vendor and client accounts, detailed financial reporting, book buying, reorder buying, and personnel training and supervision. The Supervisor provides leadership in NYHistory Store operations that impact directly on a guest's experience while visiting The New York Historical. The individual will work closely with the Director of Merchandise Operations, the E-Commerce Coordinator, Museum Store Sales Associates, and the Finance Department in fulfilling their responsibilities. The Supervisor of Merchandise Operations shift is Monday through Friday with some evenings and weekend days as needed.
ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES - Supervise store sales staff. Assign general responsibilities and special projects to sales staff on daily basis. Assist with daily scheduling and ensure coverage for breaks and emergencies. Implement New York Historical and NYHistory Store policies and procedures. Interview candidates for store positions and make recommendations as appropriate. Write employee evaluations for store sales associates. Teach sales techniques and customer service practices; ensure implementation and take appropriate steps to correct deficiencies. Train any new staff on Point-of-Sale system, ensure efficient operation of each register and correct balance at the end of each shift. Reconcile cash and monies related to store activities;
- Analyze costs and selling patterns within merchandise categories and suggest book assortment for maximum sales and profitability. Act as buyer for collections- and exhibitions-related books. Maintain relationships with industry reps and book publishers. Place and manage orders for all public programs, certain special events, and bulk purchases for clients of other departments. Stay up to date on inventory levels for all categories. Assist the director with sourcing, buying and re-ordering categories including stationary, toys and games, accessories, gifts, graphics, jewelry and holiday product. Attend trade shows and develop and maintain profitable relationships with vendors. Review all unsolicited product submissions and correspond with submitters;
- Manage sales and fulfillment of wholesale business. Attend the annual Museum Store Association Conference and Expo and set up, and run, the New York Historical wholesale tradeshow booth;
- Receive product shipments and resolve any discrepancies in shipments with vendors. Ensure that received product is correctly tagged and well displayed in museum store. Maintain efficient reorder procedures on strong selling merchandise. Administer all tasks associated with merchandise returns to vendors including inventory vouchers, return authorizations and shipping. Write purchase orders and maintain and accurate and consistent entry of all new merchandise into the Point-of-Sale database;
- Oversee merchandise storage and restocking. Coordinate placement of overstock merchandise so as to be safely and logically accessible for store restocking by associates. Ensure that overstock areas are well maintained, clean and free of moisture and dust. Work closely with senior sales associate and sales staff to ensure that store merchandise is fully stocked, neat and attractive to potential customers. Delegate restocking areas to staff and interact with sales associates daily to ensure the areas are continually maintained;
- Prepare all areas for annual physical inventory. Complete inventory pre-count sheets for all offsite and onsite storage areas. Coordinate with contractor team throughout the physical inventory to ensure all areas are accurately counted;
- Write descriptive text for product provenance cards, eblasts, advertising and online store. Assist with conceptualizing, designing and creating visually exciting merchandise displays. Assist with sourcing designer-makers for the bi-annual Designing Women Market day-long pop-up market;
- Assist as needed with online store customer service and fulfillment, and product development and licensing. Field calls from customers, sales representatives and vendors. Undertake projects of moderate complexity for merchandise department and perform broad range of administrative duties.
REQUIREMENTS - Bachelor's degree and a minimum of five years' experience in retail sales and accounting, management and customer service;
- Must be proficient in Excel and the entire Microsoft Office suite, and have the ability to perform complex mathematical equations;
- Knowledge of OTB merchandise planning a plus;
- Experience with a point of sale inventory software system, Retail Pro preferred;
- Proven record of accuracy and attention to detail;
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills;
- Must be comfortable and professional while interacting with the public.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee with or without accommodation, to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The employee will spend many hours sitting and using a computer. They will also bend, stoop, and open cabinets and frequently walk from their desk to the museum store and storage areas on a different floor. The employee will frequently lift 20-40-pound boxes.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS The expected salary range for this position is $70,000-$80,000. The successful candidate will be offered a salary within this range based on specific factors such as their individual qualifications, experience, and internal equity considerations.The New York Historical provides a generous benefits package for eligible employees to support their health and wellbeing, which includes:
- Paid time off, including vacation, sick and personal days, and holidays observed by the Museum;
- Medical, dental, vision and life insurance;
- Short and long-term disability coverage options;
- 403(b) retirement plan with eligibility for employer contributions following one year of full-time service;
- Flexible spending accounts for health-related expenses, dependent care, and parking and transit expenses;
- Employee Assistance Program for all employees and their families;
- 20% discount at the NYHistory Store;
- Free admission to various museums and cultural institutions across the city.
COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY
To ensure the overall health and safety of The New York Historical community, all newly hired employees of New York Historical are required to be fully-vaccinated with an FDA or WHO approved vaccine against COVID-19 as a condition of employment, absent qualifying exemptions for medical, religious, or other reasons in accordance with all applicable laws.
Research shows that women and people from underrepresented groups often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that it is highly unlikely that someone meets 100% of the qualifications for a role. If much of this job description describes you, then please apply for this role.
The New York Historical is an Equal Opportunity Employer.