● Curiosity: will actively and impulsively seek to understand, know more, solve problems
● Community Oriented: will look to foster camaraderie within a team and with the store’s customers through honesty and positively connecting with people on an individual level
● Excellent communicator: the ability to communicate clearly, kindly, and confidently with team members and customers
● Facilitator: solutions-oriented with the ability to identify and solve bottlenecks to achieve desired outcome and interpret and anticipate the needs of others
● Connector: will focus on figuring out how to better understand people and situations around them with a commitment to diversity, teamwork, and collaboration
1: Bookselling Team Leader
● Responsible for recruiting, interviewing, hiring, on-boarding, and training a team of booksellers, ensuring understanding and compliance to standards, organizational goals and direction; including conducting progressive counseling as necessary.
● Responsible for the creation of daily/monthly work plans to ensure that revenue, profit and operational goals of the Bookstore are met, utilizing staffing & resources appropriately.
● Create weekly staffing schedules for the bookselling team, making recommendations to General Manager & decisions as appropriate for scheduling and staffing levels to ensure operational & financial success in bookstores, book, & sideline related activities across the location.
● Demonstrate knowledge of the book business and bookselling. Participate in & encourage a bookselling culture locally – share book information & recommendations with booksellers & customers, write & solicit shelf-talkers, encourage employee discount or lending library, train handselling & book-specific customer service, etc.
2: Book and Sideline Buying
● Order, receive & return books and other bookstore merchandise (sidelines, gifts, magazines)
● Liaise with the General Manager on title selection and availability
● Manage the supply chain in conjunction with departments, ensuring delivery to deadlines
● Track and report on sales forecasts and performance data to relevant stakeholders
● Identify and source new markets and new suppliers
● Investigate publishers’ backlists for possible reprint candidates
● Negotiate run-ons with publishers, on both backlist and frontlist titles
● Develop mid- and long-term purchase strategies
3: Overall Location Management and Support
● Responsible for ensuring local compliance with all book & bookstore specific processes & brand standards, as well as achieving sales & profit goals, fostering a local bookselling culture, and exemplifying First Light’s core values through management & training, direct responsibility, leading by example, and coordination across the location.
● Assist with store merchandising to maximize sales potential of key titles.
● In collaboration with stakeholders, organize, order & create displays & sections for thematic, locally themed, and/or locally outperforming titles, categories & products as appropriate to maximize sales.
● Research and report on industry trends
● Manage and maintain budgets
● Undertake any further duties commensurate with the role
● Assist the General Manager in maximizing sales and profits by meeting and exceeding sales budgets while minimizing shrink.
● Manage or ensure completion of all administrative responsibilities of book related system tasks, such as receiving, returns, inventory, local associate access & training, in a timely & accurate basis.
● Manage day-to-day business issues and opportunities. Assist in overall location management & support as needed.
● High School diploma or the equivalent; Bachelor’s Degree preferred
● Commitment to excellent customer service and knowledge of the contemporary reading landscape
● Minimum 3-5 years book buying experience
● Booklog experience a plus
● Flexibility in schedule; weekends and holidays are required
● Robust negotiating skills
● A strong business acumen, ideally with experience in an e-commerce environment
● Excellent communication skills
● A professional attitude in dealing with confidential and commercially sensitive information
● Acute attention to detail
● Strong Excel and Microsoft Office knowledge
● Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines
● Full time employees are eligible for medical, dental, vision for you and eligible dependents after 90 day probationary period
● Holidays and PTO
● Access to lots of ARCs
● Employee discount in store and cafe
● Resume or CV
● 3 industry-related professional references
● A cover note which includes the following information:
1. Why is this role a good next step for your career journey?
2. Your favorite titles from 3 bookstore sections (for example: poetry, YA, cookbooks).