The International Crane Foundation headquarters in Baraboo, Wisconsin, is renowned as the only place in the world where you can experience all 15 species of the world’s cranes—one of the most endangered families of birds in the world. We are currently looking for a passionate individual to champion our Visitor Services and Welcome Center team. The ideal candidate will have extensive retail management experience, excellent financial management,
customer service, and analytical skills. Experience in administrative and project management and the ability to train, manage, and motivate staff with a positive attitude. Rewards include a complete health benefits package, one-year membership to the International Crane Foundation, employee discount in the gift shop, and great reciprocity discounts for local and national organizations.
What is it like to work at the International Crane Foundation? Prepare to be surrounded by people who are passionate about our mission, dedicated to the organization, and engaged with their fellow staff and associates. You will find dedication in all levels of the organization from staff and volunteers to our dedicated Board Members. You will play a critical role in fulfilling our mission across the U.S. and 50+ countries around the world.
Overview:
The Manager of Retail and Visitor Services supervises the daily operations of the George Archibald Welcome Center at the
International Crane Foundation. This new facility opened in May 2021 and is the visitor’s first impression of our
organization. It is the entrance to the Cranes of the World Experience – a network of naturalistic exhibits featuring the only complete collection of all 15 crane species from around the world. The building includes Admissions, a 50-seat theater, interactive exhibits, an indoor viewing room for the Sandhill Cranes exhibit, and a gift shop. Daily admissions, membership sales, gift shop sales, site orientation, and a self-guided interpretive preview of the organization all take place
in this facility. This is a full-time year-round position.
Job Description:
The Manager of Retail and Visitor Services oversees all aspects of the visitor experience at the George Archibald Welcome Center and management of all retail sales including our physical store, online store, and mobile sales venues. The Manager of Retail and Visitor Services works closely with other departments, including the Conservation Education Department, Site Management, Development, Marketing and Communications, and Finance to achieve all goals in support of the foundation’s mission.
Essential Duties
- Manage and supervise the gift shop and web store, including product and vendor selection, new merchandise
development, administrative reporting, merchandising, and inventory control. - Supervise and train an Assistant Manager year-round and a team of seasonal Visitor Services and Sales Associates
during the visitor season. - Oversee sales of daily admissions and memberships in the Welcome Center during the visitor season (May
through October). - Provide branded, proprietary, custom, educational, fair trade and environmentally friendly merchandise for all
sales outlets. - Create an engaging and innovative retail experience and connect merchandise to the mission whenever possible.
- Work with Marketing and Communications to market and promote the physical and web stores and remote sales
events through print, radio, social and digital media.
Additional Duties: - Supervise order fulfillment for web store.
- Set and reach annual revenue goals.
- Oversee hiring, training, and scheduling of all Visitor Services and Gift Shop personnel.
- Ensure Visitor Services and Gift Shop staff provide the highest level of customer service for all visitors.
- Execute established processes and procedures associated with the admissions desk and gift shop including cash
handling and daily reporting for the Finance Dept. - Work closely with all departments to ensure the smooth execution of VIP tours, promotions, and special events.
- Develop and distribute monthly digital gift guides to an electronic subscriber list.
- Conduct annual inventory count and participate in audits as needed.
- Ensure compliance with ADA regulations throughout our public site for our staff and visitors.
- Ensure the International Crane Foundation’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy is adopted by the Visitor Services Staff and is carried out for the benefit of our staff and visitors.
- Adopt and employ AZA accreditation requirements for Visitor Services and Retail.
- Travel to and facilitate outreach and seasonal opportunities for the gift shop beyond the George Archibald
Welcome Center. Examples include crane festivals around the country
Job Requirements: - Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required.
- 2-4 years of personnel, customer service, and retail inventory management; merchandising experience.
- Knowledge of Point-of-Sale retail/inventory management software.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to work well with individuals of diverse backgrounds.
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and work in a fast-paced, often changing environment.
PHYSICAL ABILITIES AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: - The physical abilities and work environment characteristics described below are representative of those an employee
encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable
individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. - Ability to operate computer and phones.
- Ability to communicate with fellow staff, visitors, and donors. Communication will include both one-to-one
communication and group communication. Communication needs to be in English. Communication means
both written and oral communication. - Ability to move around visitor center and store assisting customers.
- Ability to lift and move up to 25 pounds.
- Ability to spend long periods of time stocking and packing merchandise. This includes bending, stooping, and
reaching. - Work environment is typically indoor, clean, and climate controlled, though trips across campus is required.
- Noise is typical with that of a store and can vary from moderate to occasionally loud when groups are present.
To apply, send a cover letter that notes your salary requirements and a resume as a single document, to icfjobs@savingcranes.org. Please list the subject: Manager Retail
“The International Crane Foundation is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion. We hire great people.”
The International Crane Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.