01/29/2024
FB Friends - please share.
Position Announcement and Description
MANAGER OF RETAIL OPERATIONS, INVENTORY AND MARKETING
Acadia Mountain Guides, operating as Alpenglow Adventure Sports, is seeking a proactive and detail-oriented General Manager for Operations, Marketing, and Inventory Management. This career-level position offers the opportunity to oversee various aspects of Acadia Mountain Guides Climbing School and Alpenglow Adventure Sports, requiring an entrepreneurial mindset and a commitment to maintaining high operating standards. The ideal candidate will prioritize work, demonstrating efficiency and dedication while taking on responsibilities from ownership. This role entails significant weekend and holiday work.
Key responsibilities include managing overall retail operations, providing leadership, spearheading marketing efforts, and contributing to creative entrepreneurship. The role encompasses control over sales in both physical and online stores, with additional involvement in AMG marketing. As part of the company's leadership backbone, the Manager of Retail Operations, Inventory, and Marketing is a go-to person, requiring exceptional organization and adaptability to changing needs. The position, based in Bangor, ME, involves frequent travel to a second location in Bar Harbor. It offers a salary with management responsibilities and a flexible weekly commitment ranging from 30 to 50+ hours, with an average around 40 hours. Workloads may vary seasonally, with certain months requiring additional hours.
General Responsibilities
1. First and foremost, this person must be the voice of our organization. Represents the vision and mission of Alpenglow Adventure Sports and Acadia Mountain Guides to the public via superior service and educational emphasis.
2. Manages retail and E-commerce operation while maintaining functional awareness of climbing school management.
3. Works with owner to further develop the vision and mission of the corporation. Responsible for making critical decisions on a regular basis and problem solves as needed.
4. Performs at a high level without direct or day-to-day supervision of ownership.
5. Maintains situational awareness of the interplay of multiple occurring events and issues.
6. Makes use of evolving technologies to improve company performance.
7. Improves over prior operating paradigms and create structure and solutions where necessary.
8. Prevents and eliminate waste, redundancy, and clutter.
9. Protects company assets through awareness of loss prevention.
10. Maintains the highest-possible merchandising and housekeeping standards through a clean and well-organized store and office.
11. Ensures we “walk our talk” and are environmentally responsible by recycling, conserving water, electricity, composting, leading cleanups, and carpooling.
12. Passionate for outdoor activities, experience with the gear we sell and interest in getting others outside in a responsible manner.
Administrative Management (10%, 4 hrs/week)
• Manages retail and E-commerce operations in collaboration with the school manager, ensuring mutual success.
• Daily communication with owner, managers, and staff; prepares updates to the Employee Manual.
• Leads hiring, schedules staff, conducts performance evaluations, and oversees training for retail employees.
• Develops and updates position descriptions, manages employee contracts, and maintains employment paperwork.
• Organizes startup and ongoing training for retail employees, assisting in training guides and interns.
• Maintains efficient task lists, conducts weekly meetings with retail staff.
• Manages store and office supplies cost-effectively, upkeeps housekeeping standards.
• Monthly review of financials, monitors infrastructure upkeep, and acts as administrative assistant to the owner.
• Provides weekly reports to keep the owner informed of key decisions and performance metrics.
• Maximizes payroll performance as a percentage of sales and handles additional duties as assigned.
Inventory Management (15%, 6 hrs/week)
• Primary retail buyer, negotiates optimal terms at trade shows, selects new merchandise, and manages inventory system.
• Maintains vendor contacts, MAP guidelines, and sale policies. Assists in course registrations and payments.
• Manages purchase orders and updates inventory in the point of sale system.
Retail Sales and E-Commerce Management (20%, 8 hrs/week)
• Enhances and upkeeps point-of-sale, payment, and E-commerce systems.
• Weekly monitoring of product trends and competitor activities.
• Creates training programs for sales associates, oversees retail emails, and ensures prompt online order processing.
• Offers sales and reservation assistance, manages in-store operations, and addresses customer inquiries.
• Handles online order processing, product returns, and sales of diverse outdoor goods.
• Drives promotion of climbing services, designs in-store displays, and supervises retail projects.
• Partners with vendors for drop shipments, facilitating online sales growth without inventory.
Retail and E-Commerce Marketing (50%, 20 hrs/week)
• Primarily focuses on marketing retail operations while collaborating closely with the climbing school manager for cross-branding opportunities.
• Manages the dynamic online storefront, emphasizing diversity, inclusion, and environmental stewardship in promoting outdoor products.
• Curates and maintains retail products on the web store, handling descriptions, photos, and SEO.
• Establishes outreach relationships with potential clients through events, conferences, and local courses.
• Manages client data, sending regular notifications, and creates retail sales tools for AMG courses.
• Coordinates photo collection for marketing and social media, optimizing web presence using web analytics.
• Implements social media strategies, analyzes competitors, and recommends improvements.
• Executes various marketing initiatives, from social media blasts to ads in magazines and brochures.
• Converts potential clients through phone, email, and in-person interactions.
• Produces monthly newsletters, oversees product brochures, and plans climbing events for community engagement.
• Utilizes social media platforms and online channels to share knowledge and announce opportunities.
Climbing School Management (5%, 2 hrs/week)
• Collaborates closely with the climbing school manager, holding weekly meetings and occasionally assumes limited school management duties in their absence.
• Designs sales programs targeting climbing school clients, including campers, slope technician clients, avalanche participants, etc.
• Provides guidance in the planning of climbing gear inventory purchases.
Qualifications
Seeking an individual with strong people skills and organizational abilities for a dynamic small business. Must have or be willing to rapidly acquire knowledge of outdoor activities, especially rock and ice climbing, and possess familiarity with local climbing, hiking, and paddling. Key characteristics include:
• Strong work ethic in a fast-paced environment.
• Exceptional organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Enjoys outdoor activities and is proficient in various social media platforms.
• Experience in internet marketing, SEO, web analytics, and proficiency with Mac systems, MS Excel, MS Word, Adobe Creative Suite, HTML.
• Customer service-oriented with solid outdoor product knowledge.
• Professional, articulate, and confident with effective communication skills.
• Accurate spelling, grammar, and proofreading skills.
• Independent worker with the ability to manage tasks without constant supervision.
• Effective data entry for customer and inventory management.
• Demonstrates initiative, innovation, and enjoys solving problems.
• Adaptable to flexible hours, including weekends and holidays.
• Regular travel between Orono and Bar Harbor required.
Physical Requirements
13. Ability to stand/walk for extended periods of time, necessary to provide sales floor coverage related to customer service and loss prevention.
14. Ability to reach overhead, bend, squat, kneel, and carry product, necessary for customer service, inventory re-stock, and store merchandising.
15. Ability to walk up and down staircase, carrying boxes, product, and other necessary store related items.
16. Ability to perform store maintenance items: sweep, vacuum, empty trash, clean.
17. Ability to safely lift boxes up to 60 lbs.
18. Comfortable climbing ladders.
Salary
Base salary of $50,000.00 subject to increases based on experience. Performance increases. Access to pro-purchase and course discounts. 15 days accumulated PTO/ Sick Pay accrued in first year. Four paid hours per week (200 hrs annually) to climb, ski, paddle or hike with owner approval. Annual growth incentives.
To apply
Please send your resume and cover letter to Jon Tierney, [email protected], 207-866-7562. After receiving your application, we will evaluate it and, if you are among the qualified candidates, we will arrange an interview. EEOE.
About Acadia Mountain Guides, Inc. is a Maine-based company, and is home to Acadia Mountain Guides Climbing School (AMG) and Alpenglow Adventure Sports (ALP). AMG provides diverse mountaineering instruction, guided outdoor activities, and specialized courses, emphasizing diversity, equity, and inclusion. ALP operates two retail stores and an ecommerce platform, offering a range of mountaineering and outdoor gear. Our commitment to environmental and social consciousness is embedded in top-notch professional instruction, fostering a lifelong passion for outdoor activities. Since 1994, both AMG and ALP have built a stellar reputation for delivering exceptional programs and services.
