Store Manager

Who are you?

• Are you a confident, independent, self-starter with initiative, grit, a competitive drive, a sense of urgency?
• Do you foster a persevering and entrepreneurial mindset?
• Are you resourceful, adjusting quickly to changing conditions with ability to identify practical ideas for dealing with them?
• Do you respond to challenges and pressure positively, with the confidence and ability to handle a range of people and problems?
• Are you a leader with high standards who can clearly communicate and reinforce expectations and standards?
• Do you enjoy coaching and developing people and building a well-oiled, high performance team?

If so, The Spice & Tea Exchange of Alexandria, VA is seeking to bring a full-time Store Manager onboard ASAP. Get ready for baptism by fire and all the excitement that comes with it! This location has been the top performing location for the last five year across a culinary boutique retail Franchise that has grown to more than 68 stores in the past 10 years . A women owned business established in 2013, the Rehoboth store, along with sister stores in Annapolis, MD and Alexandria, VA, can be described as a “scrappy startup on steroids” built on the framework of a still maturing woman owned Franchise yet infused with the knowledge, experience, process & technology innovation of the local Company leadership. Despite some to-be-expected growing pains along with post-COVID recovery hiccups, these three locations are poised to take their next giant leap forward –up-leveling the customer experience, staff/skill development, operational efficiencies and profitability. As our volume is 2 to 3 times an “average” franchise location, we demonstrate and push innovative thought leadership, superior execution and continuous improvement not only for satisfaction of a job well done but to influence the brand. While we perform in the top 7 stores nationwide (Rehoboth being #1 several years running) we aim for our three to be THE TOP THREE and are positioning for a strong Q4 followed by a phenomenal 2021. Not unlike Amazon, we look for candidates who:

• are curious, life-long learners 
• enjoy the growth in challenge
• have a bias for action
• accomplish more with less
• listen attentively and speak candidly
• consistently operate with the highest personal integrity and sense of respect for others
• insist on high standards and deliver results!!

 THIS IS A VERY ENGAGING ROLL-UP-YOUR-SLEEVES-HANDS-ON MULTI-FACETED RETAIL POSITION - NOT "STANDARD" RETAIL

Preferred Skills & Requirements

• 5-7 Years progressive retail management experience with a proven, measurable, and reference-able track record. The ideal candidate has experience that includes working for a boutique style brand and a franchise or other small/emerging brand. Experiences where a high level of customer engagement is required to deliver optimal results.
• Retail Store Operations Management experience that includes Sales & product Forecasting, purchasing, receiving, inventory management, Point-of-Sale & Reporting, Merchandising, Promotion/pricing planning, and Customer/Community Outreach!
• Experience in community outreach, developing relationships and collaborating on events to drive business.
• Strong verbal & written communication skills are required to appropriately engage with our corporate franchise partners and store team.
•  Must be able to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment, understand/follow priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Experience with a variety of computer systems and POS software, Microsoft Office tools (MS Word, Excel & PowerPoint) and the internet is required.
• A personal interest or inclination in the culinary arts, cooking, teas, etc. is preferred.

Expected Job Duties & Responsibilities: Management responsibilities for this position will include supporting and collaborating with the Store Owner, Regional Store Manager, Sales Lead, Product/Inventory Lead and all support team members for:

• Maintaining the stores in a condition of excellence to attract and retain customers, create a positive environment for staff, and enable efficient operations and high productivity
• Driving sales and customer service excellence, delivering an effective customer-focused selling culture, building and developing the store team, increasing the quality of the sale and growing the business. In doing so, must be an effective brand ambassador while in the store and/or out in the community.
• Managing operational and merchandising processes while maintaining the store in conditions of excellence to attract and retain customers, create a positive environment for staff, and enable efficient operations and high productivity
• Coaching, training & managing staff; Preparing/delivering performance assessments, recruiting new candidates as needed to maintain staffing levels. The Store Manager is expected to lead by example and to coach the team in delivering the TSTE Brand experience.
• Developing and obtaining approval on team work schedule; the Store Manager is responsible for running weekly consolidated timesheets from the POS system for payroll
• Maintaining information / item set up / pricing & discounting in the Point of Sale System and all associated item tagging. This includes supporting the set-up, assembly, and pricing of products and inventory orders and other tasks associated with efficient inventory management and blend/product production management.
• Receiving, supporting the receipt, and/or overseeing the receipt of products into physical inventory and POS and associated follow up required for backorder and credit memo related communication with Owner and Corporate Franchise Warehouse team.
• Planning, communicating, executing and/or supporting the planning, communication, and execution of seasonal in-store sales promotions and events. This includes developing, contributing to or otherwise proactively supporting the provision of information for publication in local print, electronic, and social marketing media (e.g. Facebook).
• Initiating/supporting the development of marketing & advertising initiatives and copy (for use/placement in store; and/or with local print, digital, mobile and broadcast media outlets; and/or within our online & social medial tools) with our corporate marketing team.
• Identifying and operationalizing new business development opportunities within current retail concepts with the Regional Manager.
• Utilizing, maintaining, and improving utilization of computer, software applications (including POS, all Microsoft Products, and Dropbox shareware technology) across the team.
• Supporting the sharing of best practices between current and future stores.
• Other duties/opportunities as they emerge assigned by the Regional Manager and store owner.

About the Shop: The Spice & Tea Exchange provides a specialty one-of-a-kind retail experience selling a wonderland of spices, herbs, teas, blends, rubs and related products.  We look for team members who are committed to creating an AMAZING customer experience while creating and delivering the highest quality spices, blends and teas. We seek great listeners and communicators with an interest or passion for food to graciously assist our customers in narrowing a seemingly overwhelming array of choices into a manageable set of options specific to customer interests and tastes to ensure they don’t leave empty handed! While the Alexandria, Annapolis and Rehoboth locations are under the local leadership of a female entrepreneur, the Brand has over 68 franchised stores across the US, providing guests with more than 140 spices, 85 exclusive hand-crafted blends, over 40 exotic teas, naturally infused sugars and salts from around the world and gourmet gifts and accessories.

As a member of our team, you can expect several things from us:

• A dynamic and fun work place!
• Opportunities to learn, try, test and share your experience with colleagues and customers as you experiment with our amazing products!
• An array of opportunities in sales, merchandising, marketing, inventory control, and store operations to grow in both your personal and professional life
• Leadership and team building training and experience
• Employee discounts, rewards and incentives, including free spices monthly!