Manager of Retail and Visitor Services

The ICF 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 bird 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 experience in retail management, financial management, customer service, administrative and project management, retail analysis, and the ability to train, manage, and motivate staff with a positive attitude. Compared to other retail venues, ICF offers a complete healthcare package, generous paid time off, and 401k. 

Overview: 

The Manager of Retail and Visitor Services supervises the daily operations of the George Archibald Welcome Center at the International Crane Foundation (ICF). 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 every species of crane from around the world. The building includes admissions, a 50-seat theater, interactive exhibits, an indoor viewing room for the Sandhill Cranes exhibit, and 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. The salary range for this role is $50,000-55,000 annually. 

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 ICF’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 in all sales outlets. 
• Create an engaging and innovative retail experience, connecting merchandise to mission whenever possible. 
• Work with Marketing and Communications to 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 of ADA regulations throughout our public site for our staff and visitors. 
• Ensure ICF’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. 

Position Qualifications: 

• 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. Communications 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 periods of time stocking and packing merchandise, including bending, stooping, and reaching. 
• Work environment is typically indoor, clean, and climate controlled, though trips across campus is required. Noise is typical of a store and can vary from moderate to occasionally loud when groups are present 

To apply send a single document that includes a cover letter, resume, and references, to icfjobs@savingcranes.org. Please send with the subject: Manager Retail. For more information, visit our website at www.savingcranes.org. 

“ICF is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion. We hire great people.” ICF is an equal opportunity employer.