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We're Hiring: Store Manager at Rare Birds Book Shop

Rare Birds Book Shop storefront in Stockbridge, Edinburgh

About Rare Birds Book Shop

Rare Birds Book Shop is an independent bookshop in Edinburgh that’s dedicated to celebrating and promoting women’s writing. Our mission is to help our customers read for fun and help them discover books they’d never otherwise choose for themselves. Our colourful store in Stockbridge has become a must-visit destination for local bookworms and book lovers visiting from all over the world.  

The role 

We’re on the hunt for a shop manager to help us build on the successes of our first year in business. Your job will be to lead the shop team and create a brilliant store experience for our customers. 

This role is well suited to a book lover who wants a job filled with lots of variety, who is a confident communicator and who is energised by the challenge of running all aspects of a store. 

We’re a small, friendly team within a small company at an extremely exciting stage of our growth. This is a brilliant opportunity for anyone looking for a job where their contributions really matter where they can roll their sleeves up and get stuck in.  

Your role at a glance: 

Store management 
As the shop manager you will be responsible for overseeing the daily operations and administration duties of the bookshop, including working at the till. You will oversee stock orders and replenishment, regular returns and stock takes and any other duties that involve the day to day smooth running and development of the shop. You will report directly to the owner and work closely with the Rare Birds management team to develop the brand and meet store targets. 
Team management 
As the shop manager you will be the key point of contact for all shop staff. You will be responsible for managing our team of booksellers and helping to create a positive and inclusive workplace culture by providing support, direction, feedback and encouragement. You will be responsible for creating and sharing monthly shift rotas, approving holidays, overseeing staff training and ensuring all policies and best practices are being adhered to by the team. 
Customer experience 
As the shop manager you will be responsible for creating and executing a brilliant brand experience for every person who walks through the door. This will include assisting with the planning and execution of displays and store events, overseeing email enquiries and customer orders, keeping up to date with current titles and recommending books to customers and generally ensuring every visit to the store is a positive one for our customers. 

Required skills and experience for this role: 

Experience 

  • Previous retail or management experience essential
  • Bookselling experience desired but not required; this role would also be perfect for a keen book lover with a background in retail who can demonstrate a passion for reading  
  • Customer service experience in a previous role 
  • Experience managing people and motivating a team 

Skills 

  • Love of reading and desire to keep up with publishing trends and new titles 
  • Strong team player with good communication skills 
  • Organised and can demonstrate a strong attention to detail
  • Motivated and willing to take their own initiative 
  • An enthusiastic, positive and friendly disposition 

Hours

Full time - will require weekends and occasional evening shifts for events 

Salary and benefits 

  • £26,000 per annum 
  • 28 days paid annual leave
  • Opportunities for training and professional development 
  • Staff discount on all products
  • Statutory pension 

Applications

To apply, please email hello@rarebirdsbooks.com with your CV and a covering letter detailing things like your experience and why you think you’d be a good fit for this role. We typically receive a huge amount of interest when we advertise a new role - save us from the horrid fate of reading through robotic applications and instead send us a cover letter that gives us a sense of who you are and why we’d be crazy not to hire you. 

Applications close on Friday 1st July

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