Retail Manager (Gift Shop) in Birmingham

Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) is an exciting, ambitious arts centre which offers a wide array of free exhibitions, theatre, music, cinema and comedy performances as well as creative learning and participation activities. Well-loved and well used, it’s a relaxed friendly place attracting a diverse mix of visitors. As well as MAC our work also extends outside of the venue across the city to community settings to inspire new audiences to experience high-quality art experiences. We are recruiting for Retail Manager to join our trading department on a 22.5 hour week contract. This is a key customer focussed role for MAC and is key to visitors' experience and to the perception of the organisation.

Principal Purpose of Post

To deliver and coordinate MAC's on-site and online retail operations, ensuring high standards in product presentation, customer service, and shop performance. The role supports marketing campaigns and works with the arts programme to plan and develop products linked to exhibitions and events.

Key Responsibilities

• Retail Offer and Development

• Deliver a high-quality retail offer across the on-site and online shop in line with agreed strategic direction.
• Plan and coordinate product ordering and merchandising to ensure excellent standards of presentation and availability, flexing to meet seasonal, programme and event-led demand.
• Leading by example in maintaining excellent visual merchandising standards to deliver creative, engaging shop displays.
• Work with the Head of Trading to plan and implement seasonal and programme-related product refreshes and promotional activity in a timely and effective manner.
• Work closely with MAC's arts programmers to support the planning and development of products and ranges that complement exhibitions, performances and other events.
• Administer contractual arrangements for selling work by local artists and makers, fostering supportive relationships aligned with MAC's values.
• Collaborate with marketing to support retail campaigns, database development and evaluation of campaign performance.

• Monitor retail sales performance and expenditure against monthly management accounts, ensuring accuracy and investigating variances.
• Ensure EPOS, transaction handling and financial reconciliation procedures are followed correctly, addressing discrepancies and supporting staff training as required.
• Maintain accurate stock records and oversee a regular stock-taking programme, identifying and resolving discrepancies promptly.
• Support the delivery of agreed sales targets and margin objectives through effective operational management.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant financial and operational requirements, including health & safety, GDPR, ethical sourcing standards and premises licence conditions (e.g. sale of retail alcohol).

• Use MAC's EPOS systems to ensure accurate transactions, stock control, reporting and insight.
• Engage with any online learning or sector events to support understanding and development of the EPOS system.
• Proactively develop EPOS and related systems by identifying and implementing improvements, integrations or efficiencies that enhance service, operation and data insights.
• Maintain the online shop, ensuring accurate and engaging product information, pricing and images.
• Use available reporting tools and analytics to monitor sales performance, campaign effectiveness and identify issues.
• Oversee order fulfilment processes for the online shop, ensuring packaging and dispatch meet agreed service standards and timeframes.

• Work with the Head of Customer Services to plan and direct the retail focussed work of Customer Service Assistants.
• Support rota planning to ensure appropriate staffing levels during peak trading periods, events and seasonal activity.
• Provide on-the-job training, coaching and guidance in product knowledge, merchandising standards, and customer service.
• Foster a positive, professional and inclusive team culture focussed on delivering an excellent visitor and retail experience.

• Implement MAC's Environmental Policy and consider how this role can contribute to MAC's sustainability goals.
• To further, promote and ensure the implementation of the equal opportunities, diversity, safeguarding and health & safety policies of MAC.
• Any other duties which may reasonably be required to support cross-organisational needs.

Equal Opportunities & Diversity

All staff are expected to further, promote, and ensure the implementation of, the equal opportunities and diversity policies of MAC. Our ambition is that the leadership and workforce is more reflective of the diversity of contemporary England. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from people of all cultures and ethnicities, including those that may experience racism in our society, those with LGBTQ+ identities, neurodivergent and/or d/Deaf and disabled and those that have experienced socio and economic barriers.

Note

This job description outlines the principal responsibilities and duties of the post holder. It is not meant to be, nor is it, an exhaustive list of specific responsibilities and duties. The post holder will be expected to undertake any other duties which could reasonably be expected as being within the remit of the post and which arise out of changes in legislation, regulations, orders, rules and working practices, methods and procedures and reviews, as directed from time to time.

Whilst we recognise the development of AI in the modern workplace, we would encourage you to take the time to complete your application without the use of AI; no generative AI tool can create the personal touch that you can inject into your own application.

Person Specification

Core (You should meet most of these requirements)

Desirable (You should meet some of these requirements)

Education

GCSEs in Maths & English

Professional Experience

• Minimum 2 years previous experience as a retail supervisor, manager or assistant manager.
• Experience of using EPOS systems for management information, stock control, reporting and decision making.
• Experience of managing and organising teams, staffing, workload and priorities.
• Customer Service management experience.
• Experience of working with and ordering from suppliers.
• Ability/experience of creating well merchandised displays without direction.
• Experience of working in independent, values led, retail environment.
• Experience of working with 'head office' or 'support' teams.
• Experience of working with Shopify EPOS onsite and online platforms.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of product range and development decisions.
• Understanding of cost and pricing decisions.
• Understanding of Gross Profit margins and influencing factors.
• Understanding of retail financial performance and KPIs and influencing factors.
• Working knowledge of managing within Health & Safety, Premises Licencing laws.
• Knowledge of MS Office applications.
• Experience of developing product ranges.
• Experience of setting retail prices to incorporate VAT and achieve desired gross profit margins.
• Experience of reading and interpreting financial accounts with proven ability to draw conclusions and take actions based on the results.

Skills & Abilities

• Strong customer service and communication skills, personable.
• Problem solver, able to think of solutions or new ways of working.
• Strong visual merchandising skills.
• Well organised, able to manage own and direct other's workloads.

Personal Attributes

• Ability to remain calm under pressure and able to flex their own and their team's workload changing plans as needed.
• Excellent communication skills.
• An interest in a variety of art forms and MAC as a venue and charity.
• Commercially aware/focussed.

Values & Behaviours

• Motivated, hardworking and reliable.
• Able to inspire and motivate a team, or influence teams not under your managerial direction.

How to Apply

To apply for this post please follow the link below and follow the application process. Please note that all applications are anonymised during the shortlisting stage. Any attached CVs will be anonymised at the shortlisting stage, so please ensure you complete the application fully and include all of your experiences, qualifications and any skills you have that would help us when considering you for this role.

Deadline

Applications can be received at any time until 11:59pm on Wednesday 28 January 2026. Please note this role was initially due to close on 14 January. Please note that we will assess applications on a rolling basis and therefore we may close this vacancy for applications before the stated deadline. We strongly advise you to submit your application as early as possible.

Shortlisting

Shortlisted candidates will be notified of the outcome of their application by end of day Friday 30 January.

Interviews

Interviews will be arranged on the week commencing Monday 2nd February.