Retail Operations Lead

Museums Victoria; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 91,000 - 111,000; Full time

Job summary

Museums Victoria is Australia’s most visited museum organisation, caring for venues across Melbourne. The Retail Operations Lead will provide day-to-day leadership of the retail workforce across multiple sites, driving workforce planning, recruitment, performance management and service excellence for visitors.

You will manage staffing budgets, wage forecasts and operational delivery, develop SOPs, and build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to support commercial

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading customer-facing teams and coaching supervisors.
• Proven ability to achieve KPIs and sales targets while improving commercial performance.
• Experience managing operational staffing budgets and wage forecasts.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience analysing performance metrics and data-driven decision making.
• Ability to prioritise competing demands in a fast-paced retail environment.
• Experience developing and maintaining SOPs to support excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and support Retail Team Leaders and frontline employees.
• Coordinate recruitment, onboarding, training and capability development.
• Oversee workforce planning and rostering within budgets and employment conditions.
• Prepare staffing cost estimates, wage forecasts and business case inputs.
• Develop and maintain SOPs and processes for consistency and service excellence.
• Build relationships with internal and external stakeholders to support outcomes.

Skills

People leadership

Coaching

Budget management

KPIs / sales targets

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decision making

Job description

Museums Victoria is Australia's most visited museum organisation, stewarding world-class collections and experiences across Melbourne Museum, Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Scienceworks, Immigration Museum, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building and IMAX Melbourne. Our mission connects people with trusted knowledge through research, exhibitions and programs onsite and online.

ABOUT THE POSITION:

As the Retail Operations Lead, you will provide day-to-day leadership and operational oversight of Museums Victoria's retail workforce across multiple sites. Working closely with Retail Team Leaders, People & Culture and key stakeholders, you will lead workforce planning, recruitment, performance management and operational delivery to ensure exceptional visitor experiences, achievement of retail performance targets and efficient use of resources. You will also play a key role in staffing forecasts, operational budgeting, retail projects and the delivery of exhibition shops, pop-up retail operations and other commercial initiatives.

Some of the key duties include:

• Lead, coach and support Retail Team Leaders and frontline employees, fostering a positive, inclusive and customer-focused culture.
• Coordinate recruitment, onboarding, training and ongoing capability development of retail employees across Museums Victoria venues.
• Oversee workforce planning and rostering to ensure effective staffing levels, compliance with employment conditions and expenditure within approved budgets.
• Prepare staffing cost estimates, wage forecasts and business case inputs for exhibitions, pop-up retail operations and other commercial activities.
• Develop and maintain retail standard operating procedures (SOPs) and operational processes to support consistency and service excellence across sites.
• Build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders to support retail operations, commercial outcomes and visitor experiences

The successful applicant will have:

• Demonstrated experience leading and developing customer-facing teams, including coaching supervisors, managing performance and fostering an inclusive workplace culture.
• Proven ability to achieve KPIs and sales targets while identifying opportunities to improve commercial performance and grow revenue.
• Demonstrated experience managing operational staffing budgets, preparing wage forecasts and monitoring expenditure against approved budgets.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build productive relationships with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience analysing and reporting on operational and sales performance metrics, supported by accurate record keeping and data-driven decision-making.
• Proven ability to prioritise competing demands and perform effectively in a fast-paced, high-volume retail environment.
• Demonstrated experience developing, implementing and maintaining standard operating procedures that support operational excellence and organisational objectives.
• Highly developed organisational and time management skills, with the ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities.

OTHER INFORMATION

This is a full-time ongoing position. The salary on offer is VPS Grade 4, Value Range 1, with a base salary range of $100,894 per annum plus 12% superannuation.

The role operates on a roster of any five days in seven and may require occasional evening and weekend work. The successful candidate will be required to work across Museums Victoria venues as operationally required.

The successful applicant will be required to undergo a National Police Records Check and a Working with Children Check and be assessed as suitable.

OUR COMMITMENT

Museums Victoria is strongly committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people. We create and maintain a child safe environment and have zero tolerance for child abuse.

Museums Victoria is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and celebrate all communities. Museums Victoria is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels they belong. We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disability, and people of all ages, gender identities and sexual orientations.

We are committed to an accessible and inclusive recruitment process. If you require adjustments or support to participate, please contact the person listed as the contact for this job ad.

APPLICATIONS CLOSE: 12 November 2026 (11:59pm)