Festival Manager, Merchandise Store

Sundance Co; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 45,000 - 57,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid sick leave

Institute holidays

Employee assistance program

Employee Wellness Initiatives

Festival passes and benefits

Job summary

Sundance Institute is seeking a Festival Manager for the Merchandise Store to oversee pop-up shop operations at the Sundance Film Festival in Boulder, CO. This full-time temporary role runs Jan 18–Feb 1, 2027, onsite, with extended hours during peak periods.

You will manage setup/teardown, POS, inventory, and staff/volunteers, ensuring high customer service, secure daily closing, and timely reports. Prior retail leadership and legal work authorization in the U.S. are required.

Qualifications

• 3 years of retail experience or related.
• Leadership skills to guide fellow employees and volunteers.
• Outstanding interpersonal communication skills to work effectively with a variety of people.
• Conflict resolution skills with a background that includes managing stressful situations.
• Ability to maintain a high level of trust and accountability with inventory.

Responsibilities

• Managing the setup, teardown, point of sales registers, and daily operations of a pop-up Festival merchandise store.
• Overseeing the opening and closing of the merchandise store daily and ensuring everything is secure before leaving each day.
• Ensuring all patrons receive a high level of customer support throughout their visit at the store.
• Managing the inventory and distribution plan for the store, and working with Festival Merchandise Assistants to ensure implementation.
• Managing the store assistants and volunteers, including training, providing direction, feedback, and support to ensure they understand responsibilities and are effective in their roles, while delegating appropriate and meaningful work.
• Ensuring store displays are set up and organized at all times and modifying layouts as necessary to ensure good aesthetics.
• Conducting physical counts of inventory upon receipt and at end of day to provide daily reconciliation.
• Providing timely troubleshooting of issues that arise at the store and escalating as necessary.
• Conducting opening and closing cash reconciliations to ensure accuracy of daily log.
• Preparing and delivering a daily store operation report to the manager.
• Creating and submitting a detailed wrap report of work completed, procedures, and operations of position.

Skills

Retail experience

Leadership

Customer service

Interpersonal communication

Inventory management

Conflict resolution

Job description

The Festival Manager; Merchandise Store, is charged with managing the store operations including inventory, register sales, and managing assistants and volunteers to ensure a high level of customer service is provided at our brick-and-mortar merchandise stores which operate during the Sundance Film Festival.

Working closely under the direction of the, the Festival Store Manager supports Sundance Institute’s commitment to creating an event atmosphere of radical warmth, community, and hospitality and a commitment to safety, belonging, and accessibility for all.

This temporary position works full time (40 hours per week) from Monday, January 18, 2027 to Monday, February 1, 2027. This is a fully onsite role based out of Boulder, CO. Extended hours, including evenings and weekends will be required at key points to meet deadlines and respond to on-call needs as assigned. Multiple positions are available.

Top priorities include but are not limited to.

Managing the setup, teardown, point of sales registers, and daily operations of a pop-up Festival merchandise store.

Overseeing the opening and closing of the merchandise store daily and ensuring everything is secure before leaving each day.

Ensuring all patrons receive a high level of customer support throughout their visit at the store.

Managing the inventory and distribution plan for the store, and working with Festival Merchandise Assistants to ensure implementation.

Managing the store assistants and volunteers, including training, providing direction, feedback, and support to ensure they understand responsibilities and are effective in their roles, while delegating appropriate and meaningful work.

Ensuring store displays are set up and organized at all times and modifying layouts as necessary to ensure good aesthetics.

Conducting physical counts of inventory upon receipt and at end of day to provide daily reconciliation.

Providing timely troubleshooting of issues that arise at the store and escalating as necessary.

Conducting opening and closing cash reconciliations to ensure accuracy of daily log.

Preparing and delivering a daily store operation report to the manager.

Creating and submitting a detailed wrap report of work completed, procedures, and operations of position.

You have the following direct or transferable skill sets:

Legal authorization to work in the United States.

3 years of retail experience or related.

Conflict resolution skills with a background that includes managing stressful situations.

Leadership skills to guide fellow employees and volunteers.

Outstanding interpersonal communication skills to work effectively with a variety of people.

Excellent organizational skills including self-management of work schedule.

Ability to maintain a high level of trust and accountability with inventory.

You will be successful in this role if you...

Help to create a successful, organized, unique Festival experience for everyone.

Take direction openly and embrace change effectively.

Thrive in a busy environment and handle onsite adjustments seamlessly.

In addition to a weekly pay of $1,111.23, this position* is eligible for benefits & perks, highlights include:

Paid sick leave and Institute holidays

Employee assistance program

Employee Wellness Initiatives

Sundance Film Festival passes and benefits (varies each year)

**Applications open 11/05/2026 and will be accepted for at least one week