Merchandise Operations Manager

Buffalo Sabres; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 62,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sabres Tickets

401(k) matching

Paid Time Off

Sabres Experience

Wellness programs

Job summary

The Buffalo Sabres seek a Merchandise Operations Manager to oversee all events and activities at KeyBank Center, with a sharp focus on guest experience and day-to-day operations. This role reports directly to the Assistant Director of Merchandise.

You will manage staff, oversee store operations, POS and inventory, and coordinate with Corporate Partnerships, Marketing, Finance & Accounting and Human Resources to ensure policy compliance during NHL, NLL games, concerts and other events.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing or retail management or related field, preferred; or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum of 3 years relevant industry experience with supervisory experience supervising 10+ staff.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Highly organized and self-motivated with strong time management.
• Proficiency in Shopify and/or Retail POS / inventory systems and Microsoft Office suite.
• Ability to work non-traditional hours including nights, weekends, and holidays.

Responsibilities

• Manage staff; including hiring, training, assigning direct work, appraising performance and resolving problems.
• Oversee team store maintenance, stocking, organization and flow.
• Develop and implement Visual Merchandising strategies.
• Point of sale management and oversight.
• Address guest complaints and timely and effectively.
• Prepare daily and weekly schedules for associates that are in line with business forecasts and event projections.
• Organize and conduct physical inventory counts on a weekly and monthly schedule.
• Collaborate with internal departments including Corporate Partnerships, Marketing, Finance & Accounting and Human Resources.
• Ensure staff compliance with established guest experience, security, sales and record keeping policies and procedures.
• Oversee the setup and breakdown of all events; including NHL and NLL games, concerts and special events handling consigned merchandise.
• Enforce all department and organization policies, procedures and operations including informing staff of any changes.
• Identify breakdowns in processes and procedures and come to the table with resolutions to tighten up inventory controls and build a better guest experience.
• Review reporting to track KPIs and establish benchmarks for future performance standards.
• Perform special projects as requested.
• Maintains high level of confidentiality and professionalism.
• Other duties as assigned or required.

Skills

Supervisory experience

Communication skills

Time management

Organizational skills

Staff training

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business/retail management

Tools

Shopify

Retail POS / inventory systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Summary

The Merchandise Operations Manager will be responsible for all events and activities that occur within KeyBank Center while maintaining a specific focus on the guest experience and day-to-day operations. This position will report directly to the Assistant Director of Merchandise.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Manage staff; including hiring, training , assigning direct work, appraising performance and resolving problems.
• Oversee team store maintenance, stocking, organization and flow.
• Develop and implement Visual Merchandising strategies.
• Point of sale management and oversight.
• Address guest complaints and timely and effectively.
• Prepare daily and weekly schedules for associates that are in line with business forecasts and event projections.
• Organize and conduct physical inventory counts on a weekly and monthly schedule, assuring that inventory controls and integrity are maintained at the highest level.
• Collaborate with internal departments including Corporate Partnerships, Marketing, Finance & Accounting and Human Resources.
• Ensure staff compliance with established guest experience, security, sales and record keeping policies and procedures.
• Oversee the setup and breakdown of all events; including NHL and NLL games, concerts and special events handling consigned merchandise.
• Enforce all department and organization policies, procedures and operations including informing staff of any changes.
• Identify breakdowns in processes and procedures and come to the table with resolutions to tighten up inventory controls and build a better guest experience.
• Review reporting to track KPIs and establish benchmarks for future performance standards.
• Perform special projects as requested.
• Maintains high level of confidentiality and professionalism.
• Other duties as assigned or required.

Minimum Qualifications for the Position

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, or retail management or related field, preferred; or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum of 3 years relevant industry experience required; specifically supervisory experience overseeing a team of 10 or more.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects at once and adhere to deadlines.
• Must be highly organized and self-motivated with strong time management skills.
• Proficiency in Shopify and/or Retail Could retail POS / inventory system and Microsoft Office suite.
• Ability to work non-traditional hours including nights, weekends, and holidays.

Critical Competencies

• Adaptability
  • The ability to keep functioning effectively when under pressure and/or experiencing rapidly changing or uncertain conditions, and to maintain self-control in the face of hostility or provocation.
• Attention to Communication
  • Ensuring that information is passed onto others who should be kept informed
• Customer Orientation
  • Demonstrated concern for satisfying one’s external and/or internal customers
• Flexibility
  • Openness to different and new ways of doing things; willingness to modify one’s preferred way of doing things
• Initiative
  • Identifying what needs to be done and doing it before being asked to or required by the situation.
• Managing Performance
  • Taking responsibility for one’s own or one’s employees’ performance, by setting clear goals and expectations, tracking progress against the goals, ensuring feedback, and addressing performance problems and issues promptly.
• Personal Accountability
  • Takes responsibility for the results and future direction of the organization.
• Personal Credibility
  • Demonstrated concern that one be perceived as responsible, reliable and trustworthy.
• Results Orientation
  • Focusing on the desired end result of one’s own or one’s units work; setting challenging goals, focusing effort on the goals, and meeting or exceeding them.
• Thoroughness
  • Ensuring that one’s own and other’s work and information are complete and accurate; careful preparation for meetings and presentations; following up with others to ensure that agreements and commitments have been fulfilled.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

• This role operations in both an office setting and in a live events setting. Live event coverage does consist of being around loud stadium noises and crowds.
• While performing job duties, the employee is regularly required to stand, sit, walk, run, reach, kneel, and crouch. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close and focused vision. Candidate must be able to lift and move boxes and merchandise of 50lbs.

Compensation

This role will pay an annual salary of $62,353.20 - $70,000. Note: Wages will be determined based on factors such as candidate experience, qualifications, skill set and internal equity.

Benefits & Incentives

• Medical Plans: Comprehensive and affordable medical plans; supplemental vision care, dental care, life insurance coverage, fully paid, short and long-term disability and life insurance coverage.
• Investments: 401(k) with employer matching; annual discretionary defined employer contributions
• Paid Time Off: Generous paid time off including vacation, sick, volunteer time and diversity awareness days
• Sabres Experience: (up to 4) Comp tickets to Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits, Rochester Americans when available
• Wellness: Annual Health & Wellness fair, monthly wellness initiatives including but not limited to lunch & learns, fitness classes and challenges.
• Sabres Family: many annual social events for employees and their families to enjoy, including various holiday parties and activities. DEI committee with annual initiatives, ERG (Employee Resource Groups), Community Volunteer opportunities and more.

Hockey Western New York, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer