Retail Keyholder & Brand Ambassador, Part-Time

Lingua Franca; New York (NY); On-site; USD 28,000 - 39,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Commission-eligible

Job summary

Lingua Franca, NYC-based luxury knitwear brand, seeks a part-time Retail Keyholder & Brand Ambassador for the West Village flagship and on-the-road trunk shows. You will style clients, drive sales, and manage clienteling to turn visits into loyal customers.

The role opens and closes the flagship, supports events, and travels at least 3 days per month to trunk shows. Based in NYC, you’ll report to the Retail Director and contribute to a warm, luxury experience that reflects Lingua Franca’s

Qualifications

• 2+ years of selling experience in luxury, fashion, or boutique retail.
• Strong retail instincts and ability to hit or beat sales goals.
• Ability to build relationships and drive clienteling programs.

Responsibilities

• Welcome clients in-store and create a warm, personalized shopping experience.
• Develop product knowledge and share craftsmanship and brand story.
• Support inventory, visual merchandising, and store operations.

Skills

Luxury retail

Clienteling

Sales goals

Customer relationships

Tools

Shopify POS

Excel

Job description

Lingua Franca is an NYC-based luxury clothing and accessory brand known for our hand-embroidered cashmere goods and ethically sourced ready-to-wear collection. Our pieces are designed to spark conversation and showcase an irreverent point of view. Founded in 2016, Lingua Franca's unique embroidery aesthetic has gained a loyal following.

Role Description

The Retail Keyholder & Brand Ambassador is a part-time, commission-eligible sales leader who brings the Lingua Franca townhouse experience to clients, both at our West Village flagship and on the road. You'll spend most of your time with clients: styling, selling, recommending custom embroidery, and building relationships that turn first visits into loyal customers.

In the store, you're a trusted leader on our West Village flagship team. You'll welcome and assist clients, drive sales through personalized service and clienteling, and help create a warm, memorable shopping experience that reflects Lingua Franca's commitment to craftsmanship, storytelling, and community. You'll process transactions, maintain visual merchandising standards, and keep the store organized, stocked, and running smoothly. As a keyholder, you'll open and close the flagship, set the pace for the team. Working closely with the Retail Director and fellow associates, you'll help achieve sales goals while shadowing day-to-day operations and learning our standards inside and out. You're adaptable, detail-oriented, and thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

On the road, you're a key brand ambassador, bringing the Lingua Franca in-store experience to trunk shows and events. You'll travel a minimum of 3 daysper month; each month depends on the shows we book and may include evening hours, with more events during our busier holiday months. As a brand steward, you're solely responsible for the end-to-end logistics of a successful show: setup, merchandising, payment processing, custom orders, and building the relationship with our host.

Above all, you have strong retail instincts. You're organized, a problem solver, and energized by travel and the retail experience, dedicated to building relationships and delivering a best-in-class experience on the road and off. This position is based at our 95 Jane Street flagship in New York and reports to the Retail Director.

Type: Part-time, travel-focus

Travel: Minimum 3 days per month, by car and air

Store Hours: Minimum 2-3 days a week

Based in: West Village, NYC

Reports to: Retail Director

Responsibilities

In the store (Flagship, West Village)

• Welcome clients and create a warm, personalized shopping experience
• Develop strong product knowledge and confidently share our craftsmanship, sustainability practices, and brand story
• Team sell to achieve monthly store goals, mentoring associates with in-the-moment coaching on selling, styling, and clienteling
• Wardrobe clients by building complete looks, recommending custom embroidery, and cross-selling to increase average purchase
• Use our clienteling and CRM platforms and your client book to capture customer information and drive repeat business through personalized outreach
• Open and close the store as a keyholder, following all key-control, cash-handling, and security procedures
• Support inventory accuracy and loss prevention to help protect company assets
• Process incoming shipments, replenish the floor daily, and assist with organization and cycle counts
• Fulfill, package, and ship online orders accurately and efficiently
• Communicate inventory needs, customer feedback, and product requests to support business goals
• Keep displays, fixtures, and all visual areas reflective of current visual direction, and the store clean, organized, and beautiful
• Help facilitate in-store events, activations, brand partnerships, and private appointments
• Resolve client concerns and complaints quickly and gracefully
• Process sales, returns, and exchanges accurately in Shopify POS

On the road (Trunk Shows & Events)

• Travel to trunk shows and pop-ups at least 3 days per month, with opportunities to travel more often
• Become an expert in our cashmere, styling, and custom embroidery, so every client leaves with something personal
• Deliver a best-in-class luxury experience centered on quality, sales, and lasting client relationships
• Keep every setup client-ready, with displays merchandised to Lingua Franca standards and tidy at all times
• Own show logistics end to end: packing, shipping, setup, breakdown, and making sure all product and displays come home correctly
• Ring all sales, custom orders, and payments accurately through Shopify POS, reconcile inventory after each show, and flag what's selling so we can plan inventory for the next one
• Serve as the brand's liaison with trunk show hosts and partners, upholding our values
• Grow the business by building genuine relationships with customers and following up after each show

Who You Are

• Strong retail instincts: you can read a customer, build a sale naturally, and consistently hit or beat goals
• 2+ years of selling experience in luxury, fashion, or boutique retail, with a track record you can speak to
• Full understanding of specialty retail, including business development, visual merchandising, and store operations
• Strong aesthetic sensibilities and a personal sense of style
• A sharp eye for the floor: what's moving, what needs restocking, and how a display drives sales
• A natural at clienteling: you remember names, purchases, and preferences, and turn a first visit into a repeat customer
• Strong leadership, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, and calm under pressure when you're running a show on your own
• A natural brand steward: warm, polished, and genuinely energized by people and travel
• Comfortable on camera for social media, in both stills and video
• Able to work weekends and peak seasonal periods, and to travel at least one full weekend per month, including some evenings, with more during the holidays
• Computer skills, including retail POS systems (Shopify a plus), Word, Excel, and email
• Able to lift and carry up to 30 lbs and stand for extended periods
• Bonus: an existing client base, event or trunk show experience, or a love of knitwear