Africa Fashion Shop Floor Captain (P/T, Temporary)—Merchandising
This role is a unique opportunity to introduce African fashion and standout pieces to Museum visitors, who have the exciting chance to own works by modern iconic designers and artists who have illuminated fashion’s pivotal role in Africa’s cultural renaissance.
As much of Africa won independence in the mid-twentieth century, a wave of liberated creative expression swept across the continent—and its evolution hasn’t stopped since. Showcasing a dazzling array of garments alongside music, visual art, and much more, Africa Fashion celebrates the ingenuity and global impact of African fashions from the 1950s to today. Works by iconic designers and artists illuminate fashion’s pivotal role in Africa’s cultural renaissance, which laid the foundation for an ongoing fashion revolution.
Making its North American debut in Brooklyn, Africa Fashion is the largest-ever presentation of the subject: more than 180 works, including standout pieces from the Museum’s collections. Organized thematically, this multisensory experience features immersive displays of haute couture and ready-to-wear apparel, as well as photographs, literature, sketches, music, film and catwalk footage, textiles, and jewelry. More than forty designers and artists from twenty African countries are represented, from the vanguards who first gained worldwide attention, such as Kofi Ansah (Ghana) and Shade Thomas-Fahm (Nigeria), to the newest generation of cutting-edge creatives, such as Thebe Magugu (South Africa) and Gouled Ahmed (Djibouti).
Qualifications:
- High school degree or equivalent
- Over two years of prior retail sales experience, preferably high-end retail, private label, or boutique
- Ability to lead and direct the floor team in partnership with the Shop Manager
- Familiarity with cashiering duties
- Ability to learn and execute tasks using retail computer systems and to close out POS systems and keep records
- Ability to work courteously and efficiently with the public and to provide helpful information about the Museum and its merchandise to customers
- Curiosity for gaining strong customer understanding to deliver customer-centric solutions that exceed expectations
- Pride in your work and willingness to do what it takes to get a job done well
- Positive outlook and effective problem-solving skills
- Excitement about working work in a fast-paced, multifaceted cultural institution
- Willingness to take on opportunities and challenges with a sense of urgency and high energy
- Ability to take ownership for your own performance
- Exceptional communication skills and comfort with receiving feedback
- Commitment to delivering a high level of customer service
- Ability to bend, reach, and stretch for product, as well as lift, carry, and move at least forty pounds
- Flexibility with scheduling and availability to work retail hours, which may include day, evening, weekends, and/or holidays based on department and store/company needs
- Minimum of twelve hours a week available to support the needs of the business, including: nights, weekends, and holidays
- Fitting room experience preferred but not required
Responsibilities:
- Act as an ambassador of the Museum and Shop by living our values and connecting our mission, vision, exhibitions, and collections to our unique product stories
- Lead and coach up to ten sales associates
- Assign zones and keep track of break schedules
- Oversee merchandise flow and restock as required
- Actively engage with guests to create a memorable customer experience
- Support and assist with store operations at all levels, including physical inventory and cash handling, organization and maintenance of back stock areas for the main shop and exhibition shop, and online fulfillment
- Uphold and reflect the Shop standards, policies, and procedures as well as proactively connect to the Museum to support a holistic visitor experience
- Have regular, dependable attendance and punctuality
- Follow security procedures for handling money and safeguarding merchandise
Start date: June 1, 2023
End date: October 22, 2023
Department: Merchandising
Reports to: Shop Manager
Position type: Part-time
Union status: Union–UAW Local 2110
Hourly rate: $24/hour
FLSA status: Non-exempt
Schedule: Two to four shifts per week, based on the needs of the business. Shifts may be scheduled between Tuesdays through Sundays, for hours before and/or after Museum hours including evenings and weekends. The Museum is open Wednesday–Sunday, 11 am–6 pm.
If you have questions about our online application system, please get in touch with us at job.application.questions@brooklynmuseum.org.
At the Brooklyn Museum, we value all types of experience. For us, a successful candidate has many of the qualities listed in our job postings, and the desire and capacity to learn the rest on the job. So if much, but not all, of a job posting describes you, then we welcome your application.