We are looking for an passionate and highly motivated retail development specialist to join the ranger team at Moors Valley Country Park. Moors Valley is situated on the Dorset Hampshire border, in the south of England and boasts a wealth of adventurous play, waymarked walks and cycles, a ‘Go Ape!’ high ropes course, narrow-gauge steam railway and an abundance of health and wellbeing opportunities.
The park and Visitor Centre are looked after by a team of rangers employed by Dorset Council. They are responsible for the management of the Country Park area including the play areas, lakes, rivers, meadows and woodland extending north up to and including Potterne Wood. They also provide environmental education sessions for school groups, operate a fleet of hire bikes, manage an 18-hole miniature golf course and electric land rover experience for children, organise and run an events programme, provide visitor services in the Visitor Centre and operate a highly successful Gift Shop.
You will get involved in all aspects of this busy Country Park, with primary responsibility the day to day running of the Gift Shop and its associated functions. This facility currently features over 2,000 separate stock lines, consistently working with over 40 different suppliers and selling over 60,000 items per year.
You will be responsible for coordinating and managing this high-quality retail area, including purchasing, stock lines, income and expenditure budgets, displays, retail security and researching and identify other retail opportunities. The role will also be central in ensuring the wider team is aware of the opportunities, operational processes and retail performance and provide appropriate training where relevant.
This role is designed to help ensure the efficient delivery of an effective and reputable Gift Shop within a highly successful Country Park, so being organised with excellent customer service skills and the ability to manage a substantial and varied workload is essential. Other duties; general running of the Country Park, including daily site checks, facility inspections, litter picking and being involved in site wide procedures such as lost children.
The ideal candidate will have; experience of retail purchasing, ideally in a busy visitor destination, alongside experience of working in a busy customer facing environment, excellent communication and organisation skills and a proven background in the retail sector. Onsite training will be provided to the successful candidate, along with practical training and knowledge.