We are looking for candidates who can clearly demonstrate their suitability for this role. To be considered, please submit a covering letter, CV, and answer the five questions at the end of the role profile. Applications without a covering letter will not be shortlisted, so take this opportunity to show us why you are the right fit!
We are looking for a forward thinking, customer focused Wine & Gift Shop Assistant to play a key role in delivering truly exceptional customer service in our Manor Shop, alongside brilliant colleagues at the stunning location of Waddesdon Manor | A French Renaissance-style château. We are looking for positive, helpful and charismatic individuals who enjoy what they do, are driven to develop their wine knowledge and are passionate about making our visitors shopping experience memorable. As this role includes regular participation in wine tastings for product knowledge, customer engagement and training, applicants must be able to undertake these duties.
What you will do:
In this role, you will support the retail team to deliver outstanding customer service across all retail outlets. Providing exceptional service is your primary responsibility at Waddesdon, so you will need to be friendly, efficient and proactive. You will engage with visitors to create memorable shopping experiences, confidently identifying sales opportunities and recommending products to meet their needs. Alongside delivering excellent customer service, you will develop specialist knowledge of our wines, assist in hosting wine tastings, support wine events and confidently recommend our wine profile to visitors.
Key responsibilities include but not limited to:
Service and Responsibilities:
- Excellent service is your primary responsibility at Waddesdon. You need to; be friendly and welcoming, smile, make eye contact, be efficient and prompt, look for work to do and be proactive. Be polite and helpful at all times
- Continually work to develop your own product knowledge, working with the Wine Ambassador and Shop Manager to learn about wine and gift products respectively
- Engage with customers to maximize sales opportunities, sharing your passion and knowledge for both wine and gifts
- Hosting daily wine tastings in rotation with other members of retail team, using product knowledge gained through regular tasting and training to provide an engaging visitor experience
- Participate in regular wine training sessions, including tasting wines to develop and maintain detailed product knowledge
- Work alongside our Wine Ambassador to deliver public and private wine tastings and wine-related events
- Promoting our events, with a focus on our wine club, wine tastings and wine dinners
- Assist in Waddesdon’s sales outlets, including Wine, Gift, pop-up and Online shops
- Inform the Shop Manager/Wine Ambassador of areas of concern with low or high stock levels
- Assist in efficiently restocking the displays and shop floor storage from the stockrooms, ensuring rotation of perishable stock
- Assist the Shop Manager to ensure sales are maximized by effective visual merchandising on the shop floor, following the KPI for each area
- Assist the Shop Manager to ensure the shops maintain a high standard of housekeeping
- Work with other staff and volunteers to create an efficient, flexible and happy working environment, fostering individual commitment, enthusiasm and confidence
- Assist (if necessary) to ensure that stock-takes are undertaken on time and accurately
- Price and reconcile deliveries of stock
- Follow all KPIs for each location as instructed by the Shop Manager and set by Head of Retail
- Follow opening/closing procedure precisely
Relationships:
- At all times to maintain good working relationships with all members of the Waddesdon staff, visitors and other members of the public
- Sharing your passion and knowledge of wine with the team to create an environment of continuous learning and development
Finance:
- Your responsibilities here are to be honest, to look after stock and to help retail improve its figures. This can be done by checking products, reducing wastage due to poor stock rotation, and by encouraging sales
- Ensure all monies and transactions on the shop floors are in accordance with Accounts and PCI Compliance standards
- Ensure all financial procedures are executed according to company policy
Equipment
- You are expected to treat all equipment with due care and report all breakages or breakdowns to the Shop Manager
Personal:
- You are expected to be punctual, dressed appropriately and adhere to the standards of appearance
- You are also expected to attend all training sessions and have read all necessary policy documents, viz Health & Safety, Fire, Hygiene, etc. A knowledge of Waddesdon Manor, the Grounds, and the Five Arrows Hotel, Private Events is expected, and all company policy as laid out in the Manual, viz Service Standards, Equipment Knowledge, Disciplinary Procedures, etc
- Undertake and successfully complete WSET Level 2 in Wines (or equivalent training) as required by the role.
The above list of duties is not conclusive and the post holder may be required to undertake other tasks & duties commensurate to the role and skill set of the applicant
You will be a great fit if:
You are a passionate and customer-focused individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment. You enjoy helping people and have a genuine desire and ability to work in a front-line environment, ready to step in and support colleagues during busy periods. You are enthusiastic about wine and willing to actively develop your expertise through regular training and participation in wine tastings, enabling you to confidently promote and recommend our wines to visitors.
Your areas of knowledge and expertise that matter for this role:
- A demonstrable interest in wine, WSET Qualifications or desire to learn about wine and wine tasting
- Sales experience with a wine focus
- Ability and willingness to participate in wine tastings as an essential part of developing product knowledge and delivering an authentic visitor experience
- A naturally friendly and approachable personality, with a customer-first attitude
- Confident and engaging communication style to holistically increase sales
- Competent interpersonal skills to work alongside team members effectively
- You are able to stay calm and focused in a fast-paced environment
- High visual standards and attention to detail
- Confidence in operating tills (training will be provided)
- A team player with a flexible approach to tasks and schedules, and ready to assist in any situation
- This role involves standing for extending periods and light lifting when necessary
Rewards for working with us:
- We are proud of where we work and want to share Waddesdon Manor with family and friends by offering a number of complimentary tickets to the house and grounds.
- Waddesdon Discounts – 50% discount in the food-to-go outlets at the Manor. 20% in the Manor gift shop and restaurant, Stables Café, Five Arrows Hotel, and The Bow Pub. 20% discount on special event tickets made available to staff.
- Staff Card – A National Trust staff card entitles two adults and children under 18 years of age free admission to all National Trust properties and 20% discount in NT retail and catering outlets.
- Annual Leave – Your statutory annual leave is 28 days (20 days plus 8 public holidays), or 5.6 weeks. This will be pro-rated based on actual hours you work. If you work a public holiday, you will be paid double your hourly rate, but your statutory annual leave entitlement will reduce accordingly (i.e. you are being paid double on that date, so therefore not entitled to holiday pay or TOIL for that date).
- Pension – We will top up your pension by matching any contribution you make, up to 10% of your basic salary.
- Long Service Awards – Every 5 years of service, you are invited to a celebration to recognise your contribution to the organisation. A cash sum is awarded as a thank you.
- Mental Health and Wellbeing Support – access to a wellbeing platform and fully funded 1:1 counselling service.
- Flu Jabs – Free flu jabs in October.
Workplace adjustments:
We work closely with employees to help them work at their best, including making adjustments such as flexible working, compressed hours, providing equipment or changes to the workplace, where possible.
EDI
At the Rothschild Foundation, we place Equality, Inclusion and Diversity at the core of our values. We strive to be an organisation that actively addresses inequality and prejudice while fostering a truly anti-racist culture. Our approach is centered on meaningful and equitable support and development for you and others throughout your time with us. We are committed to providing an environment free from discrimination, where every team member feels valued, respected and has a true sense of belonging.
Application:
The vacancy advert may be taken down from job boards earlier than the stated deadline if a high standard of applications is received.
We welcome applications from everyone and particularly encourage applications from people from an ethnic minority background, and people with a disability to help us achieve a balanced representation in our workforce, especially at senior grades.
All candidates invited to interview have the opportunity to request adjustments to the recruitment process when scheduling your interview, for example accessible parking, communication support or breaks.
To apply, please send a current CV and Covering Letter explaining how your experience and skills match those outlined above to [email protected].
Closing date: Ongoing. The vacancy may be taken down from job boards when we see fit if a high standard of applications is received.
If you apply for this role and are selected to interview, here is what you can expect:
- Round 1: 45 minute, in-person interview with the Head of Retail and Shop Manager
