Store Leader - Blackhearts & Sparrows Elwood

At Blackhearts & Sparrows, we are passionate about creating genuine moments of human connection with all our customers and we pay great attention to detail in the curation and ranging of our product to ensure we deliver a memorable experience each and every time. At our core, we are a people-first organisation that values inclusivity and empathy - we care for our people. We pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative, team-focused workplace that promotes an environment of continuous learning and a desire to produce quality work.

You love people, customer service and working in teams. You have a proven ability to connect with a diverse group of personalities and possess excellent communication skills. You’ve led teams before and have a growth mindset, finding your purpose in developing the skills of others and in creating a workplace environment that promotes high-performance and fosters teamwork. You have sound knowledge of the beverage and service industries and in beer, wine or spirits but you recognise there’s always much to learn and will commit yourself to ongoing training and development, both self-directed and in concert with Blackhearts. The ideal candidate will also possess:

• Previous experience within the hospitality or retail industry, having held a position of leadership 1+ years
• A passion for food and beverage, regularly participating in self-directed research, tastings, and producer visits
• An ability to perform work with high attention to detail in a fast-paced environment
• A thirst for learning and acquiring new skills
• An enjoyment for physical work and the ability to perform heavy lifting duties
• Self-motivation abilities and be efficient in the execution of daily tasks
• Strong ability to maintain clear and effective communication with your team and key stakeholders relationships, and the confidence to have tough but productive discussions when needed
• Strong interpersonal skills and is empathetic, respectful, and understanding of others
• An ability to work autonomously and as part of a team
• Highly self-motivated and able to work with minimum supervision
• Highly organised with the ability to plan, prioritise and take ownership of workloads
• Ability to time manage responsibilities and meet deadlines
• A team-player with a preparedness to put the needs of others ahead of their own
• Able to work nights, weekends, and during seasonal holiday periods
• Consistent availability and flexibility to support your team in times of need
• Previous Pronto Xi system experience a bonus
• VCE or equivalent level of education and/or typing qualification

Located in Elwood, our store is a well-established part of the local community, with a popular and loyal customer base. We pride ourselves on building lasting relationships with our customers, getting to know their preferences and helping them discover new favourites while ensuring there is always something to suit their palate and taste when they visit.

Our challenge is to help customers navigate the huge array of choices available in our stores and deliver a retail experience that genuinely meets their needs. We pay great attention to detail across every aspect of the customer experience, from store presentation and cleanliness to product layout and merchandising, remembering our customers’ favourites and ensuring every visit is welcoming, personal and engaging.

As Store Leader, you will bring the full breadth of the Blackhearts & Sparrows retail experience to life, combining wine knowledge, product expertise and a passion for customer engagement. You will play a key role in strengthening relationships with our loyal local community while welcoming new customers and encouraging them to explore everything the store has to offer.

You’ll lead by example, driving performance, developing your team’s skills, managing accurate stock inventory and maintaining a positive, healthy workplace through confident, supportive and empathetic leadership. You will:

• Ensure the delivery of an exceptional Blackhearts customer service experience
• Maintain a healthy, ethical workplace environment in line with Blackhearts’ core values
• Adopt a regular coaching practice to support a co-commitment to ongoing training and development
  
• Train and develop your team to upskill and build capabilities
• Constantly advance your own product knowledge by attending Blackheart’s trainings and tastings, also ensuring the participation of your team in these educational initiatives
• Maintain high standards of visual merchandising and dynamic store presentation – shelving, displays, fridges, pricing, product tags
• Maintain accurate stock inventory, conducting stocktakes, investigations and reporting errors
• Maintain a well organised stockroom and manage all aspects of stock delivery and return, including receiving in and transfer out
• Promote the handling of all products with care to minimise breakages and meet stock loss KPIs
• Meet budgets, financial objectives and KPIs
• Manage the store roster and meet wage bill targets
• Complete store timesheets
• Complete reporting and administrative tasks, including planning for meetings
• Demonstrate full compliance in all aspects of Workplace Health and Safety including COVID-Safe planning, while promoting, developing and supervising your stores’ WHS practices

Why it’s pretty good at Blackhearts

• Step into a meaningful role within a team of passionate and hard-working legends
• We love what we do and are passionate about sharing our knowledge so you’ll learn heaps
• We believe a company is only as good as its people and we take good care of our people
• Regular staff training sessions and tastings with producers
• Enjoy staff discounts to quench your thirst

We are dedicated to building a gender equitable team, as well as fostering a culture that is diverse, inclusive and welcoming. We warmly encourage applications from people of all ages, cultures, First Nations people, abilities, sexual orientation and gender identities.