Museum Store Associate Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

The Skirball Cultural Center seeks a dynamic and experienced store manager for our onsite museum store, Audrey's. The store manger will oversee the daily operations, financial performance, and staffing of both the physical museum store and its growing online business. Reporting to the Director of Visitor Experience, with a dotted-line relationship to the Vice President of Communications and Marketing, this role is responsible for ensuring efficient, accurate, and visitor-focused retail operations that align with the Skirball's broader institutional mission.

The Store Manager will lead all aspects of retail operations, including systems and procedures, financial controls, staffing, and cross-departmental collaboration. The position supervises a team that includes the Assistant Store Manager, two full-time Sales Associates, a part-time buyer/merchandiser, and additional part-time or seasonal staff as needed. The Manager also interfaces with docents, volunteers, members, and other community stakeholders who serve as ambassadors for the store and the Skirball experience.

The ideal candidate brings proven success in both brick-and-mortar and online retail operations, along with enthusiasm for integrating the store into the life of a vibrant Jewish cultural institution. This includes supporting museum exhibitions, family programming, and community lifecycle events such as weddings, b'nai mitzvahs, birth ceremonies, and other Jewish rituals. While expertise in Judaica is not required, the successful candidate will demonstrate curiosity, appreciation, and excitement for stewarding one of the last remaining brick-and-mortar Judaica stores in Los Angeles, while identifying opportunities to expand its online reach and deepen its connection to the Skirball's diverse audiences and programming.

Rate: $75,000/year

Responsibilities:

Retail Operations & Financial Management

• Track and meet daily, weekly, and monthly sales goals and operational metrics
• Manage incoming and outgoing financial paperwork, including invoices and accounting entries
• Ensure expenses comply with approved budgets and organizational policies
• Analyze sales, expenses, and operational data to support profitability and efficiency
• Perform and oversee all POS-related activities to ensure accurate transactions
• Supervise and resolve complex customer transactions, including returns and special orders
• Manage stock levels and oversee the annual physical inventory process
• Ensure adherence to all loss prevention, cash-handling, and operational procedures
• Assist in the organization's annual budgeting process
• Oversee order fulfillment for the Shopify-based online store
• Ensure backend systems, inventory accuracy, and transactional processes function smoothly
• Reviews open-to-buy numbers in preparation of stocking and restocking for exhibitions, programs, holidays, life-cycle events, etc.

Staffing, Supervision & Training

• Oversee day-to-day store operations and ensure consistent floor coverage
• Create and maintain an inclusive, supportive, and service-oriented team environment
• Train, coach, and evaluate employees on operational standards and service expectations
• Maintain and update an operations manual that establishes policies and procedures
• Lead scheduling with consideration for exhibitions, holidays, programs, festivals, and private events
• Approve staff timesheets
• Assist with recruiting, interviewing, and hiring part-time employees and volunteers
• Collaborate on employee engagement and retention strategies

Visitor Experience & Institutional Support

• Act as manager-on-duty as needed, particularly on weekends
• Support the Visitor Experience team, with any shared general information with visitors
• Coordinate operational readiness for special exhibitions, programs, and events

Qualifications, Experience, and Attributes:

• High school diploma required
• Experience managing and inspiring a team and resolving employee issues
• Knowledge of retail accounting practices, in particular the concept of open-to-buy
• Ability to professionally communicate information through oral, written, and technological methods to a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders, including writing copy for merchandise signage and online merchandise descriptions
• Retail sales and decision-making experience that includes providing a high level of customer service, building relationships with clients, purchasing based on customer desires, merchandising, positively resolving customer issues in the moment, managing a staff of least 5,
• Understanding of how both small and large retail companies operate
• Ability to work any day of the week, holidays, exhibition openings, and late-night special events
• Working knowledge of computer and business software applications, particularly Microsoft Suite, and Shopify, and some basic familiarity with Photoshop.
• A passion for the Skirball's guiding values, a work philosophy of integrity and honesty, and the desire to foster a culture of diversity and inclusiveness for employees and visitors
• Preferred: relevant experience at a small and/or independent business, and foreign language skills

Physical and environmental demands of the job: Physical ability to stand/walk for long periods of time alternating with long periods of desk work at a computer. Must be able to lift, carry, push, and pull items weighing up to 30 pounds. A full range of body motion is required on the job to include frequent sitting, bending, stooping, crouching, lifting, carrying, walking, and standing.