Gallery Sales & Purchasing Coordinator
GALLERY SALES AND PURCHASING COORDINATOR
Reports to: Gallery and Visitors Center Director
Department: Programs
Employment Status: Full-time
FLSA Status: Non-exempt
Start date: May 1, 2021
Last Updated: March 18, 2021
Who We Are
Penland School of Craft is an international center for craft education offering residential workshops, residencies, community education programs, and exhibitions. Located on 420 acres in the NC Mountains, Penland has 16 teaching studios and 57 historic and contemporary buildings. We are an equal opportunity employer with a staff of 70. Penland operates with a $44 million endowment and an annual operating budget of $6 million. We are located about an hour northeast of Asheville, NC. Our mission supports individual and artistic growth through creative practice and discovery.
Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
We believe that equity, diversity, and inclusion are essential to fulfilling our mission. We want to inspire and nurture the human spirit, and we value the perspectives and contributions of all people. We want the Penland experience to include varied ideas, world views, and personal characteristics. Penland is committed to being a community that welcomes and respects everyone regardless of age, ability, ethnicity, race, religion, philosophical or political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, nationality, geographic origin, and socioeconomic status. We are committed to providing an environment free of discrimination.
Position Summary
The Gallery Sales and Purchasing Coordinator reports directly to the Penland Gallery Director, and is responsible for all business aspects of the gallery including management of the point of sale system (inventory, sales reports, commission reports), purchase orders, and budget tracking. The sales + purchasing coordinator works collaboratively with gallery staff and directly with gallery artists, Penland School instructors, visitors, collectors, and other customers, attending to inventory, sales, and gallery information.
The Penland Gallery staff serve as Penland liaisons with artists and the local community and as education, sales, and general information resource for visitors. This position requires a service-oriented person who is outgoing and able to convey information to visitors, students, and instructors in a friendly, courteous, tactful, and accurate manner. They also work closely with the finance office staff.
Primary Responsibilities
Divides work time between lead responsibilities outlined below and shared responsibilities. All gallery employees work as a team to welcome and assist gallery visitors. This means some time each day may be spent interacting with the public in our three exhibition spaces and visitors center.
Point of Sale
- Responsible for maintaining all aspects of the gallery’s cloud-based POS software system, including inventory entries and reports, technical support, special orders, and reconciliation.
- Works with gallery staff to utilize POS software, computer, and credit card systems to accurately facilitate gallery sales. Maintains credit card systems and Paypal eCommerce transactions and supplies.
- Responsible for reconciling daily POS sales, including cash, check, credit card, and Paypal transactions.
- Works with finance staff to generate weekly deposits and associated records.
- Works with gallery customers making purchases, placing orders, special orders, and refunds.
Inventory Management
- Responsible for accurately maintaining all POS inventory entries and artist invoice records, generate monthly commission reports, commission payments to artists, and annual year-end inventory records.
- Works directly with gallery artists, attending to inventory, sales, and information. Maintains accurate contact information for gallery artists and customers.
Purchasing
- Works with finance staff to follow established procedures for requesting purchase authorizations, placing orders for materials, supplies, and equipment, and for submitting packing slips, invoices, and bills in a timely manner.
- Facilitates all internal gallery purchasing requests, ensuring that all orders are placed, received, and accounted for properly.
- Maintains all invoices and purchase orders related to gallery operations, including UPS, FedEx, publication materials, mailings, etc.
Budget and Record Supervision
- Assists the gallery director to develop the annual gallery budget; follows budgeting procedures and guidelines.
- Tracks gallery revenue and expense against approved fiscal budget and maintains budget spreadsheets.
- Works with gallery director to generate gallery reports as needed, including biannual board reports, grant information, and general gallery sales and information statistics.
- Works with gallery director to develop and maintain efficient accounting practices and gallery record keeping, including passwords and vendor account information.
Qualifications
- Strong knowledge of and technical fluency with Apple operating systems, Microsoft Office Suite, and the G Suite platform is preferred. Adept use of financial spreadsheets utilizing Excel and Google Sheets software, as well as experience with POS software, is required.
- Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, etc., is required. General budgeting experience is preferred.
- Proven experience in being detail-oriented, self-motivated, able to set priorities, meet deadlines, and organize multiple projects at once. Able to manage a varied workload, work well independently and under supervision, work collegially with others, cooperating in both interpersonal and team relationships.
Physical Demands
The employee is regularly required to work at a computer and stand for periods of time at the sales counter while performing the duties of this job. They must frequently use their hands to manipulate or touch objects, tools, and controls; they must be able to speak fluently, hear, and see (including close vision). The employee will need to successfully navigate areas of the campus with uneven terrain. They must regularly lift and/or move objects weighing up to 25 pounds.
Compensation
This is a full-time, year-round, benefits-eligible position.
Compensation discussions are a part of the interviewing process but the starting wage for this position is $14.75 per hour for 32 hours per week. Employees at Penland enjoy competitive pay, attractive benefits, and a lively, creative work environment.
To Apply
The position will remain open until filled; however, the initial review of applications will consist of applications received by April 9, 2021. The scheduled start date is May 1, 2021. Send cover letter, résumé, and contact information for three references, addressing relevant experience and interest in the position to Alyse Ostreicher, Human Resources Manager, employment@penland.org. Please include Gallery Sales + Purchasing Coordinator as the subject of your email.
We look forward to hearing from you!