HOW TO APPLY:

We are looking for candidates who can clearly demonstrate their suitability for this role. To be considered, please submit a covering letter and your CV. Applications without a covering letter will not be shortlisted, so take this opportunity to show us why you are the right fit!

The Role:

We are looking for a forward thinking, customer focused individual who wants to play a key role in delivering truly exceptional customer service in our wine and gift 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.

What you will do:

In this role you will support the retail team to deliver outstanding customer service across all outlets. Excellent service is your primary responsibility at Waddesdon, and so you’ll need to be friendly, efficient, and prompt. This could include welcoming visitors into the shop and engaging with them to maximise sales opportunities.

Key Responsibilities include but are 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 staff on the shop floor
• Attending wine training sessions throughout the season, keeping a track of wines tasted
• Opportunities to work alongside our Wine Ambassador for public and private wine tastings
• 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
• Opportunity/willingness to complete WSET Level 2 in wine

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.

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
• 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

Additional Requirements:

The safety and wellbeing of children, young people, and vulnerable adults are of the utmost importance for any role at the Rothschild Foundation, Waddesdon Manor. Consequently, this position may require a basic or enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to uphold the safety and security of all our guests, staff and volunteers. 

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 Manor 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.

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. 

To reduce bias in our shortlisting process, we operate an anonymized application process.   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. This 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: In-person interview with Head of Retail and Shop Manager