Gift Shop Store Manager
About Tara Mandala
Tara Mandala is a vibrant international Buddhist Community with groups around the world. It was established in 1993 by Lama Tsultrim Allione and her late husband, David Petit, to foster the development of innate wisdom for the benefit of all beings. The hub of the Tara Mandala community is the 700-acre dharma center in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Through the center, its online programs and the Global Sangha, Tara Mandala offers a complete path of meditation practice, study, and deep retreat in the tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism. Tara Mandala is dedicated to bringing people to realization through Buddhist teachings. Tara Mandala is committed to fostering a welcoming atmosphere for all people to explore the teachings of the Buddha, and we are committed to cultivating a community that values diversity and inclusion.
“Tara Mandala was created to bring people together to support each other, practice, and do retreat in order to reach realization. The second purpose of Tara Mandala is to be a temenos for the emergence of the sacred feminine, through the lens of Vajrayana, leading to the balance of genuine partnership between the masculine and feminine in our world.” – Lama Tsultrim Allione
Tara Mandala seeks candidates who are familiar with and live by Buddhist principles, including the 5 precepts and the 10 virtuous actions. We strive to have an open heart, cultivate compassion and empathy for others whether co-workers, visitors, or retreatants. We are here to serve the Dharma first and foremost.
Tara Mandala Leadership Values can be reviewed here
Job Summary
Includes:
- Provide religious ritual items to Sangha and Retreatants in pleasant setting on site or through online store.
- Keeping online store curent and up to date
- Generate net income for the organization’s broader mission.
- Innovate marketing ideas, market niches, and ensure competitiveness with other Dharma/Buddhist stores, including other online stores.
- Provide books, media, goods, and rituals items targeted to each upcoming retreat to support retreatant’s needs and experience.
- Support fundraising efforts and donor appreciation efforts.
- Support retreatants and retreatant care by attending orientations and supplying retreatant care items in store
Overview of Duties and Areas of Oversight
- Provides monthly status reports to the Operations Director (OD).
- Manage the physical and online stores, including inventory, pricing, and purchasing.
- Manage back-end integration of website and Point of Sales (POS) systems; update inventory, pricing, pictures, and specs for online store; manage and update website.
- Assists in the development of new products: audio, visual, and in-store products as well as publications.
- Ensure that monthly sales tax to State of Colorado is paid, and work with bookkeeper on this process.
- Manages wholesaleand retail orders of original recordings and teachings in various formats, including coordination with Communications Manager and Media Team for product, packaging, marketing, flyers, pricing, and distribution of store products.
- Collaborate with Communications Manager for online sales and campaigns.
- Arranges store displays and keep the store current, clean, organized, attractive and magnetizing.
- Manage herbal tinctures inventory and other health and well-being products.
- Develop and maintain positive relationships with vendors and artists.
- Identify new products related to new programs and create appropriate displays and marketing ideas.
- Work with Spiritual Director, the OD and others, to order donor gifts for fundraising and Losar (Tibetan New Year).
- Works with Retreat Manager to manage donor gifts for on-site retreat fundraising events.
Tara Mandala Off-Site Event Support
- Coordinate with Retreat Manager and Programs Manager regarding upcoming Tara Mandala off-site events that may sell merchandize.
- Establishes contacts for off-site events and makes ensure timely shipping.
- Packs and sends off-site inventory and monitor tracking numbers and receiving.
- Receives packages back from event and re-stocks store and updates inventory accordingly.
- Enters and rings up sales, reconciles funds, follows up with any outstanding invoices/sales.
Day to Day Responsibilities
- Assists customers along with Living Dharma Apprentice Program volunteers (LDA’s) working in summer months with sales during established store hours in retreat season (May-October) and keeps regular hours during fall, winter, and spring.
- Manages sales including ringing up sales, batch out credit cards, close out tabs, prepare bank deposits, give accounting information to Bookkeeper/Finance Dept., reconcile the cash box, and ensure that we pay monthly sales tax by working with the bookkeeper.
- Manage e-mail and phone orders; including receiving orders and payment, packing and shipping items, and any necessary follow-up with customers.
- Arrange mail orders to be delivered to Post Office twice a week.
- Manages product distribution: receives orders, unpacks boxes, checks inventory with packing slip, approves invoice payments based on inventory review, enters inventory into the computer, prints tags; secures refunds for damage or missing goods.
- Communicates with customers and vendors including: responds to emails and phone messages, answers the phone, forwards information to others at TM, and answer questions.
- Tracks inventory and does annual inventory before October 31st each year, including: merchandise, monitoring inventory for reorder, reordering stock, purchasing products and contacting vendors.
- With OD input, develops sales promotions during events and throughout year.
Other Requirements:
- The Bookstore Manager reports directly to the Operations Director.
- Commitment, interest and knowledge of Buddhism and Tara Mandala practices and lineage.
- Attend community councils held once a month.
- Attend community meetings.
- Abide by current practice requirements.
- Participate in community-wide clean-up projects, etc. as directed by OD (e.g., Temple, Community Building, Prajna, and gardens periodically). These occur approximately once every month or two.
Required Education, Skills & Competencies
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, exemplary organizational skills, proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, Google suite, Shopify, high attention to detail.
Personal Characteristics
- Strong ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders, takes and gives feedback, communicate project needs, and work closely in a team environment.
- Be proactive and able work well with ambiguity to bring clarity and definition to projects under management.
- Excellent time management, organization, and communication skills.
- Driven to be successful and contribute to a team obtaining a common goal.
- Unquestioned integrity and trustworthiness.
- Accommodating, cooperative, and able to take direction.
- Motivated to provide high quality of work.
- Commitment to displaying, developing, and upholding Tara Mandala’s Leadership Values.
- Sincere interest in living and practicing in a Dharma community and attending community evening practices.
- Empathy and Compassion
- Independent
- Problem solving
- Dependable
- Flexible
Compensation, Benefits and Other Job Requirements
This is a full-time residential position at Tara Mandala, Pagosa Springs, Colorado and includes room and board (housing options based on housing availability) and other benefits.
For residential positions: Tara Mandala’s Residential Agreement, including Code of Conduct is available for review here.
Other Duties: This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time as needed by the organization.
Tara Mandala is an equal opportunity employer and seeks diversity with respect to race, religion, ethnicity, culture, gender, age, sexual orientation, and physical abilities.