Changing Hands Bookstore: Director of Operations

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS - Phoenix / Tempe Location

Changing Hands Bookstore is seeking a Director of Operations. This is a full-time position, 40+ hours per week. As an integral part of our executive management team, the Director of Operations oversees finance and accounting; human resource (HR) activities such as payroll, administrative, and compliance functions; and assists with professional development, the IT department, facilities management, and legal matters, including leases. The Director of Operations, who reports directly to the CEO, plays a pivotal role in helping to shape the company’s vision and strategy, thereby helping to set the company’s priorities and direction. This position is based out of our Tempe location, and will spend time at both locations.

Changing Hands Bookstore (CHB), established in 1974, has two Arizona locations—Phoenix and Tempe. In its combined 20,000 square feet, it carries new, used, and sale books, plus a large assortment of gifts. CHB hosts author and community events. The combined staff totals approximately 80 employees. CHB also has a location at Sky Harbor Airport through a licensing agreement. The airport location and staff are not managed by CHB.

Salary range: $70-$85K. Salary depends upon experience. The benefits package will include store discounts, paid time off, and access to company partially-subsidized health, vision, dental and other insurance options. Simple IRA contributions with company contributions of up to 3% matching funds.

To apply, email a letter of interest and resume to join@changinghands.com. Deadline - open until filled.

Job Description:

Job Requirements:
Finance and Accounting Leadership

• Working with Accounting Manager and CPA, audit accounting activities, ledgers, and reporting systems, ensuring they adhere to the appropriate Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and regulatory requirements. Coordinate with the accounting team to monitor financial activities and produce and analyze monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements.
• Share insights from financial analysis with senior leadership, presenting reports, including monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements. Identify trends, track growth (or lack thereof), and recommend actions when necessary.
• Along with the CEO, co-monitor cash reserves and advise on investing funds not required for operations.
• Maintain internal control and safeguards for receipt of revenue. Monitor costs, budgets, and expenditures of funds.
• Draft and oversee applications for grant opportunities and proposals (RFPs) for sales contracts.

Team Leadership

• Coordinate, communicate, and align with other team leaders, offering guidance in enhancing internal communications with personnel at all organizational tiers, and establishing and advocating for a positive, high-performing, and nurturing work atmosphere.
  • Help identify, formulate, and execute business strategies, plans, and processes.
• Contribute to a high-performing, customer-centric, engaging, and nurturing environment for employees. Look to create systems that continually improve efficiencies.
• Acting as a senior leader of the frontline operations, the DOO co-creates standard procedures and protocols for consistency in operations across both locations to ensure profitability, sustainability, and a workplace with positive staff morale.
• Assist in ensuring cross department and cross store communication.
• Assist with overseeing facility management to ensure store managers are able to stay on top of facility issues. Report to ownership/leadership on issues regarding maintenance, repairs, and adjacent community issues.
• Meet with department managers to discover new opportunities and improve current systems.

Human Resource Responsibilities

• Oversee, update, and implement professional development for new employees and employees advancing into management positions.
• Supervise or assist when creating and rolling out various short and long-term projects (e.g. software implementations, systems updates, certain promotional initiatives, etc.) to help ensure that the responsible parties complete the work correctly and on time.
• Work with the payroll team to monitor processing of the bi-weekly payroll via a third-party payroll service.
• Review and oversee administration of employee benefits.
• Assess and submit for Board approval all legal documents, including but not limited to leases, employment contracts, independent contractor agreements (1099s), benefits such as employee insurance coverage, and unemployment claims.
• Manage and assist with any HR claims.
• Oversee and ensure that staff files for employees are utilized and updated. Manage HR systems for optimal employee engagement. Ensure that managers administer the 45 and 90-day check-ins and annual reviews for the teams that they manage along with daily upkeep and logging.

IT Responsibilities

• Work with the IT department to ensure that IT issues are being resolved promptly, that our IT infrastructure is up to date and serving our needs, and that our POS, internet, servers, ethernet, WiFi, workstations, peripherals, phones, security systems, IndieCommerce Website Platform, anti-virus, and cloud backup systems are working.

Facilities and Legal

• Supervise outside facilities management (e.g. landlords or rental agents) who are responsible for building maintenance for each location. Monitor leases and scrutinize their renewal conditions, annual rental increases, percentage rent charges, and Common Area Maintenance (CAM) charges. Report your findings on leases to ownership. Engage legal or other professional help with approval of ownership, as needed.

Qualifications

• A proven leader with 5+ years of overseeing accounting and finance operations, managing the IT needs of a retail establishment (preferred), and working on legal aspects of a for-profit business including lease execution and renewals. Candidates will preferably have experience as an Operations Director or COO.

Additional qualifications

• Possesses personal attributes of trustworthiness, and a steadfast dedication to the mission of Changing Hands Bookstore and First Draft Book Bar.
• Exhibit the capability to organize and prioritize competing daily and long-term demands.
• Proactive, hands-on strategic thinker with sharp analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities that facilitate strategic data-driven solutions.
• Possess robust interpersonal and communication skills with experience in effectively conveying key data.
• Demonstrate resilience, adaptability, and a positive demeanor that motivates others.

TO APPLY
Send a letter of interest along with your resume to join@changinghands.com