Gift Shop Associate

At Houston Methodist, the Gift Shop Associate position is responsible for providing support for a wide variety of activities within the Gift Shop which include the flow of merchandise from point of delivery to the sales floor. This position ensures that products are easily accessible, appropriately priced, logged in Point-of-Sale system, visually appealing, and follows Houston Methodist Gift Shop quality standards. The Gift Shop Associate position provides a wide variety of both complex and routine administrative services assisting Gift Shop management in operations.

FLSA STATUS
Non-exempt

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• High School diploma or equivalent education (examples include: GED, verification of homeschool equivalency, partial or full completion of post-secondary education, etc.)

EXPERIENCE

• Four years of retail experience. For HM employees, three years retail experience
• Experience in healthcare environment preferred

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
• Must possess effective computer skills
• Ability to deal effectively with problems and exercise good judgment when problem solving
• Ability to work with peers in a team situation
• Detail-oriented and possess strong analytical skills
• Strong organization skills and detail-oriented nature
• Professional handling of exposure to confidential/sensitive information
• Adaptable to change and dependable

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Serves as primary contact for all internal and external gift shop vendors.
• Maintains proactive communication with key partners about new arrivals, sales, pricing, order overages and shortages, damages and delivery delays. Effectively communicates relevant sales and pricing information to management.
• Recommends improvements for department scores on employee engagement.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Organizes stock room and ensure accurate labeling, logical placement, neat arrangement, and cleanliness are maintained and in compliance with accreditation agencies.
• Contributes to meeting/exceeding department and organization targets for patient satisfaction measures.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Accounts for merchandise and supplies enabling compliance with designated inventory levels and help prevent run-outs. Ensures quality of perishable merchandise and inventory integrity.
• Works with Gift Shop teammates to maintain asset protection standards.
• Identifies and escalates issues and opportunities for improvement. Follows up on action items to ensure completion of assignments. Contributes towards improving department/hospital quality and safety scores.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Checks merchandise and supply deliveries for accuracy, verifying that quantities received match bills of lading, purchase orders and other documents.
• Processes, authorizes and reconciles merchandise, addressing all discrepancies, shipment damages, and necessary returns to vendors.
• Monitors shop demands and store coverage and fills in as cashier clerk as staffing demand require. Partner with management to improve performance standards and financial tracking.
• Ensures store pricing and Point of Sale system integrity. Provides daily accounting and documentation and participate in inventory audits. Evaluates and recommends inventory stock levels based upon historical sales reports.
• Contributes to profitability of the organization by receiving, handling, and managing inventory of merchandise and supplies in a timely and organized manner.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Recommends standards and strategies to ensure efficiency, consistency, accountability and increased profitable return. Offers innovative solutions through participation in performance improvement projects and activities.
• Seeks opportunities to identify self-development needs and takes appropriate action. Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management. Completes and updates the My Development Plan on an on-going basis.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform: Yes
• Scrubs: No
• Business professional: Yes
• Other (department approved): No

ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* No

TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area No
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• High School diploma or equivalent education (examples include: GED, verification of homeschool equivalency, partial or full completion of post-secondary education, etc.)

EXPERIENCE

• Four years of retail experience. For HM employees, three years retail experience
• Experience in healthcare environment preferred