Retail and associate

At ECHO, we are dedicated to empowering smallholder farmers and communities through sustainable agricultural solutions. As a Retail and Nursery Associate, you will play a key role in supporting our mission by assisting customers with plant care, sharing product knowledge, and ensuring that our nursery thrives.

Your passion for plants and commitment to community empowerment will contribute to the success of our efforts in combating hunger and improving lives worldwide.

SUMMARY : The primary responsibilities of the Retail and Nursery Associate are to maintain outstanding customer service, uphold ECHO’s Mission and Core Values, generate sales transactions, and support for the operation and maintenance of the Retail Store / Nursery and front office.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Bookstore Receive incoming calls; answer questions appropriately if possible, and route calls to appropriate staff members.

Ensure high levels of customer service by greeting and offering assistance to ECHO customers and visitors. Access customer needs and provide information on product features.

Be alert to opportunities to promote sales, advertise, and utilize marketing techniques to increase sales. Process accurately and efficiently sale and return transactions.

Ensure that the sales floor is fully stocked, organized, and clean. Process orders for ECHO online bookstore and fill phone orders in a timely manner.

Assist with the annual inventory audit for the bookstore / nursery department. Receive and sort incoming mail and assist staff with postage when necessary.

Help facilitate the ECHO tours intake process by greeting visitors, collecting payments, and registration forms. Perform other duties as assigned.

Nursery Serve customers, providing them with accurate information regarding plant characteristics and culture. Assist customers in making appropriate plant selections for the area in which they live, and the environmental conditions where the plants are to be placed.

Assist customers with solving cultural problems to promote success with purchased plants. Provide customers with correct pest and disease identification for routine problems, and then assist with selecting an effective control.

Maintain plants in salable condition through a program of watering, fertilization, pruning, and pest control. Create / maintain esthetically pleasing plant displays using attractive plant combinations.

Create appropriate tags for all plants to ease check-out and insure inventory accuracy and correctly tag plants with the wrap-around labels.

Receive plant orders as necessary. Scout nursery plants routinely to find damaged, diseased, or infested plants Rogue unsalable or diseased plants, place in pick-up area, and return tags for quantity adjustments.

After appropriate training and with proper supervision as needed, apply control measures to diseased or infested plants.

Maintain attractive herb and vegetable plants through correct pruning, watering, and fertilization. Work with volunteers to provide a rewarding experience for them and properly maintain the nursery and landscape.

Assist in maintaining the landscape around the nursery. Perform other duties as assigned. QUALIFICATIONS : Must subscribe to the ECHO Statement of Faith or Apostle’s Creed and possess character traits consistent with ECHO’s core values.

Ability to use or learn basic computer systems. Strong interpersonal and communication skills. Ability to read, write, and comprehend short correspondence and memos.

Ability to effectively communicate with customers, peers, and management. Ability to communicate on the phone with proper etiquette.

Ability to multi-task, while being attentive to customers and remaining flexible to the needs of the business. Ability to work as part of a team and take initiative independent of direct supervision.

Enthusiastic, friendly, and energetic with a genuine desire to provide outstanding service. Availability to work some weekends.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS : Positions directly supervised : none Positions indirectly supervised : none REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE : A high school diploma or general education degree (GED) is required.

Previous experience in retail, sales, customer service, and operating a cash register preferred. Horticultural knowledge and experience (e.

g. plant nursery, landscaping and / or gardening) is preferred. WORK ENVIRONMENT : The work environment for this position will both indoors and outdoors.

Weather conditions may be challenging (heat, rain, and wind). The noise and activity level in the work environment is usually quiet;

however, at times the environment can become harried due to unexpected urgent projects and deadline demands. Must have a temperament to work constructively under pressure situations, and must have the ability to travel within minimal time segments.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS : The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential function of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand (for at least two consecutive hours);

walk; use hands, talk and hear. Fine motor skills such as typing, the use of a computer mouse and telephone handset are required.

The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is required to sit, stoop, kneel, and crouch.

The employee must occasionally lift and / or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

POSITION TYPE AND EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK : This is a full time position. Days and hours of work varies. TRAVEL : None. OTHER DUTIES : Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.

Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. AAP / EEO STATEMENT : ECHO is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We believe it is our moral and legal obligation to meet the responsibility of ensuring that all management practices regarding employees are conducted in a nondiscriminatory manner.

It is, therefore, our policy and intention to evaluate all employees and prospective employees strictly according to the requirements of the job.

ECHO is a Christian religious-affiliated organization; and as such, is not subject to religious discrimination requirements.

ECHO’s hiring practices and EEO discrimination practices are in full compliance with both federal and state law. Federal law creates an exception to the religion component of the employment discrimination laws for religious organizations and permits them to give employment practice preference to members of their own religious beliefs. Powered by JazzHR

Last updated : 2024-11-12