Assistant Store Manager
Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.Assistant Store Manager The Assistant Store Manager helps lead the campus store by partnering with the Store Manager to deliver an exceptional retail experience. By developing teams, driving operational excellence, and supporting the success of the store, our Assistant Store Managers help create meaningful experiences for the campus community. Education – It’s in Our DNA Barnes & Noble College is more than a campus bookstore—we're an integral part of the college experience. Our campus stores serve as vibrant hubs of college life and learning, creating retail and learning experiences that engage students, support faculty, and build alumni loyalty. Together, our teams help elevate lives through education. The Assistant Store Manager is a key member of the store leadership team, partnering with the Store Manager to lead the daily operations of the campus store, deliver an exceptional customer experience, and drive business results. This role provides hands-on leadership across all aspects of store operations, including team development, merchandising, inventory management, sales performance, and campus relationships. How You'll Make an Impact Lead daily sales floor operations by delivering exceptional customer service, coaching team members, and fostering a customer-first culture. Partner with the Store Manager to oversee daily store operations, serve as Manager-on-Duty as needed, and execute company initiatives while ensuring operational standards, merchandising, inventory accuracy, and store presentation are maintained. Recruit, hire, train, coach, schedule, and develop store team members, assigning work, providing ongoing feedback, and fostering a collaborative, high-performing team. Drive sales and operational performance by analyzing business trends, managing controllable expenses, identifying opportunities for improvement, and adapting to changing business needs. Build strong relationships with customers, campus partners, and team members while resolving customer concerns with professionalism, sound judgment, and a commitment to exceptional service. Develop expertise across all store departments while providing leadership and operational support in areas such as Course Materials, General Merchandise, Café/Convenience, and Trade Books, as assigned. Support daily store operations by executing merchandising, inventory management, stock replenishment, order fulfillment, sales transactions, and other operational activities to maintain an organized, customer-ready environment. Champion a clean, safe, and organized store environment by ensuring operational standards are consistently executed across all departments. What You'll Need to Succeed 2–3 years of retail experience, including at least one year of leadership or supervisory experience preferred, or successful completion of the Barnes & Noble College Aspiring Leader Program. Experience with retail operations, including merchandising, inventory management, visual merchandising, and customer service. Demonstrated leadership, coaching, and team development skills, with the ability to motivate and develop others. Strong customer service, communication, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills. Strong organizational, analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Proficiency with retail technology, point-of-sale (POS) systems, and Microsoft Office applications. Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays. Physical Demands: Frequent movement throughout the store to access merchandise, assist customers, and support daily operations. Routine tasks may involve hanging and/or folding merchandise, stocking shelves, unpacking merchandise received, pulling and packing web orders for customers, pulling and packing merchandise to be returned to vendors, transporting merchandise within the store, assisting with the delivery of course …