JOB DESCRIPTION:
We are looking for a highly qualified and motivated Flower Studio Manager / Designer (FSM) with several years management and design experience to lead our growing flower department. The FSM works in a variety of environments from our warehouse to offsite event venues, and oversees and coordinates flower shop activities, such as the purchase, selection, design, preparation and retail sale of flowers for decoration. The FSM is also responsible for administrative and retail duties, such as keeping financial records, answering inquiries and processing payment. We need a capable leader at the helm, driving daily operations, strategizing and implementing solutions for future growth, and ensuring that the highest quality standards are met each and every day. You will need excellent leadership and communication; positivity, creativity, and strong problem-solving skills are an absolute must – as well as the ability to think big and execute accordingly. You’ll need to be self-motivated and able to adapt and pivot quickly. Hopefully the thought of creating new, better ways of doing things and leading and building the best team possible gets you excited!
LOCATION:
Swift + Company Warehouse
1919 Edwards Street, Houston, TX 77007
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Essential functions, may include the following tasks, knowledge, skills and other characteristics. This list of tasks is illustrative only, and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and tasks performed by positions in this class.
+ You’ll be responsible for all aspects of the flower department – including all facets of daily employee management, designing, purchasing and budgeting, sales, reporting, operational efficiencies, and future growth strategies. There are four sub-categories in the overall department – purchasing + receiving + processing, design, administration, and sales / marketing / events. You’ll need to be able to manage them all and hit the ground running with the appropriate skills to get the job done right out of the gate.
+ Team Management –You must be comfortable leading a team and working with many different personalities. You’ll need to be an excellent leader and communicator to succeed in this position. You will be responsible for the daily management of the flower team to ensure operations are running smoothly and efficiently. You’ll need to create a positive work environment, mentor team members, handle all disciplinary procedures with fairness and consistency, and help to build an exceptional team culture. We’re looking for someone who’s honest, positive, creative, hard-working, and resilient.
+ Sales – You will sell flowers to a variety of clients – individuals, corporations, brides and event planners. – for all sizes / types of events. You must be comfortable consulting with clients about flower arrangement designs, the cost of flowers and delivery and labor services, and must have a proficient knowledge of flower/botanical varieties and seasonal availability. Additionally, you will schedule site-visits, deliveries, and be available for walk-in customers. It is imperative that you respond to flower inquiries in a timely and professional manner. You will formulate quotes, contracts and manage contract signings and payment for services, working closely with our in-house accountant. Additionally, you will make cold calls to generate new leads and develop clients; and make periodic visits / entertain established clientele to strengthen client relationships.. You will respond to customer service problems and resolve complaints and/or refer complaints to the WGM.
+ Marketing — The Flower Studio Manager will work closely with our Marketing Coordinator to maintain a database of flower clients, and cultivate long term relationships with them as well. The FSM will work with Marketing Coordinator on photo shoots, and develop and implement marketing strategies for increased client base and sales. The FSM will attend trade shows, bridal fairs, networking events and other similar opportunities to market Swift + Company Flowers.
+ Communication is hugely important for this position. You’ll need to effectively communicate company policies, design aesthetic, growth, strategic vision, values, and other relevant information clearly with team members in a way that is applicable to their role and their daily work, as well as their potential growth with the company. You will work closely under the WGM. Emails and phone messages must be replied / returned by end of day each day, and you will communicate via email, text, icloud and telephone.
+ Operational Strategy and Implementation – The ideal candidate will thrive at finding new ways to improve operational efficiencies, i.e. improve quality, minimize labor and waste, and solve problems to allow your department to function and profit well. You will serve as key point of contact for external vendors and manage contracts / pricing to deliver the best possible deals for Swift + Company.
+ Budgeting and Reporting – You must be proficient at creating budgets for customers / events, and sticking to them. Additionally, you will be responsible for budgeting time and work hours for flower designers / team members.
+ Flower Design and Development – It is essential that you understand our customers and are in tune with what they want. With a team, you will be responsible for flower design development and must ensure that selected designs will appeal to our customer base and are in line with the Swift + Company aesthetic and brand image. The ideal candidate will pride themselves on being ahead of the trends.
+ Recipe Creation – You’ll need to create daily flower recipes that fit our aesthetic, flower cost, season, and lifespan requirements. You will ensure all flowers are ordered on time and need to forecast needs for peak flower holidays 6 months in advance.
+ Quality Assurance – We take great pride in making every arrangement with the highest quality flowers and unique design aesthetic– and truly believe it’s one of the many things that differentiates us from our competitors. Therefore, quality assurance is extremely important to us, and a key component to our growth. You’ll be responsible for ensuring that each bouquet meets our rigorous quality and design standards and improve upon our current QA processes to ensure that each and every bouquet is at or, hopefully, above standard. You’ll need to create systems for accountability, spot checking, and be aware of what is being sent out each day. When quality dips, you’ll need to be the one identifying the problem and figuring out a quick turn-around strategy.
+ Facility Management – Ensure design floor efficiency, cleanliness, and security, including abiding by Swift + Company safety training and safety enforcement with design team. Arrange showroom displays, maintain a clean showroom and keep shelves organized and stocked with flower vessels and equipment.
+ Be Nice –You’ll need to work well with others, as we are a highly collaborative company. All departments work very closely to make sure we deliver the highest quality product possible to our customers.
EDUCATION, SKILLS & REQUIREMENTS:
Swift + Company believes that the best individuals come with varied backgrounds and experiences, and value work ethic, problem solving skills, intellectual curiosity, and a positive attitude. For this position, we’re looking for the following:
+ Creativity and design – While you don’t have to be a master floral designer, you must have a good design eye and the ability to design our products, create our additional product lines, ensure quality is up to par, and develop training programs and procedures for the design team.
+ Self-motivation and ability to think critically is a MUST. You will need to figure out what needs to be done before being told. We’re looking for someone who loves and has experience with building a department from the ground up and does not need a list of things to do to get things done. It’s not uncommon to discuss projects and then trust managers to get things done without checking in until the due date, so you must also be able to self-manage your time and prioritize your tasks – and effectively communicate any roadblocks with the WGM early enough to problem solve and still meet the deadline.
+ Integrity, Communication, Intellectual Curiosity, Innovation, and Impact – We are building a team that values these things, and in order to be a good culture fit with our company, you’ll need to lead your team with these values as well.
+ Amazing people manager who can be firm yet inclusive. You must be able to manage a team of 4 and growing, and to be able to staff and train temporary team members for peak holidays and events.
+ Organization – You’ll need to be able to organize and prioritize your workload and the workload of your team in order to be successful in this positon. You’ll need the knowledge and ability to organize your department from logistics to cleanliness – and everything in between.
+ Computer Office Capabilities – You must have a working knowledge of Apple, QuickBooks, Dropbox, credit card terminals, MS office suite (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), and iCloud as well as the ability to adapt to new technologies as we implement them with our intended growth. Great penmanship is a big plus!
+ Team Player – You’ll need to be a “we” person and subscribe to the idea that working as a cohesive team is the best way to get results.
+ Positive can-do attitude – no negative nellies please. This is extremely important. “Yes” people fit our company’s culture much better than “no” people. You’ll need to lead your team with positivity and enthusiasm to be the type of manager we’re looking for.
+ Self-motivated, and ability to work autonomously with great follow through. We allow a lot of autonomy with our managers, so you must be able to get things done in a timely manner without someone hounding you. It’s not uncommon to discuss projects and then trust managers to get things done without checking in until the due date, so you must also be able to self-manage your time and prioritize your tasks – and effectively communicate any roadblocks with the WGM early enough to problem solve and still meet the deadline.
+ A “do-er” — not someone who wants to simply strategize, delegate, and throw money at problems – but someone who believes execution is the fun part. You’ll need to roll your sleeves up and get dirty with the rest of the team.
+ 2-5 years of previous management experience is requested for this role. You must have managed a team previously.
+ Detail oriented and takes ownership and initiative for your department.
+ Ability to adapt quickly and work under high pressure. Ability to hustle is crucial at Swift + Company. This is not a “punch the clock” position. You must be able to work hard and long, when the job necessitates it. The FSM regularly interacts with customers and the work schedule is largely dependent on customer orders, including last-minute holiday and funeral orders. Consequently, the FSM works long hours, including evenings, weekends and before and during holidays. We’re a high-growth small business where things move fast and the team has to work hard to keep up with the pace – especially during weekends and peak holiday periods. If you’re looking for a 40 hour/week job, this isn’t the job for you.
+ Ability to Solve Problems quickly and effectively. You must have the ability to make decisions based on your operational knowledge and with a high degree of common sense. Mistakes happen, and we learn a lot from them, but we need team members who are able keep up and keep moving forward.
+ Trustworthy in your commitments. It is imperative that you deliver projects complete and on time. This is an essential function of the role of manager. We all rely on each other to fulfill our commitments so that we can function as a high performing team.
+ We are an established company with 30+ years of experience and a sterling reputation, so anything else that’s needed in order to keep things moving at our pace is required. We all roll up our sleeves and (literally) get our hands dirty in order to get the job done whenever and however necessary, and we really like it that way!
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those to be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
+ Warehouse Environment – We’re located in a warehouse, so please expect a raw, open space that can be hot and cold. Appropriate attire will be expected for this environment.
+ This position will at times work inside a cooler with temperatures ranging between 32 and 45 degrees.
+ This role may use warehouse equipment such as pallet jacks, dollies, trucks and heavy equipment.
+ This position sometimes uses sharp tools such as knives and cutters.
+ This job includes lifting buckets and boxes that weigh up to 50lbs.
+ A flower shop manager might experience back strain from lifting and carrying heavy flower arrangements, and is also at risk for personal injury resulting from the mishandling of sharp objects, such as scissors, knives and metal wire.
+ When working with flowers, allergic reactions might occur from pollen exposure. FSM who comes into contact with garden chrysanthemums might develop contact dermatitis. Florists are also at risk for developing sporotrichosis.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS:
+ Must maintain a professional personal appearance
+ Strong sense of ethics, etiquette and tact
+ Ability to establish and develop relationships with customers
+ Problem solver and solution oriented with the ability to identify and handle conflicts timely
+ Positive attitude and team player
+ Strong communication skills, written and verbal
+ Detail oriented and organized with the ability to complete and manage a large volume of high quality work quickly coupled with the ability to multi task effectively
+ Timely return of responses to customers, orders and information request
+ Positive attitude, composure, humor, creativity, adaptability and approachability.
+ Availability to work flexible day/night and weekend schedules due to the seasonal nature of the Swift + Company business volume. Be able to adhere to assigned schedule as business dictates
+ Must possess sales and customer relation skills
+ Have a book of business in the flower / event industry—preferred but not mandatory
+ Must be able to use mathematics to solve problems.
+ Must be able to speak English clearly and write legibly. The ability to speak Spanish is a plus.
+ Must pass company drug screens / background check
+ Must maintain an acceptable attendance record
+ Maintain a neat desk with minimal personal items
+ Must be punctual in all aspects of job
+ Maintain a cooperative working relationship with co-workers
+ Must be able to maintain a high degree of patience
+ Report safety violations to supervisor
+ Network with various industry professionals
+ Provide design recommendations to our customers
+ Guide and assist clients in achieving their event vision and consult with them to determine event details
+ Oversee the planning and installation of projects, including being onsite for event installations/breakdowns (might fall in the evening or weekends)
+ Schedule and attend appointments with clients at venues and/or in our showroom
+ Attend walkthroughs on job sites
+ Attend and market at event industry socials, mixers, conferences, bridal shows, and trade shows (follow up with any new potential clients after)
+ Adheres to all company policies, procedures, rules and regulations in written or verbal form
+ Attends department, location and safety meetings.
We are a drug free facility and perform background checks.
YOU MUST include a cover letter with your resume. Resumes without letters will be deleted immediately. Please include references– they will be checked. Many thanks, and we look forward to hearing from you.
