About the role
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) is centered around the idea that respect and understanding of human rights can serve as a positive force for change in the world. The Retail and Earned Revenue Specialist will support our collective efforts to build a workplace culture that is inclusive, equitable, innovative and focused on inspiring action.
Reporting to the Director, Partnerships and Visitor Growth, the Retail and Earned Revenue Specialist will lead and grow our Boutique retail operations and support other earned revenue initiatives including group tours, ticketing, special events, and more. While Boutique operations will be the primary focus, this role will also cultivate strategic partnerships and reach new audiences all centered around advancing the museum’s mandate of creating experiences that increase understanding and appreciation for human rights.
This is a unique opportunity for an impact-driven professional to serve as a subject matter expert for sales initiatives, retail promotions, business development, and partnership opportunities that in turn contribute to positive change. The ideal candidate will have a keen eye to driving revenue growth with purpose; where every product tells a story, every vendor relationship reflects our values, and every sale advances our mandate. The incumbent will be a strong and thoughtful communicator, creative thinker and meticulous planner, and will bring a collaborative approach to their role.
What you will do
Retail operations, business development and reporting
- Contribute to a culture that promotes respect, equity, inclusion and innovation, and models anti- racist and accountable behaviours.
- Executes business development initiatives and tactics that align with the CMHR’s strategic plan, which includes consultation and coordination with other Museum departments and tourism industry stakeholders.
- Lead the complete retail buying cycle for the Museum’s Boutique, including conducting market research, ethical supplier identification and vetting, product selection, negotiation, order placement, inventory management, and performance analysis.
- Manage product assortment planning, including seasonal buying plans, markdown strategies, special products for commemorative dates, and introduction of new product categories.
- Organize and analyse retail performance metrics including sales by category, inventory turnover, margin analysis, and customer feedback to inform buying decisions and optimize product mix.
- Organize and analyse social impact data established in collaboration with leadership.
- Execute visual merchandising and product presentation in the Boutique, ensuring displays are engaging, tell authentic stories about products and their makers, and create meaningful connections between merchandise and human rights themes.
- Stay up to date on social enterprise trends and best practices to help inform and guide business development initiatives and partnerships.
Strategic partnerships and community
- Network and attend conferences, trade shows, Chamber of Commerce gatherings, and other business development related events with the goal of building strategic relationships that will promote the Museum and attract business in alignment with our mandate.
- With an equity lens, identify and onboard new Boutique vendors, supporting local emerging artisans and small-scale producers through transparent application processes, reasonable minimum order requirements, and equitable payment terms.
- Create collaborative product development opportunities working directly with community groups, artists, and cultural organizations to co-create Boutique merchandise that authentically represents their stories, ensures appropriate cultural protocols are followed, and provides equitable economic benefit to source communities.
- Develop partnerships that extend beyond transactions, exploring opportunities for suppliers to contribute to Museum programming (workshops, artist talks, exhibitions) and for the Museum to support supplier capacity through promotion, fair pricing, and reliable purchasing commitments.
- Support the Director in stewarding and nurturing relationships with tourism and travel trade industry partners, while contributing to the development and operations of new group tour offerings that expand the Museum's reach and create meaningful visitor experiences.
- In collaboration with Museum colleagues, work with external partners and communities to launch CMHR-led or co-produced events attracting new revenue streams while remaining aligned with Museum values
Collaboration and coordination
- Build and nurture relationships with internal and external partners, and represent the CMHR at trade shows, conferences, and business development settings.
- Bring together an internal committee to drive the curation and development of new products, ensuring a collaborative, Museum-wide approach, while also advising leadership on sales initiatives, retail promotions, emerging markets, and partnership opportunities.
- Collaborate with other departments to ensure books, products, and literature related to Museum exhibitions and content are available in the Boutique.
- Collaborate with the Visitor Services team to analyze visitor feedback and industry trends and collaborate on the development of new offerings such as special events, Boutique etc
- Serves as a subject matter expert for sales initiatives, retail promotions, business development, and partnership opportunities, providing influence and contributing insights.
What we’re looking for
- Completion of a university degree or diploma in Business Administration, Retail Management, Tourism, or related field, and 3-5 years’ work experience related to business development/sales and retail operations or an equivalent combination of education, knowledge, and experience.
- Retail buying and merchandising experience, including ethical product sourcing, vendor management, inventory planning, visual merchandising and product presentation.
- Sales and business planning experience with the proven ability to meet or surpass targets while advancing a wider organizational mission.
- Commitment to human rights and social procurement principles, including respect, equity, inclusion, and dignity for all.
- Demonstrated ability to curate product assortments that balance commercial viability, mission alignment and ethics, cultural sensitivity, economic reconciliation, and authentic representation of diverse communities.
- Comprehensive retail operations expertise including product lifestyle management (selection, ordering, receiving, merchandising, markdown strategies), inventory control systems, SKU rationalization, and retail analytics to optimize product mix and profitability.
- Experience advancing ethical/social procurement principles and compliance frameworks.
- Knowledge and understanding of budgeting and negotiating contracts.
- Demonstrated experience in advancing projects from concept to completion using systems thinking, data-informed decision making, impact evaluation, budgeting, forecasting, and ROI analysis.
- Demonstrated success executing and tracking progress on sales and developing and implementing operational plans, policies, and initiatives.
- Demonstrated ability to establish key performance metrics, create data collection methods, analyze data, generate insights and reports for senior management and evaluate impact.
- Outgoing personality, with experience pitching sales opportunities to potential and existing partners, including follow-up.
- Strong business development/sales, communication, presentation and interpersonal skills, and emotional intelligence.
- Motivated to identify and action steps to maintain forward movement on projects and initiatives.
Desired qualifications
- Preference will be given to candidates who have sales experience in non-profit or social enterprise settings.
- Ability to communicate proficiently in both of Canada’s official languages (English and French).
Official language proficiency
- English essential; French non-essential.
Other
- Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends to support Museum events.
- Travel is required year-round to promote the Museum and the Boutique and to explore new markets for products and partnerships.
Conditions of Employment
- Security Screening Level – Reliability Status
- Child Abuse Registry Check
