Bookshop Manager/Bookseller

Seeking an experienced, courageous bookseller ready to take on the growth and sustainability of LOST IN BOOKS' mission-driven social enterprise.

About Us

LOST IN BOOKS is a social enterprise – a multilingual bookshop that celebrates the power of speaking more than one language in Australian society and a literary programs hub. It supports the operation of the Think+DO Tank Community House, free multilingual creative and educational programming, and innovative community-led solutions building in South Western Sydney. 

LOST IN BOOKS began in 2017 as a children’s bookshop in Fairfield. Over time, it has responded to demand and now seeks to put multilingual literature in the hands of readers of all ages and the schools, libraries, and institutions that serve them. 

It is a social enterprise project of the Think+DO Tank Foundation, a registered charity. Think+DO Tank Foundation works to increase the capabilities of local people in South Western Sydney to diagnose their own challenges and access the skills and pathways needed to make life better for themselves, together. 

We are searching for an entrepreneurial, determined and creative bookseller / bookshop manager of the LOST IN BOOKS bookshop social enterprise to:  operate a successful online retail operation with regular pop-ups, growing revenues and expanding revenue channels manage our warehouse operations source and bring to market the best multilingual literature from around the world to our customers collaborate closely with our Literary Programs Lead to connect authors with our audiences, and to attract new audience manage a team of paid and volunteer staff to be highly effective. 

About You

You are an experienced, courageous bookseller ready to take on the responsibility of growth and sustainability of a mission-driven social enterprise. You bring a depth of knowledge, experience and passion for literature, languages and bookselling to retail and institutional customers alike. 

Essential Attributes, Skills & Experience 

The ideal candidate has these attributes, skills and experience: 

• demonstrated experience in bookselling operations including meeting sales targets 
• experience in buying and selling books 
• established relationships in the books and publishing industry 
• confidence in conducting commercial negotiations and developing partnerships 
• experience in successfully managing teams of paid and voluntary staff 
• experience in reporting on financial performanc 
• experience in managing budgets and supply chain
• experience in working in culturally and linguistically diverse settings
• working effectively in collaborative teams in high-paced environments, and understanding of confidentiality. 

You will be excited by the challenge and opportunity to source and sell literature from around the world, and in languages that you don’t speak. 

Desirable skills include: 

• ability to communicate (speak and write) in a community language 
• experience in sourcing and selling multilingual literature. 

Additional Details 

Salary expectations and benefits: Salary will be negotiated according to the successful applicant’s skills and experience. 

As an indication, we expect that a candidate with the experience required for this role should be paid a starting salary of at least $78,500 per annum + superannuation guarantee contribution (negotiable based on experience). 

As a member of our team, you receive a range of staff benefits, memberships, gifted summer leave, and flexible working arrangements.