Jobs
Fota Wildlife Park a not-for-profit organisation, is part of the Zoological Society of Ireland, and is located on 100 acres at Fota Island 10km east of Cork City. With an annual attendance of 430,000 visitors, our vision is to inspire people to understand and conserve the biodiversity of our natural world. The Park’s core values of conservation, education and research have ensured that we are uniquely placed to foster greater public understanding of the threats to plant and animal habitats and decreasing global biodiversity.
Fota Wildlife Park has made considerable investment in the past 10 years upgrading its infrastructure including an indoor Giraffe viewing area, the Madagascan Village and the Asian Sanctuary which opened in 2015 and features Asian lions, Sumatran tigers, and Indian rhino.
Current open vacancies -
- Retail Assistant Supervisor
Vacancy for a Retail Assistant Supervisor at Fota Wildlife Park
The Role:
An opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated individual as Retail Assistant Supervisor to deputise leading the retail team.
This is an opportunity to join our team at a pivotal time as our gift shop is being refurbished and expanded. This role offers the chance to be part of a refreshed retail space and significantly contribute to supporting our vision of inspiring people to understand and conserve the biodiversity of our natural world.
This is a full-time permanent role.
Primary Responsibilities:
Retail Experience & Brand Alignment
· Ensure the Gift Shop aligns with Fota Wildlife Park’s ethos of sustainability and an immersive wildlife experience, while maximising its functionality and visitor appeal.
· Work closely with management, suppliers and other stakeholders to source engaging, ethically produced merchandise suitable for a family-focused attraction.
· To actively promote Fota Wildlife Park’s commitment to high standards of service, ethical purchasing, and promotion of sustainability in the product choice and POS displays.
Visual Merchandising & Display Standards
· Devise, plan, manage and control the stock layout and appearance of the Gift Shop to best enhance Fota Wildlife Park’s brand values, including visual zoning, use of focal points, and seasonal feature areas.
· Curate attractive in-store displays that reflect Fota Wildlife Park’s conservation values and encourage impulse and educational purchases.
· Ensure consistency with visual merchandising standards and signage.
· Collaborate with the marketing and events teams to align merchandising with campaigns, school holidays, and special events at the park.
· Including visual concepts for window displays, point of sale and themed displays.
Product, Stock & Commercial Management
- Plan and manage stock levels across the Gift Shop, ensuring strong product availability during peak visitor seasons while minimising overstock and stock loss.
- Monitor the performance of products, ranges, and seasonal promotions, providing clear insights and recommendations to improve sales and margin.
- Analyse visitor purchasing behaviour and sales trends to develop merchandising strategies that drive revenue while enhancing the guest experience.
- Keep abreast of competitor attractions and Irish retail trends, adjusting pricing, product mix, and promotions to remain competitive.
- Assisting with analysis to make recommendations to management to support commercial decisions.
- To assist the retail function to drive sales ensuring targets and KPIs are achieved, such as stock loss, health & safety compliance and mystery shopper results.
Operational Support & Leadership
- Assist the Retail Supervisor in all areas of running the retail units including back-office admin, rostering and training staff, efficient stock ordering and shop displays.
- To deputise for the supervisor in all aspects of supervising and managing the retail team.
- Clear and effective communications with team, senior management and suppliers.
Customer Experience
- To provide excellent customer service and act as a great role model for staff.
Candidate Requirements:
- Have a minimum of two years retail merchandising supervisory/management experience.
- Strong merchandising skills and training
- Excellent customer service skills
- Experience in stock management and EPOS systems
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the natural ability to motivate
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office packages and a working knowledge of retail computerised management and control systems
Please apply with a pdf of your CV and covering letter via the form below
The closing date for receipt of applications is 30th March 2026
Fota Wildlife Park is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to hiring and supporting a diverse workforce. We are committer to cultivating an inclusive work enviornment and look for team members who share the same values.