Are you a natural leader with a passion for retail, mentoring teams, and growing success? At Royal City Nursery, we’re not just a garden center—we’re a destination for cultivating joy, beauty, and inspiration! We’re looking for a Department Team Leader who thrives on challenges, embraces creativity, and is ready to guide our team toward blooming results.

A Royal City Nursery Department Team Leader is a senior staff member who is a thoughtful, solutions-based leader, and confident decision-maker assisting in the mentoring and productivity of our team while managing sales, overall revenue and expenses within the department. Department Leaders work with other Managers, ownership and vendors to gain the knowledge and support needed to successfully meet the needs of our business and achieve results.

If you love blending people, plants, and productivity, this is your chance to lead in a role where no two days are the same!

What You Will Do

Leadership & Team Building

• Motivate, mentor, and train team members to deliver exceptional customer experiences under the guidance of managers and ownership.
• Train, supervise and encourage excellent customer service standards within a team setting
• Foster a positive, energetic atmosphere where everyone thrives.
• Assist with staff training and encourage excellent customer service standards within a team setting.
• Full understanding, following and enforcement of company policies.
• Maintain a high-level store image and work as a leader and role model.

Retail Operations:

• Establish and maintain strong vendor relationships
• Preparation of booking and in-season orders for the seasonal annual department, including merchandising, and cross-merchandising.
• Manage the seasonal annual department performance, budgets, and day-to-day operations.
• Keep up with trends, techniques, and product knowledge to stay ahead of the game, while liaising with other departments (such as Marketing) when necessary.
• Oversee day-to-day operations within the department

Organization & Maintenance:

• Oversee floor setups, seasonal displays, and product arrangements to maximize sales.
• Ensure and maintain the overall cleanliness and product quality within the department and facility
• Organization of vendor and merchandising of vendor deliveries
• Determine department needs and product lines while analyzing seasonal performance

Customer Interaction:

• Tackle challenges with a smile, resolving customer concerns with grace and professionalism.
• Provide exceptional customer service and achieve top line sales using your strong merchandising and product knowledge
• Manage warranty issues and complaints to a positive outcome.
• Ensure that you and your team are interacting appropriately with customers in order to drive sales and share knowledge
• Any other tasks required for safe and effective operations
• Ensure that you and your team are interacting appropriately with customers in order to drive sales and share knowledge
• Any other tasks required for safe and effective operations

Safety:

• Adhere to and enforce safety policy as per the employee handbook and Occupational Health and Safety Act
• Work with Royal City Nursery to attain necessary certifications for performance of tasks
• Take every reasonable precaution to ensure the safety of the staff and the public

Work with other department leaders, managers and ownership to:

• Develop required budgets for purchases
• Evaluate and improve operations and financial performance
• Ensure proper traffic flow of retail floor, merchandising and cross merchandising for improved sales

Work with the floor team to:

• Improve sales through appropriate display and sales techniques
• Foster and encourage a positive and energetic atmosphere in the department and towards all aspects of the position.

What You Will Bring

Experience:

• 5 - 10 years of retail experience (garden center experience? Even better!)
• Proven knowledge of retail operations, from seasonal purchasing to customer delight.
• Proven leadership in creating exceptional experiences for both customers and teams
• Proven supervisory experience in fostering an exceptional retail experience for both clients and team members
• Experience leading, mentoring, and / or training employees.

Skills & Traits:

• Organized, detail-oriented, and solution-focused.
• Strong communicator with top-notch interpersonal and customer service skills.
• A team player who’s ready to lead, mentor, and inspire.
• Creative and energetic, paired with a strong work ethic.
• Excellent decision-making ability and problem solving skills.
• Willingness to learn and promote professional development in oneself and others
• Willingness to learn to forecast and determine product needs with the appropriate department and budget.
• Ability to effectively cross merchandise a diverse range of products and services.
• Ability to determine department needs and product lines while analyzing seasonal performance
• Ability to establish priorities and help manage competing deadlines
• Excellent communication, analytical, and organizational skills
• Strong com

Physical and Working Environment Requirements:

• Ability to stand, walk, kneel, and lift up to 50 lbs. for extended periods.
• Comfortable working on a variety of surfaces and in seasonal environments.
• Please note: Must be able to work some evening and weekend shifts on a weekly basis
• computer skills including the use of Microsoft Office and Google products.
• First Aid Training (preferred).

Ready to Join the Team?
If you’re excited to cultivate a department that thrives on creativity, teamwork, and excellence, we’d love to hear from you! Apply now and let’s grow something amazing together at Royal City Nursery.

We are an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005), Royal City Nursery will provide accommodations throughout the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process to applicants with disabilities. If you require disability – related accommodations, please inform the Human Resources (HR) staff. All personal information is collected under the authority of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Job Types: Full-time, Seasonal
Contract length: 8 months

Pay: $25.00-$30.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Company events
• Dental care
• Extended health care
• Life insurance
• On-site parking
• Store discount

Flexible language requirement:

• French not required

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Guelph, ON: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)

Application question(s):

• What is your availability to work Monday to Friday?
• Are you available to work some Saturdays or Sundays?

Education:

• AEC / DEP or Skilled Trade Certificate (preferred)

Experience:

• Supervisory: 2 years (preferred)
• Retail sales: 2 years (preferred)
• retail garden centre: 5 years (required)
• Training & development: 2 years (required)

Work Location: In person