Lead the team. Inspire unforgettable guest experiences. Protect our oceans.

At SEA LIFE Blankenberge, we're passionate about creating amazing experiences for every guest while inspiring people to love and protect our oceans. We're looking for a motivated and enthusiastic Retail Team Leader to lead our Retail team and help create magical moments for every visitor.

If you have a passion for retail, enjoy leading people, and thrive in a fast-paced visitor attraction, we'd love to hear from you.

About the Role

As our Retail Team Leader, you'll support the Guest Experience Manager in delivering an exceptional retail experience that complements every guest's visit. You'll lead, inspire, and develop a team of Retail Hosts, ensuring outstanding customer service while driving commercial performance through excellent merchandising, stock management, and sales leadership.

You'll spend most of your time on the shop floor, motivating the team, engaging with guests, coaching sales behaviours, and ensuring our retail operation runs smoothly every day.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Development

• Inspire, motivate, and develop a team of Retail Hosts to deliver outstanding guest service.
• Lead by example and create a positive, inclusive, and fun working environment.
• Conduct daily team briefings and provide on-the-floor coaching.
• Support the induction, training, and development of new team members.
• Provide constructive feedback and support individual performance growth.
• Assist with rota planning, staffing levels, and task allocation.

Commercial Performance

• Support the achievement of daily, weekly, and monthly sales targets and KPIs.
• Drive secondary revenue through gift shop sales, guidebooks, conservation products, and promotional campaigns.
• Monitor key performance indicators such as conversion rate, average spend per guest, and promotional product sales.
• Analyse sales figures and translate insights into actionable improvements for the team.
• Identify opportunities to increase revenue and reduce stock loss.

Retail Operations & Visual Merchandising

• Support the day-to-day operation of the retail shop.
• Ensure the shop is clean, fully stocked, organised, and visually appealing at all times.
• Deliver visual merchandising in line with Merlin Entertainments and SEA LIFE brand standards.
• Process deliveries, replenish stock, and support inventory counts.
• Oversee stock management, receiving, storage, and ordering processes.
• Ensure all cash handling and till procedures are followed accurately.

Guest Experience & Conservation Mission

• Deliver exceptional customer service and create memorable experiences for every guest.
• Build excellent product knowledge to confidently recommend and upsell products.
• Resolve guest queries professionally, positively, and efficiently.
• Act as an ambassador for SEA LIFE and the SEA LIFE Trust, promoting conservation initiatives and encouraging support through retail products and donations.
• Help every guest leave with fantastic memories of their SEA LIFE adventure.

Operational Support

• Take responsibility for opening and closing procedures when required.
• Manage daily safe-and-legal checks and operational routines.
• Act as Duty Manager in the absence of the Guest Experience Manager.
• Support attraction-wide operations when needed.
• Champion health, safety, hygiene, and security standards.
• Work flexibly, including weekends, school holidays, evenings, and public holidays.

You'll be someone who enjoys leading by example and creating an environment where people can do their very best work.

You'll ideally have:

• Previous experience in a retail, hospitality, visitor attraction, or leisure environment.
• Experience leading, supervising, or coaching a team.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong coaching and people-development abilities.
• A passion for delivering exceptional guest experiences.
• Commercial awareness and confidence working with sales targets and KPIs.
• Experience analysing sales data and translating it into practical actions.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Experience with cash handling, stock control, and operational procedures.
• The ability to remain calm, positive, and solution-focused in a busy environment.
• Flexibility to work a varied rota including weekends, school holidays, and public holidays.
• Multilingual skills (Dutch, French, and English) are a strong advantage.

At Merlin Entertainments, we're all about creating unforgettable experiences—for our guests and our people.

When you join SEA LIFE Blankenberge, you'll become part of the world's largest family of visitor attractions, where no two days are ever the same. You'll have opportunities to develop your career, learn new skills, and make a real difference by inspiring guests to care about our oceans and marine life.

Benefits

• Merlin Magic Pass with free entry to Merlin attractions worldwide for you, your friends, and family.
• Discounts on retail, food & beverage, and accommodation across the Merlin portfolio.
• Monthly KPI Bonus
• Pension Scheme
• Private health insurance with hospitalization
• Meal allowance
• Travel allowance
• Ongoing training and career development opportunities.
• A dynamic, fun, and purpose-driven working environment.
• The opportunity to contribute to meaningful conservation and education initiatives.

Together, we'll create amazing memories while helping to protect our planet.

Who Are Merlin Entertainments?

With over 31,000 colleagues around the world, we create unforgettable experiences that bring joy, spark curiosity, and inspire millions of guests every year.

At SEA LIFE, we're passionate about conservation, education, and making a positive impact on our oceans.

Love your work. Protect our oceans. Create amazing memories.