Jobs

Position: Treasure Guide

Location: On-Site - Durham, NC

Reports To: Sales Coordinator

Direct Reports: None

Pay Band: $15.70-$19/hr

About the Scrap Exchange

The Scrap Exchange is a nonprofit based in Durham, NC, dedicated to promoting creativity, environmental awareness, and community through reuse. Since its founding in 1991, the organization has grown into one of the largest and longest-running creative reuse centers in the United States, serving artists, educators, and community members through a combination of retail operations, educational programming, and partnerships. 

Position Overview
The Treasure Guide creates a welcoming, engaging, and helpful shopping experience for every customer. This role is responsible for supporting daily sales floor operations, including customer service, stocking, merchandising, and maintaining store standards. Treasure Guides help customers discover “treasures” while ensuring the store remains organized, well-stocked, and ready for business.

Treasure Guides report to Store Coordinators and work closely with the Store Manager to support overall store performance.

Key Responsibilities

Sales & Customer Experience

• Drive daily sales performance and meet or exceed revenue goals

• Ensure excellent customer service standards are consistently met

• Resolve customer concerns and escalate issues when needed

• Monitor floor activity and adjust staffing or priorities in real time

Merchandising & Visual Presentation

• Oversee product placement, displays, and seasonal merchandising

• Ensure consistent up-pricing execution aligned with organizational standards

• Maintain a full, fresh, and appealing sales floor at all times

• Partner with Processing Manager to ensure product flow meets floor needs

Staff Leadership & Development

• Supervise and coach Retail Associates

• Hire, train, and onboard new front-of-house staff

• Provide ongoing feedback, performance management, and development

• Create schedules that align staffing with peak traffic and sales goals

Operations & Store Standards

• Ensure store cleanliness, organization, and safety standards

• Oversee opening/closing procedures and cash handling processes

• Monitor shrink, loss prevention, and operational compliance

• Maintain strong communication with back-of-house leadership

Collaboration & Accountability

• Partner with Processing Manager to align inventory flow and priorities

• Communicate product needs, trends, and gaps based on customer demand

• Participate in leadership meetings and contribute to store strategy

Qualifications

• 3+ years of retail leadership experience (multi-unit or high-volume preferred)

• Strong merchandising and sales-driving experience

• Proven ability to lead and develop teams

• Excellent organizational and communication skills

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-volume environment

Success Metrics

• Sales performance vs. targets

• Customer satisfaction and experience

• Staff retention and engagement

• Merchandising execution and floor standards

Benefits & Compensation

• Competitive salary based on experience.

• 403(b) retirement plan.

• Health, dental, and vision insurance options.

• Paid time off and holidays.

• Professional development opportunities.

• A collaborative and mission-driven work environment.

Position: Reuse Specialist

Location: On-Site - Durham, NC

Reports To: Processing Coordinator

Direct Reports: None

Pay Band: $15.70-$19/hr

About the Scrap Exchange

The Scrap Exchange is a nonprofit based in Durham, NC, dedicated to promoting creativity, environmental awareness, and community through reuse. Since its founding in 1991, the organization has grown into one of the largest and longest-running creative reuse centers in the United States, serving artists, educators, and community members through a combination of retail operations, educational programming, and partnerships. 

Position Overview
The Reuse Specialist is responsible for sorting, evaluating, pricing, and preparing donated materials for sale in a creative reuse retail environment. This role exercises independent judgment in determining appropriate pricing, developing attractive and creative packaging solutions, and identifying materials with unique value to artists, educators, and makers. Success in this position requires attention to detail, creativity, strong organizational skills, and a commitment to excellent customer service and sustainability.

What Makes This Role Different

Most processing roles measure success by volume: how much moves, how fast. At The Scrap Exchange, volume matters, but it's only part of the picture. A Reuse Specialist has to hold two things at once: throughput and discernment. Moving a bin quickly matters. Moving it correctly — priced right, packaged well, routed to the right place — matters more.

This role sits at the intersection of operations and curation. The Reuse Specialist understands the materials coming in are the beginnings of someone’s creative project, classroom, business, or needs for home - not simply sales inventory. This role decides whether a box of miscellaneous hardware becomes a $4 grab bag or a $25 curated kit. That judgment compounds over thousands of decisions a week.

You'll also contribute to shaping how The Scrap Exchange processing operates, participating in continually documenting systems for pricing decisions, routing choices, and material expertise.

Key Responsibilities

Processing Operations

• Sort, evaluate, and process donated materials for resale, ensuring items meet quality and safety standards

• Determine pricing for donated goods based on condition, uniqueness, marketability, and organizational pricing guidelines

• Ensure consistent up-pricing execution is aligned with organizational standards

• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness

• Collaborate with and support your team to meet processing goals

• Create attractive and functional packaging for materials, kits, and specialty items to enhance customer appeal and value

• Identify, categorize, and group materials in ways that support creative reuse, arts education, and customer inspiration

• Assist with receiving, transporting, and organizing donations within processing and retail areas

• Exercise independent judgment while making decisions about product presentation, pricing, and inventory management

• Maintain a clean, safe, and organized work environment in processing areas

• Collaborate with team members to support store operations, special projects, and organizational goals related to sustainability and reuse

Retail Team Collaboration & Customer Experience

• Partner with Retail & Sales team to communicate and receive feedback on inventory levels and restocking needs so floor is continually refreshed

• Understanding trends in customer demand, including desired items and appropriate pricing standards

• Provide friendly, knowledgeable customer service, and assist shoppers in locating materials and creative resources

Physical Requirements

This is a role with significant physical demands. Candidates should be able to perform the following on a regular basis throughout each shift:

• Stand, walk, and move continuously for the full duration of the shift — this is not a sedentary role

• Lift, carry, and move items up to 35 lbs independently; team lifts required for larger or awkward donations

• Frequently bend, stoop, kneel, and reach, including overhead, to sort, shelve, and retrieve materials

• Push and pull sorting bins loaded with donated goods throughout the facility

• Climb step stools or ladders as needed to access shelving and storage areas

• Work in varying temperatures, including near loading dock and outdoor-adjacent areas

Who Will Thrive in This Role

This role may be a good fit for someone who:

• Genuinely enjoys interacting with a wide variety of people

• Stays calm and grounded in challenging situations

• Naturally notices when others need support

• Enjoys helping teams communicate and work well together

• Values hospitality, empathy, and professionalism

• Enjoys dynamic and community-centered environments

• Can dig into the details while keeping the larger picture in mind

Qualifications

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills

• Physical stamina to meet the requirements of the role

• Ability to stay organized and make quick, accurate decisions in a fast-paced environment

• Comfortable following established guidelines and documenting decisions consistently

• Familiarity with a wide variety of materials and/or a propensity to learn

Preferred Qualifications

• Able to bring structure to chaos, identifying patterns to organize and process more effectively

• Prior thrift, warehouse, retail, or creative reuse experience

• Deep expertise in one or more material donation categories

Success Metrics

• Bins are completed to the floor per daily targets for area: sorted, packaged, priced, and physically on the floor

• Opening assignments are clear and underway without requiring coordinator intervention

• New material types or routing questions flagged to the coordinator the same day they're encountered, not left unresolved

• Processing area is cleared, staged, and returned to a clean state by end of shift

• High-value and good condition items are advocated for and moved to the floor before others

• Contributes to knowledge-sharing and documentation

• Participates in orienting volunteers to specific and completable tasks with clear criteria

Benefits & Compensation

• Pay range of $15.70 - $19.00/hour based on experience

• Health, dental, and vision insurance options

• 403(b) retirement plan

• Paid time off and holidays

• Professional development opportunities

• Employee discount

• A collaborative, mission-driven, and creative work environment

• Opportunities for continued leadership development and growth

How to Apply

Please submit a resume and brief note describing:

• Your experience working with people and customers

• Your approach to teamwork and communication

• Why this role and organization interest you

We know that strong candidates do not always meet every qualification listed above, and that experience can come in all shapes and forms. If this role speaks to your experience and values, we encourage you to apply.

Position: Donor Services Specialist

Location: On-Site - Durham, NC

Reports To: Operations/Donations Coordinator

Direct Reports: None

Pay Band: $15.70-$19/hr

About The Scrap Exchange

The Scrap Exchange is a nonprofit based in Durham, NC, dedicated to promoting creativity, environmental awareness, and community through reuse. Since its founding in 1991, the organization has grown into one of the largest and longest-running creative reuse centers in the United States, serving artists, educators, and community members through a combination of retail operations, educational programming, and partnerships. 

Position Overview

Every day, people come through our doors searching for materials, inspiration, affordable goods, creative possibilities, and human connection. For many visitors, The Scrap Exchange is more than a store — it is a community space, a place of discovery, and an experience unlike traditional retail. Creating that experience requires more than operational systems. It requires people who know how to make others feel welcomed, supported, respected, and engaged. The Donor Services Specialist helps create and protect that experience.

The Donor Services Specialist is responsible for providing excellent customer service to donors while supporting the daily operations of The Scrap Exchange donation area. This position welcomes and assists donors with unloading donated items, helps maintain an organized and safe donation intake space, and supports the movement of merchandise and materials between store buildings and departments.

What Makes This Role Different

Most donation roles focus on volume and speed. At The Scrap Exchange, this role requires something additional: genuine material curiosity and an eye for creative potential. Our donors aren’t dropping off a bag of unwanted items - they’re entrusting us with things they believe have a second life. This role honors that.

This position sits at the intersection of customer experience and warehouse operations. On any given shift, you might be helping a donor unload furniture, making a quick judgment call on whether a box of electronics meets our intake guidelines, routing a Gaylord of fabric to the right processing pod, and directing a volunteer, all before lunch. The variety is part of what makes it meaningful.

You’ll work alongside our processing team, retail staff, and a rotating roster of volunteers. The relationships you build and the intake decisions you make have a direct impact on what ends up on our shelves, and ultimately on our ability to fulfill our mission.

Key Responsibilities

• Greet donors warmly and provide a positive donation experience

• Assist customers with unloading donations from vehicles safely and efficiently

• Sort, organize, and stage incoming donations in designated areas

• Help keep the donation and production areas clean, organized, and accessible

• Move furniture, boxes, and other donated items between buildings or departments

• Work collaboratively with retail and processing teams to support store operations

• Communicate politely with donors while assessing items for donation guideline fit 

• Follow safety procedures for lifting, loading, and transporting materials

• Assist with general warehouse, recycling, and store support tasks as assigned

Who Will Thrive in This Role

This role may be a good fit for someone who:

• Genuinely enjoys interacting with a wide variety of people

• Stays calm and grounded in challenging situations

• Naturally notices when others need support

• Enjoys helping teams communicate and work well together

• Values hospitality, empathy, and professionalism

• Enjoys dynamic and community-centered environments

• Understands that strong customer experience is created through both systems and human interaction

Qualifications

• Friendly and customer-service oriented

• Ability to lift and move heavy items throughout the workday (up to 50 lbs regularly; team lifts for larger items)

• Comfortable working indoors and outdoors in varying weather conditions

• Strong teamwork and communication skills

• Ability to stay organized and make quick, accurate decisions in a fast-paced environment

• Comfortable following established guidelines and documenting decisions consistently

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior thrift, warehouse, retail, or donation center experience

• Forklift certification

• Familiarity with reuse, recycling, or materials diversion

Success Metrics

Success in this role may include:

• Donors feel welcomed and respected throughout the drop-off experience

• Donors who can’t donate an item leave the interaction understanding why, without feeling dismissed

• Accepted donations are correctly routed to the right processing pod

• Takes/don’t-takes decisions are made accurately and consistently, without supervisory intervention

• The intake dock is cleared and all accepted material staged in the correct zone by the end of every shift

• Contributes to a completed intake routing guide usable by any team member or volunteer

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer.  We do not regard race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy, marital status, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or any protected class characteristic when seeking to hire.  This practice, in addition to hiring, applies to our recruiting, training, transfers, promotions, job benefits, pay, dismissal practices, social and recreational activities, and any other term or condition of employment.

We care about our employees, our candidates, and our community.  As such, please note that this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Benefits & Compensation

• Pay range of $15.70 - $19.00/hour based on experience

• Health, dental, and vision insurance options

• 403(b) retirement plan

• Paid time off and holidays

• Professional development opportunities

• Employee discount

• A collaborative, mission-driven, and creative work environment

• Opportunities for continued leadership development and growth

To Apply

Please submit a resume and brief note describing:

• Your experience working with people and customers

• Your approach to teamwork and communication

• Why this role and organization interest you

We know that strong candidates do not always meet every qualification listed above, and that experience can come in all shapes and forms. If this role speaks to your experience and values, we encourage you to apply.