Rare Book Inventory and Warehouse Manager

James Cummins Bookseller is seeking a highly organized, hands-on manager for its New Jersey warehouse operations. This is a key full-time position in a well-established antiquarian bookselling firm, working closely with our New York City shop and staff.

The warehouse houses a large and growing inventory of more than 400,000 books, manuscripts, archives, photographs, ephemera, and related material. The Warehouse & Inventory Manager will be responsible for maintaining order and control of this inventory, fulfilling customer and institutional orders, responding to internal inquiries, shelving newly catalogued material, and managing the day-to-day operations of the warehouse.

The position is practical and hands-on. Responsibilities include locating and pulling books and other material, packing and shipping items of all sizes, shelving and moving boxes, maintaining supplies, coordinating with the New York shop, and helping to keep the warehouse organized, efficient, and accessible. The manager will also supervise one part-time photographer and may assist with logistics connected to book fairs and larger projects. Interest and willingness to work occasional weekends at antiquarian book and paper shows is preferred.

Over time, the role may expand to include cataloguing books, preparing descriptions (including evaluating pricing of material through market comparison), and issuing specialized lists. This is an excellent opportunity for someone interested in antiquarian bookselling who combines strong organizational ability with curiosity about books, history, literature, and the rare book trade.

The successful candidate will be dependable, organized, communicative, and comfortable working independently. The perfect candidate will have the following in equal parts: interest in rare books, organizational fervor, and project management experience. Familiarity with database software is important, as the position requires regular use of our proprietary inventory systems. Prior experience with books, libraries, archives, logistics, inventory management, or shipping is helpful. Foreign language skills are a plus but not required.

The warehouse is located in Hackettstown, New Jersey, and is not open to the public.

Responsibilities include:

• Managing the daily operations of the New Jersey warehouse
• Maintaining inventory control for a large rare book and manuscript inventory
• Locating, pulling, packing, and shipping customer and institutional orders
• Fielding daily inquiries from the New York shop and other colleagues
• Shelving newly catalogued material and maintaining accurate locations
• Supervising one part-time photographer
• Ordering supplies and helping maintain the warehouse workspace
• Assisting with special projects, larger shipments, and book fair logistics
• Developing, over time, the ability to catalogue books and prepare specialized lists

Qualifications:

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and manage competing priorities
• Effective communication skills with the ability to collaborate across different departments and leadership levels from fielding requests from colleagues to responding to customer inquiries.
• Develop and nurture relationships with existing and new customers
• Tech-savvy, including comfort with database software and digital inventory systems
• Ability to lift and move boxes and perform hands-on warehouse work
• Interest in rare books, history, literature, archives, or the book trade
• Prior experience in bookselling, libraries, archives, shipping, logistics, or inventory management preferred
• Experience and expertise in various shipping platforms (USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc) preferred.
• Foreign language skills a plus

Please send your CV and cover letter directly to [email protected]