Associate Salon Manager

ABOUT THE W

The W Salon Hyde Park is a luxury salon, spa, and wine bar built on one belief: the best work happens when the people doing it feel genuinely supported — not just employed. We serve Hyde Park and greater Cincinnati with premium hair, skin, nails, advanced extensions, and wine list . Guests come for the reputation. They stay because of the people.

We hire on values first. Skill can be trained. Character cannot. This role is for a leader — not a stylist. You will not be behind the chair. You will run the guest journey, grow the front desk, and help the whole team get better.

THE ROLE

The Associate Salon Manager is the Senior Manager’s partner on the floor, with a clear focus: the front desk, sales, and the growth of the people who make this place feel like The W.

You are the face of the first and last impression. You keep the book healthy, the desk calm on a packed Saturday, VIP members recognized, retail and memberships moving, and the team coached instead of left to figure it out alone. When the Senior Manager or Owner is in a meeting, traveling, or off the floor, you are the acting lead — same standards, same warmth, same follow-through.

This is not a receptionist title with extra keys. It is not a stylist career path. It is operations leadership with hospitality at the center.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

Front desk & the guest journey

Lead the front desk so every arrival, wait, consult handoff, checkout, and rebook feels intentional — never rushed, never forgotten.
Own Boulevard on the floor: the book, waitlist, openings, confirmation habits, no-show follow-up, and service timing that protects both the guest and the stylist.
Set the tone for the desk team: greetings, phone/text manner, privacy-suite awareness, wine-bar hospitality, and how we talk about services without sounding like a script.
Recover the moment when something slips — a wait, a running-late service, a mix-up — so the guest still leaves feeling taken care of.
Keep the lobby, retail, wine bar, and guest-facing spaces at luxury standard from open to close.

Sales that feel like care, not pressure

Drive retail, VIP membership, service upgrades, and pre-booking as part of a better guest plan — never a hard pitch.
Train and coach on how we recommend: extensions consults, multi-service visits, wine-bar hospitality, and membership value in plain language.
Watch the numbers that matter: rebook rate, retail attach, VIP enrollment and usage, extension consults booked, and empty-chair recovery — then act on them.
Partner with stylists so recommendations match what was actually discussed in the chair, not a surprise at checkout.
Protect pricing integrity, promotions, and how we talk about value. Luxury should feel accessible, never confusing.

Team growth — this is the heart of the job

Grow people. The desk, new hires, and anyone learning the W way should leave a shift better than they started it.
Onboard with intention: first-day readiness, shadowing, systems, values, and early check-ins so no one is dropped into a Saturday unprepared.
Coach in the moment and in one-on-ones — phone skills, sales conversations, conflict, time management, and how we treat each other.
Live “progress over perfection.” High standards, no humiliation. Feedback is clear, kind, and finished with a next step.
Protect culture: no gossip, no favoritism, no “that’s not my job.” Celebrate wins out loud. Address issues before they become the room’s personality.
Support biweekly education and help the team actually use it — especially how the desk and floor work together.
Help the Senior Manager hire to values. A warm interview is not the same as a cultural fit.
Be the person the team can come to mid-shift — coverage, a hard guest, a confidence dip, a process that isn’t working.

Operations partnership

Open and close to standard. Know the building, the wine, inventory flags, and what “ready” looks like before the first guest walks in.
Keep leadership informed: the book, team energy, guest feedback, and anything that will become a problem if it waits until Tuesday.
Step in as acting floor lead when the Senior Manager or Owner is off-site.
Uphold cleanliness, safety, and brand presentation in every guest-facing space.

WHO YOU ARE

You have led a desk, a hospitality team, retail, or guest-experience operation — and people got better because you were there.
You are not a stylist, and you do not need to be. You respect the craft, you understand the guest journey around the chair, and you let the artists do the art.
You are calm when the phone is lighting up, three guests arrive at once, and a service is running long. The room takes its cue from you.
You like selling when it is honest. You can talk about a membership, a product, or a consult in a way that feels like help.
You are organized enough to run a luxury desk and human enough that the team still tells you the truth.
Dependability is already how you live: on time, prepared, consistent. No one should wonder if you will show up.
You grow people on purpose. Teaching, coaching, and raising the standard is the part of the job you would do even if no one titled it.
Salon, spa, medical aesthetics, luxury hospitality, or high-end retail experience is strongly preferred. A Cosmetology license is not required and this role does not include service behind the chair.

WHAT THIS ROLE IS NOT

A stylist position, assistant stylist path, or “help on the floor when we are short.”
A receptionist title with extra keys and no authority to coach.
A second owner, or a replacement for the Senior Manager.
A back-office job. You will be at the desk, in the lobby, with the team, in the experience.
A place for gossip, favoritism, or clocking out on the culture.

SCHEDULE & COMPENSATION

Full-time, on-site in Hyde Park. Hours follow salon operations (Tue–Sat). Evenings and peak Saturdays are part of the job. (Tues 12-8, Thurs 11-8, Fri 11-7, Sat 8-5)
Flexibility for coverage when leadership is traveling or the floor needs an extra lead.
Competitive pay for operations leadership, discussed in conversation — not guessed in an ad. Experience in desk leadership and sales necessary.
Benefits aligned with W team offerings: vision, dental, IRA with employer match, accrued PTO, paid vacation, paid education culture, and team events.
Growth path: this role exists so leadership is not a single point of failure as the business continues to scale.

OUR FIVE VALUES — NO EXCEPTIONS

Every person on this team was hired because they reflect these. Every decision runs through them.

Team Focused — We win together. No one stands alone when it gets hard.
Integrity — Honest with guests, with each other, and with ourselves. No corners cut. No talking behind backs.
Dependability — Show up. On time. Prepared. Consistent.
Positivity & Enthusiasm — Energy is contagious. We hire people who raise the room.
Problem Solver — When something isn’t working, we figure it out.

HOW WE HIRE

We take our time because we are protective of what we have built. The process is a conversation with the Senior Manager first — no pressure, two people seeing if there is a real fit — then a meeting with the Owner if it feels right on both sides.

We are not looking for the perfect résumé. We are looking for the right person: someone who can run a desk, grow a team, and sell with integrity in a luxury room.

To start the conversation, apply here or email [email protected] with a short introduction and why this role — front desk, sales, and team growth — is the work you want to do.

Pay: From $20.00 per hour

Expected hours: 34.0 per week

Benefits:

401(k)
401(k) matching
Dental insurance
Paid time off
Vision insurance

Work Location: In person