Retail Operations Manager
Handshake • Remote
Education
Associate
Type
Hourly
Pay Rate
$80/hr
Listed
7d ago
Apply opens Handshake in a new tab.
Apply Now → ⚡ Boost your chances - Optimize your resume with Rezi.aiAbout this role
From the Handshake listing
Overview
Handshake is looking for retail operations professionals to support AI research through flexible, hourly contract work. This is not a traditional job. You'll draw on your hands-on experience with store performance management, inventory control, and warehouse operations to evaluate AI-generated content and provide feedback that helps AI better understand retail operations workflows and practices.
This is an ongoing, project-based opportunity that can be done alongside research, teaching, postdoctoral work, or industry employment.
Details
This project involves using your professional experience and hands-on knowledge of the tools you use in your daily work to create expert-level training data and evaluate AI-generated responses for accuracy and relevance. No prior AI experience required.
Fully remote with a flexible, asynchronous schedule and no minimum hour requirement; most contributors work approximately 5–20 hours per week when participating in an active project.
Placement depends on current project needs, with opportunities to be considered for future projects as they become available.
Qualifications
At least 2 years of professional experience in retail operations management, in roles such as:
Retail Operations Manager or Director
Or equivalent roles in the retail industry
Hands-on experience with retail operations workflows, including:
Store performance monitoring and reporting
Cash and inventory reconciliation
Warehouse receiving operations
Strong written communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work independently and asynchronously with AI research teams.
Work authorization information
F-1 students who are eligible for CPT or OPT may be eligible for projects on Handshake AI. Work with your Designated School Official to determine your eligibility. If your school requires a CPT course, Handshake AI may not meet your school’s requirements. STEM OPT is not supported. See our Help Center article for more information on what types of work authorizations are supported on Handshake AI.
The application process
Sign up and create an account
Verify your identity
Join and onboard into relevant projects
Start working and earning
Interview Prep
Sample questions for a Retail Operations Manager role, written in-house to help you prepare.
How do you decide on reorder points and quantities for inventory across a store with varying sales velocity by item?
I set reorder points based on each item's actual historical sales velocity and lead time from the supplier, rather than a single blanket threshold across the store, since fast-moving and slow-moving items need very different buffers. Reviewing and adjusting these periodically matters, since velocity changes seasonally for many categories.
What's your approach to reducing shrinkage in a retail location without creating a hostile customer experience?
I focus on process-level fixes, like better cash handling procedures and improved product placement for high-theft items, rather than visibly treating every customer as a suspect, since an overly aggressive loss prevention posture drives away legitimate customers. Staff training on discreet observation tends to work better than obvious surveillance.
How do you structure staff scheduling to match customer traffic patterns without over- or under-staffing?
I build schedules around actual historical traffic data by hour and day rather than a fixed staffing template, adjusting for known events like promotions or holidays. Reviewing schedule performance against actual traffic after the fact helps refine the pattern over time rather than repeating the same schedule indefinitely.
What's your process for handling a customer complaint that a staff member wasn't able to resolve on the floor?
I listen to the full complaint before offering a resolution, since jumping to a fix before understanding what the customer actually wants often leads to an unsatisfying outcome even when the fix is generous. I also follow up with the staff member afterward to understand what made the situation hard to resolve initially.
Why this role
This Retail Operations Manager role runs entirely remote at $80/hr, so your location stops being a factor in whether you can do Business work for an AI lab.
Talent pool
We're light on Business candidates
We've matched 55 people with a Business background against 1011 Business listings we've tracked, so most go out without one. Set up a profile and we'll consider you for a role like this one.
Set up your profileSkills and categories
Explore other opportunities in related specializations:
Related jobs
Browse All Jobs from Handshake
Discover more opportunities on Handshake that match your skills and interests.
View All Handshake Jobs →Verified Reviews
Community Reviews
Share your experience with Handshake
Help other candidates make better decisions by leaving a review.
Sign in to leave a reviewLeave your review
Common questions
Can I use Handshake if I graduated years ago?
Probably not a good fit. Handshake's AI Fellowship roles target current university students and early talent within about 1-2 years of graduation. Experienced professionals typically find faster approval and better rates on Outlier or Mercor.
Is Handshake itself the employer for AI training roles?
For the AI Fellowship roles specifically, yes, Handshake acts as the employer of record. That's different from the rest of the site, which functions as a job board listing openings for other companies.
What does asynchronous AI training work mean in practice?
No set hours, no check-ins, no meetings. You log in when you want, pick up an available task, complete it, and submit; nobody is waiting on you in real time. That's different from remote employment, where you're expected online during business hours. The tradeoff: you're competing with others for available tasks, so an empty queue means there's simply nothing to do until more work is released.
Do task-based AI training roles require an interview?
Most skip a live interview entirely and gate access through an automated assessment or qualification task instead. Where we've confirmed the specific requirement for this listing, it's called out above in What We Know About This Role.
What does Business work look like for a Retail Operations Manager?
Tasks here are scoped to Business, not generic labeling. As a Retail Operations Manager, expect to draw on real domain judgment (evaluating outputs, correcting errors, or providing expert reasoning specific to Business) rather than following a one-size-fits-all rubric. If you don't have hands-on Business background, this is likely not the right listing to start with.
What specific skills does this listing call for?
Expert is named directly in the listing. If you don't have hands-on experience with this, expect the screening process to test for it directly rather than accepting adjacent experience as a substitute.
How much does this specific role pay?
This listing is posted at $80/hr, an hourly rate. Pay can change between when we last checked the listing and when you apply, so confirm the current number on the platform's own application page before committing time.
What happens when I click Apply on this listing?
You'll be taken to Handshake's external site to complete your application there. This listing links through a referral, but the process is identical to applying directly; the link just routes you correctly. Create an account on their site and follow their onboarding steps.
Are Handshake AI training listings internships?
Some are, some aren't. Handshake lists both standard internships and separate "AI Trainer" fellowships. Check the job description for "1099" or "Contract" language: that signals a freelance role, not W-2 employment.