We are starting the search for our next Shop Lead
Check below for more details!
Queen City Bicycle Collective – Shop Lead
Our Shop Lead ensures that the bikes which are repaired, sold, and delivered by QC Bike are safe, functional, and reliable. The bikes donated to QC Bike all need work. The Shop Lead will bring the enthusiasm needed to fix these bikes, directly, and by supporting volunteers in the development of their skills and confidence as mechanics.
With ample support and training, your day-to-day would include:
+ Building bicycles. You’ll build and make repairs to bicycles that will be sold or otherwise delivered by QC Bike. You’ll make use of our large supply of used parts to get bicycles up and running. You’ll work with the Executive Director to prioritize building bicycles that will be sold to the public, as well as those that support our ongoing voucher programs. Your efforts will dovetail seamlessly with the work of other paid staff and our volunteer mechanics.
+ Performing safety checks. You’ll ensure bicycles finished by others are in good working order and safe. This includes checking that components are adjusted correctly and are in good condition, checking shifting and limit screws, ensuring all bolts are tightened, checking for play in bearings, making sure the wheels are true, etc. You’ll either be fixing these problems yourself, or will be cataloging and delegating the necessary repairs to volunteers to complete.
+ Helping to manage orders and inventory. You’ll communicate with the Executive Director to ensure that all necessary parts and tools are available at the Collective. You’ll assist with managing orders from QBP and J+B.
+ Orienting new volunteers and shop users. From the outset, you’ll be able to make volunteers and members of the public feel welcome in the workshop, showing our bicycle repair workflow, where tools and consumables are kept, etc.
+ Leading Closed Shop sessions that empower volunteers to become better mechanics. You’ll be ready and willing to pass on your skills and passion to our volunteer mechanics, to help us grow our Collective’s capacity. With the shop closed to the public, you’ll help provide increased production while also providing nurturing, hands-on educational experiences that develop and strengthen our mechanical volunteers.
+ Diagnosing and repairing bikes during Open Shop Hours. With time and training you’ll be able to independently diagnose problems, and help lead community members in making appropriate repairs to their bikes. You will also provide support and oversight to volunteer mechanics in the space.
About You
+ You love all bikes, not only high-end and modern bikes. Most of our donated bikes are 10-70 years old, ranging from bike-boom and department store bikes to middle-of-the-road 90’s rigid-fork mountain bikes, with the rare higher-end bike mixed in
+ You have reason to think of yourself as a bike mechanic, and are willing to share what you do, and work on learning what you don’t already know. Maybe you have a couple of years of bike shop experience, or maybe something equivalent. Either way, you’re able to diagnose and fix many of the most common issues in bike repair. You’re comfortable researching, trying out, and asking for help with what you don’t know.
+ You are a good leader and teacher. You’re someone volunteers and staff will look to for support, particularly when fixing bikes gets tricky. You’re able to facilitate positive, supportive learning experiences, and will apply that to your work at QC Bike.
+ You’re able to creatively solve problems. Sometimes we don’t have the perfect substitution; you’re able to cobble together a work-around that is almost as good as or better than the original.
+ You’re an effective multitasker. During shop hours you’ll be repairing bikes, while maintaining awareness of the whole shop – is someone stuck on a bottom bracket, frustrated setting up cantilever brakes, or does someone have a load of bikes to donate? You’ll be able to step in to offer assistance. You also wouldn’t mind being pulled away from your task to answer a question or provide a demonstration.
+ You want to help fill the world with bike mechanics and nurture everyone’s love for bicycling. From your one-on-one interactions, to your part in helping us craft a safe and welcoming space for all of our community, you make sure that folks in the shop feel welcomed and empowered to learn the art of turning a wrench on a bike!
We are looking for candidates who are passionate (about bikes, our Do-It-Yourself/Do-It-Together ethos, community development, & education), and who have real enthusiasm for the hands-on skill building our work offers. We recognize that passion and enthusiasm are paramount to our success, and are, therefore, willing to provide the ideal candidate with ample training, in any and all areas necessary for them to succeed in this role. As such, potential applicants who have interest, passion, and enthusiasm, but who feel they may lack the technical know-how, are very much encouraged to apply.
We are committed to building a welcoming work environment that treats everyone with fairness and respect. We do not discriminate in practices or employment opportunities on the basis of an individual’s race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local regulations.
Rate: $20 – $24 per hour
Hours: 30 – 40 per week
Modest but flexible benefit package included
Please send an expression of interest to tyler@qcbike.org.
We plan to fill this position as soon as we find the right candidate.