Relief Manager

Position: Relief Manager

Reporting to: Area Manager

Salary: £18,738.40 (£23,423 full-time equivalent)

Hours: 30 hours per week (4 days) which may include Saturdays

Location: Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Letchworth Garden City, Stevenage, Hertford, Biggleswade and Welwyn Garden City

Other Requirements: The jobholder must be mobile and have a car.  All travelling expenses will be reimbursed.

Key Responsibilities:

• To assist and cover for the Area Manager during periods of annual leave or absence

• To provide cover in Willow retail shops, managing Assistant Manager(s) and Volunteers, including the recruitment and retention of a motivated team of volunteers.

• To ensure income and profit maximisation through maximising donations, preparation of items for sale, sales and disposals of un-saleable items to trade merchants.

• Achieve sales and profit targets in order that we are able to increase the number of Special Days for seriously ill young adults

• To achieve the optimum price for all donated stock.

• To maximise sign-ups for Retail Gift Aid and ensuring full records are maintained for donations under this scheme.

• To control shop expenditure in line with budget, applying Willow policies for purchasing at all times.

• To manage customer and donor engagement ensuring the best possible relationship with Willow.

• To manage the physical appearance of the shop maintaining high standards of shop merchandising and visual layout, controlling stock density and rotation systems, ensuring that it is inviting to customers and safe for customers, staff and volunteers at all times.

• To contribute to the development of retail through innovation, ideas and creativity, feeding back all team ideas to the Area Manager and Head of Retail.

• To demonstrate understanding of Willow’s purpose and activities striving to improve brand awareness and communicate key messages in order to raise the charity’s profile.

• To complete all shop administration including cash handling and banking functions accurately and to deadline, ensuring company policies and procedures are adhered to.

• To plan and organise daily work load for team, encouraging effective communication, setting objectives and fostering a positive team spirit.

• To ensure that trading standard regulations are adhered to at all times.

Generic responsibilities:

• To ensure all duties are carried out in a manner which promotes Willow’s equality and diversity policies

• To promote a health and safety culture within the workplace, observing all health and safety rules and procedures and all attend training courses as required

• To ensure that essential information of a sensitive or personal nature is not disclosed to or discussed with inappropriate persons

• To ensure all information is maintained in accordance with the Data Protection Act

• To manage personal resources and own professional development

• To undertake other duties, commensurate with the post, as required

This job description serves to illustrate the type and scope of the duties currently required for the above post and to provide an indication of the required level of responsibility. It is not a comprehensive or exclusive list and duties may be varied from time to time, they will not however change the general character of the job or the level of responsibility entailed.

Travel requirements:

• To attend Shop Managers’ meetings and training sessions as required.

Unsocial hours requirement

• To work on Saturdays (and by prior agreement Sundays) as required within normal rota’d duties.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Knowledge

• Good understanding of retail operations
• Good understanding of management and motivation of staff and volunteers
• Good understanding of the financial key performance indicators
• Good understanding of stock procurement and management
• Understanding of trends and best practice in charity retail
• Good understanding of retail gift aid and related processes
• Ability to plan, prioritize and organize
• Good understanding of health and safety and trading standards
• An affinity with Willow’s objectives and activities

Key Skills

• Accurate, conscientious and self motivated

• Ability to work on own and use initiative to make decisions
• Good communication skills at all levels
• Good understanding of marketing and promotions
• Creative e.g. visual merchandising, marketing

• Ability to motivate, engage and develop teams to deliver results
• Good business acumen
• Good understanding of finance – profit drivers; cost control etc.

Experience and qualifications

• GCSE Maths and English or equivalent literacy and numeracy skills
• Experience of working within the retail sector
• Experience of managing a team in a retail or charity sector
• Understanding of health and safety and trading standards

Personal Attributes

• Self starter – high energy levels
• Positive and Enthusiastic
• Resourceful
• Strong professionally – credible with integrity
• Good Listener – will challenge constructively and respond well to feedback

Other

• Mobility – the job entails frequent and extensive travel
• Working knowledge of Retail, H.R and Health and Safety legislation
• Must be able to use MS Office applications – Word, Outlook, and Excel to a competent standard
• Some Saturday and Sunday working is required

How to apply

Please send a CV and covering letter to jo.tredgett@willowfoundation.org.uk

Closing date 10 November 2023