Featured Job Head of Retail

Posted: January 7, 2021

Job Details

  • Octavia Foundation
  • Full Time
  • £50,000 per annum
  • Emily House, London/Working from home
  • 21/01/2021

Job Description

Context
Octavia is a housing association working in the heart of London. We are steeped in history with a strong sense of purpose. We are respected for the quality of our work and attach paramount importance to our tenants and community development activities. Our ambition is to create an organisation that our tenants really value.

Role Purpose

  • To lead on the development and implementation of the retail strategy for Octavia shops to achieve best practice and financial performance within the charity retail sector
  • Review the shop portfolio and develop new opportunities. Make a business case for these
  • To lead, inspire, and motivate Octavia s retail team to deliver best practice excellence in all aspects of shop operations, achieve or exceed profit and sales targets
  • To lead on the delivery of retail operational plans to ensure the achievement of all agreed objectives
  • To lead Octavia’s retail team in providing a wide range of opportunities for volunteers, to promote volunteering in our shops and support the retail team to build substantial volunteer teams
  • To lead and inspire the retail team of staff and volunteers to do their best within the Octavia framework, applying all their learning and internal and external opportunities to create the best results
  • To provide relevant operational and strategic information on retail trends, standards to the Executive Committee and board
  • To use expertise in retail management and other related topics such as customer service, shop standards, stock acquisition and management, merchandising, health and safety standards to ensure the achievement of retail’s business objectives
  • To carry out the duties of this role within the organisational context and culture

Key Competencies
Octavia operates a Skills and Behaviours Competency Framework.

  • Responsive
  • Respectful
  • Reliable
  • Resourceful

Key Responsibilities – to be undertaken in association with the Key Competencies

  • Communication and Relationships
  • To embed collaborative and collegiate working with all internal and external stakeholders
  • To work collaboratively with colleagues to promote income generating and awareness opportunities
  • To ensure that shops staff receive effective training and development
  • To line manage the direct reports, enabling them to get the best out of their staff and volunteer teams
  • Planning and systems
  • To develop the retail strategy, ensuring that it is clearly understood across the organisation
  • To lead the implementation of the strategy, monitoring and reviewing performance, reporting on performance and taking corrective actions where required
  • To establish and manage effective systems that evaluate the performance of shop operations
  • To lead on any agreed retail operations projects to improve sales and/or profitability based upon analysis
  • To help plan cost effective refit works, ensuring that the works undertaken deliver the best return on investment
  • To manage the new shop search programme and overseeing the operational set up of confirmed new shops
  • To help plan cost effective stock generation and distribution to ensure high levels of donated stock throughout Octavia Foundation’s shops networ

Performance and monitoring

  • To provide analysis on performance, identifying and highlighting any trends
  • Devising plans and making recommendations for improvements where required
  • To deliver high standards of visual merchandising and display across the Octavia Foundation shops
  • To determine the pricing policy, reviewing pricing guidelines ensuring that the optimum value is obtained for stock
  • To maximise the use of donated stock to improve sales
  • To develop Gift aid shop practice and procedures to ensure that income and conversion targets are met
  • To be responsible for the management of the EPOS system, building a close relationship with the system provider and leading on the development of services to improve effectiveness
  • To authorise all maintenance work in line with budgets and approve quotations within financial limits
  • To oversee retail staff sickness, absences and holiday records

 

A full job description and personal specification can be found here.

Additional Information

How to apply

Please visit here to apply online.

Closing date – Thursday 21 January 2021 Midday