Retail Advisory Committee Members

Posted: May 20, 2022

Job Details

  • Vision Foundation
  • Committee
  • Unpaid
  • Travel expenses will be covered
  • Virtually or in London
  • 20/06/2022

Job Description

The Vision Foundation believes passionately that people living with sight loss should have the same opportunities as anyone else. We strive to ensure London is a city that works for everyone and that avoidable sight loss is prevented.

Step by step, we are proving that things can be different. Together, we can save sight and change lives. But we are under no illusion that our task will ever be easy.

By becoming a member of our Retail Advisory Committee you will be helping us to drive income which will transform the opportunities, well-being, and inclusion for blind and partially sighted people across London.

The Vision Foundation is a sector leader in London standing up for the rights and freedoms of people living with sight loss. The charity funds organisations providing front-line projects
and services across the capital, and works collaboratively through researching, building capacity, funding and investing and advocacy. We’ve been going for a hundred years but
following a cultural and organisational re-shaping, including changing our name and branding, we have the energy and drive of a start-up.

Following a strategic review of our retail operations in 2020 our board approved significant investment to lay the foundations for future profitable growth, create employment and volunteering opportunities for blind and partially sighted people within our shops, investigate new income streams, and professionalise our ways of working.

This involved:
• Closing four unprofitable shops
• Rebranding our shops to Vision Foundation
• Developing a new accessible shop concept for visually impaired people
• Increasing our staffing levels
• Recruiting two new positions to lead our digital and warehouse operations
• Implementing a new EPOS system and launching Gift Aid throughout the portfolio
• Pivoting the way we process and redistribute donations to shops

Following on from an extremely successful year where we exceeded our income and surplus budgets, our board has approved capital to open three new shops and a new warehouse.

We are currently forming a new Retail Advisory Committee and are looking to recruit two experienced charity retail professionals to join two existing Trustees and one external retail advisor.

The committee will work together under the leadership of the Committee Chair to assist the Director of Retail in achieving our strategic objectives and long-term plan.

We are particularly keen to recruit people with lived experience of sight loss to these roles.

Ideal candidates will be strategic thinkers who are able to listen and contribute effectively as part of a team. Motivated and enthusiastic, you will bring an excellent understanding of
omnichannel charity retail and logistics and be able to provide constructive challenge.

You will be an effective communicator and relationship builder able to provide oversight and support to the committed and talented executive team. A commitment to our ethos and values is critical.

We expect the committee to meet four times a year, either virtually or in London and all travel expenses will be covered.

Additional Information

How to apply:

To apply please send a CV and cover letter to Phil Beaven, Director of Retail,
pbeaven@visionfoundation.org.uk by 20th June 2022. If you would like an informal
conversation prior to making an application, please contact pbeaven@visionfoundation.org.uk