Assistant Manager in London

Are you a hands-on leader ready to take the next step? At Blackbird, our Assistant Managers are the Shop Manager’s right hand—leading from the floor one minute and driving the business the next. We’re looking for someone who combines brilliant people skills with real commercial awareness and a “Service First” mindset. If you love developing a team, thrive on responsibility, and are ready to run the show when the manager steps away, we want to hear from you!

The Blackbird Way: Driving the Standard

• Plain Talking: You keep communication flowing in every direction—briefing the team clearly, cascading updates from the manager, and giving honest, respectful feedback that helps people grow.
• Real Me: You lead with ownership and pride. You treat the shop like your own, hold yourself to the highest standards, and aren’t afraid to suggest better ways of doing things.
• Working Together: You’re the bridge between the team and the manager. You plan, organise, and support so everyone knows their role, feels valued, and pulls in the same direction—even in the busiest rush.
• Service First: You set the pace on customer experience. You coach the team to exceed expectations, act on feedback, and make every visit memorable for our local community.

The Mission & Purpose

To support the Shop Manager in the efficient day-to-day running of the shop—and to run it confidently in their absence. You will deliver the highest standards of service and product quality through a well-trained, motivated team, while playing an active part in maintaining and improving turnover and profitability.

Key Objectives

• Deputy Leadership: Take full ownership of the shop in the manager’s absence, keeping operations, standards, and the team on track.
• Team Development: Coach, support, and develop Supervisors and Team Members to build a high-performing team.
• Commercial Support: Assist the manager in maximising revenue and controlling costs through daily KPIs and smart decision-making.
• Brand Excellence: Ensure product quality, presentation, and service consistently follow the “Blackbird Bible.”

Your Responsibilities:

Running the Shop

• Operations & Commercial Support: Assist with rotas, forecasting, and daily KPIs; take remedial action alongside the manager when needed.
• Sales & Initiatives: Help deliver local marketing plans, promotional activity, sampling, and new product launches.
• Stock Control: Order and control stock according to procedure; record and report wastage; process supplier invoices.
• Security: Oversee digital payment processing, banking reconciliation, store security, and key-holder responsibilities.

Team Leadership & Development

• Shift Leadership: Lead team briefings and manage opening and closing procedures to the highest standard.
• Training & Induction: Manage the induction of new starters, keep training records up to date, and ensure the team attends relevant training.
• Performance Coaching: Support the manager with job chats, performance conversations, and addressing issues such as lateness or incidents.
• Recruitment: Participate in the recruitment process and assessment days alongside the manager.

Stock, Safety & Controls

• Quality Control: Ensure deliveries are checked for quality and quantity and stored to food safety standards—never allowing sub-standard products to reach customers.
• Audits & Hygiene: Maintain high hygiene standards, participate in audits, and lead daily stock checks and rotations.
• Health & Safety: Identify hazards, take corrective action, and respond to any food hygiene issues to protect the team, our customers, and the brand.

Retail Excellence

• Service Speed: Monitor service so customers are never kept waiting, especially during peak trade.
• Displays & Standards: Lead the team to maintain full, perfect, and correctly labelled product displays.
• Customer Care: Resolve complaints effectively, investigate their causes, and use feedback and loyalty data to help the shop grow.

The Attributes We Value

• Passion for leading food & drink quality and an excellent customer experience.
• Excellent Communication skills and a professional approach.
• Fantastic Standards and a “can-do” attitude.
• Outgoing & Lively personality.
• Flexible, Committed, and Highly Motivated.

Please note: These are the key tasks for the role, but the list may change in line with business needs.