Assistant Store Manager in Grays

Are you an experienced retail supervisor ready to step up and support a busy, community-focused store? Join our team as Assistant Store Manager and help deliver excellent customer service while supporting the Store Manager to run day-to-day operations efficiently. St. Luke's Hospice is a local charity providing compassionate care to people whose illnesses are no longer curable. We promote dignity in dying and empower people to make the choices they want, from the moment they are diagnosed. This is a great opportunity for someone with strong retail experience who would like to play an important part in raising vital funds to help St. Luke's Hospice continue caring for local people and families.

The Assistant Store Manager will support the Store Manager in delivering excellent customer service, meeting sales targets and maintaining high standards across the store. You will supervise and develop a team of shop colleagues and volunteers, help to manage stock and visual merchandising, and ensure all tasks are completed in line with Hospice policies and procedures. This role is hands-on and varied, offering the chance to contribute to a valued local charity while developing your leadership and retail management skills.

Main responsibilities:

• Support the Store Manager with the day-to-day running of the shop, ensuring smooth operation and excellent customer experience.
• Supervise, motivate and develop shop staff and volunteers, including delegation of tasks and providing on-the-job coaching.
• Deliver sales targets and monitor performance, assisting with stock management, pricing and donations processing.
• Ensure the shop is well merchandised, clean, safe and compliant with health & safety and safeguarding policies.
• Manage cash handling and till reconciliation procedures accurately and securely.
• Deliver excellent customer service, dealing with enquiries and complaints professionally and promptly.
• Support recruitment, training and rotas for shop staff and volunteers as required.
• Work with the Store Manager and central teams to implement local fundraising activity and promotional initiatives.

About you:

• Experience working in retail with a good understanding of sales, stock control and merchandising.
• Previous experience supervising or leading a small team, including volunteers, is desirable.
• Strong customer service skills with the ability to build rapport and handle challenging situations calmly.
• Good numeracy and attention to detail, particularly for cash handling and stock reconciliation.
• Reliable, organised and able to prioritise tasks to meet business needs.
• Willingness to undertake manual handling of donations and to work flexibly, including occasional weekends or evenings as required.
• Commitment to the values and mission of St. Luke's Hospice and a sensitivity to working within a charity environment.

Please note that the ability to attend the local Hospice shop and travel between sites is required for this role. Applications will be reviewed on receipt with interviews scheduled on an ongoing basis. We recommend applying as soon as possible to ensure your application is considered.

Right to Work: St. Luke's Hospice is unable to sponsor work permits or visas. All candidates must have the right to work in the UK.

Belonging, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: At St. Luke's Hospice, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We particularly welcome applications from disabled, LGBT+ and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates as these groups are currently under-represented in our teams. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including consideration of access requirements for people who have a disability.

For an informal chat about the role or to discuss access requirements for disabled applicants, please contact the HR team using the chat function on our careers page or call 01268 524 973.