Department Lead

Location

UK — Manchester

Salary

starting from
£21,017 - £25,207

Contract type

Open-ended

Start date

—

Working hours

36 hours per week

Job family

Retail

Division

Supporter engagement

Team

Retail operations

Grade

E

Flexibile Working

We believe flexible working is key to building the Oxfam of the future, so we’re open to talking through the type of flexible arrangements which might work for you. This role could work as a job-share.

Division Purpose

The Engagement division exists to inspire, activate, and raise resources from our supporters, partners, volunteers, allies and friends. It brings together the key functions that are involved in engaging our supporters in our cause, as well as raising the resources we need to deliver our ambitions, so that we have a joined-up view of how we inspire, activate and raise resources from our partners, supporters, allies and friends. The Division will help inspire and engage a movement of people, working together to end the injustice of poverty. This is the division that delivers the restricted and unrestricted income to fund Oxfam’s work, doing so in a way that leaves everyone who supports Oxfam with a meaningful connection to the impact they are making. Our ambition is that all our supporters – ranging from those who donate items to our Stores to major institutional partners – feel part of our community.

Team Purpose

Open for business since 1947, Oxfam Retail is at the heart of the charity and their community, raising vital funds and increasing public awareness of what we do. We are always guided by our values of empowerment, accountability and inclusiveness and focused on making as much money as possible. Stores and Superstores are the heart of growth plans, bringing new stores to more local communities, to complement over 560 Stores and 20,000 volunteers, we will create more spaces where volunteers can give their time and diverse skills to maximise the income from thousands of donations we receive every day, and make a radical impact on poverty.

Job Purpose

As an Oxfam Department Lead, you will be responsible for delivering exceptional retail standards and customer service in a large format store approx. 15,000 sq. ft, supporting the Retail Managers to drive the growth and development of your Store in line with our values and strategy. You will work alongside volunteers and support the Retail Managers with the shop floor operation to maximise income generation and deliver a positive customer and donor experience which brings to life Oxfam’s brand.

Dimensions of the Role

  • Maximises Sales and Gift Aid of the store for Oxfam by delivering excellent customer service.
  • Supports the Retail Managers to meet the agreed department targets and unlocking store performance through effective stock sorting, processing and pricing.
  • Ensures that excellent visual merchandising principles are maintained throughout the Superstore.
  • Contributes to events, workshops and fundraising initiatives in collaboration with the Superstore management team, role modelling Oxfam’s values and behaviours, and bringing the Oxfam brand to life.
  • Maintains exceptional retail standards of housekeeping throughout the store.
  • Maintains ways of working in the store where all colleagues, volunteers and customers feel included, respected, and safe from harm.

Post holder responds to:

Retail Manager

Jobs reporting to this post:

None

Budget responsibility:

None

Key Responsabilities

Volunteer Team Management

  • Assist the Retail Managers in inducting and training an inclusive and diverse volunteer team ensuring that the resource and capability required to keep the store open for the agreed trading hours is in place to deliver income targets together.
  • Build trusting relationships to create an engaged and motivated volunteer team where everyone feels welcome and supported.
  • Maintain a safe working environment and ensure that all team members are aware of and operate within Oxfam’s health and safety policies and procedures, including waste management and customer safety.
  • Adhere to and enforce Oxfam’s safeguarding policies, recognising the specific needs of volunteers under the age of 18 and vulnerable adult volunteers.

Sales

  • Supports the Retail Managers to maximise the performance of each sales category through effective space and sales management, with a strong focus on commerciality and creativity.
  • Actively engages with the store’s financial performance and together with the Retail Managers, explores innovative ways to maximise income.
  • Maximise Gift Aid on all donated stock.
  • Supports the Retail Managers to deliver key store floor processes and routines.

Stock

  • Deliver consistently high standards of cleanliness, display and merchandising of stock.
  • Supports the Retail Managers to deliver creative and innovative visual merchandising, maintaining sales density and making effective use of space, which encourages customers to return to store with us.
  • Ensure that all legal and Oxfam internal requirements and processes for donated stock including waste and recycling are consistently understood and delivered by all colleagues.
  • Supports delivery of key back-room processes and routines as needed.

Being a Superstore Department Lead in Oxfam

  • Support the Superstore management team to create a warm and welcoming experience for our customers by delivering exceptional customer service standards.
  • Role model Oxfam’s values of empowerment, accountability, and inclusivity.
  • Demonstrate a commitment to your own wellbeing, personal development, and ongoing learning.
  • Be a positive advocate of change and continuous improvement.

Person Specification

Most importantly, every individual at Oxfam GB needs to be able to:

  • Live our values of INCLUSION, ACCOUNTABILITY and EMPOWERMENT (read more about these here).
  • Ensure you commit to our ORGANISATIONAL ATTRIBUTES (including adhering to the Code of Conduct):

1. Be committed to our feminist principles, and to applying them in your day-to-day behaviour and your work. Be ready to keep learning, with accountability to those who experience oppression as a result of their identities, such as their gender, race/ethnicity, disability, class, or LGBTQIA identity.”

2. Be committed to undertaking Oxfam’s safeguarding training and adhering to relevant policies, to ensure all people who come into Oxfam are as safe as possible.

Essentials:

For this role, we have selected the most relevant feminist leadership practices which we will use for assessment purposes (which you can read more about here

  • Self-Awareness
  • Mutual accountability
  • Relationship building

In addition:

  • Experience of working in a customer focused retail role.
  • Experience of supporting colleagues and working collaboratively.
  • Ability to take direction with a focus on consistent delivery of standards and processes.
  • Effective time management and prioritisation.
  • Role model for own wellbeing.

At interview, shortlisted candidates will also be assessed on our values and organisational attributes, as outlined above

Desirable:

  • Experience of the charity retail environment
  • Knowledge of Oxfam Stores
  • Customer service experience in a large format retail environment
  • Experience of working with Ecommerce marketplaces and Social Media

Safer recruitment: All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks (which can include counterterrorism, safeguarding and criminal records checks).

DBS CHECK REQUIRED: Yes.

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