Relief Shop Manager

1. PURPOSE OF THE JOB • To work under the direction of the Regional Retail Manager. • To provide sales support through maximizing sales, productivity, revenue opportunities and customer satisfaction levels throughout Cork Region by ensuring compliance with the Society’s retail standards, current relevant legislation and SVP policy and ethos.

2. ENVIRONMENT OF THE JOB The SVP is a large, national, voluntary organisation with extensive experience of working with a diverse range of people who experience poverty and exclusion. Through its network of over 12,000 volunteers and 700 staff, it is strongly committed to working for social justice and advocates the creation of a more just and caring society. SVP employs people to support volunteers in a variety of settings including Social Housing, Child & Family services, Retail, Administration and other specialist areas.

SVP retail is the third largest retailer in Ireland with 227 shops. When you work in an SVP shop your dedication, initiative and passion are helping to make an important contribution to the work SVP does and to change the lives of people in need across the country. SVP is committed to ensuring that everyone we encounter, regardless of age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnic origin has the right to be protected from all forms of harm, abuse, neglect, and exploitation. All employees are expected to act in accordance with SVP policies on Dignity & Respect and Safeguarding in respect of related Child and Vulnerable adult safeguarding policies and procedures. The Society is Christian based with a strong sense of Gospel values. The founder of the Society, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, was a devout Catholic and his legacy of spirituality remains a key element for volunteer members of the Society and underpins the conduct of conference meetings. It can often therefore be normal practice within the Society that prayers are said at the beginning and end of Conference meetings or at meetings where members are in attendance as this underpins the ethos of the Society. There is no requirement for staff members to actively participate in the saying of prayers but to respect the ethos of the Society and be aware that this practice may occur.

3. GUIDANCE AND AUTHORITY The role reports to the Regional Retail Manager who in turn reports to the National Development Manager. • The Shop Manager (Relief) will be required at all times operate in a professional manner maintaining a high-quality standard of work, and to always work in accordance with aims, values and ethos of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.

The nature of matters referred upwards are those: • Where significant resistance is experienced in the development of good practice and implementation of policy. • Where practice or proposed practice places stakeholders in a position of risk e.g. a child, a vulnerable adult, members, employees, the reputation of the Society. • Where decision will have a significant impact on the workload of others.

3. PRINCIPLE ACCOUNTABILITIES Relief Shop Managers will be specifically required to provide: • Short term management cover in any location experiencing staff shortages through annual leave, training, volunteer shortages or other unplanned absence by local staff. • Routine checks on all locations by use of the Retail Checklist. Results and observations from the checklist should be discussed with the Regional Retail Manager with specific feedback being provided as required. 4. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES Business Development: 1. Implement effective re-sourcing of stock to anticipate customer demands 2. Review day to day operations and offerings of the shop in conjunction with recognised guidelines on core issues including customer care, retail standards, financial control, health and safety and security and recommend changes in working practices and staff levels where appropriate. 3. Maximise the financial contribution of the Vincent’s Retail by delivering like for like growth in line with agreed targets by encouraging all members of your team to do likewise 4. Achieve financial objectives 5. Keep Regional Retail Manager/Area/Shop Conference informed 6. Develop a “Sales through service” culture with the specific aims of retaining existing customers, attracting new customers and expanding customer activity in-store to include, buying, donating and volunteering. 7. Develop a culture of regular self- assessment in the shop. 8. Investigate and resolve all legitimate customer complaints where possible and aim to recover the customer where practicable 9. Recruitment of new volunteers for the shop and management of existing volunteers. 10. Create and sustain an environment in which all staff and volunteers are motivated and are given suitable work to ensure that their individual motivations and abilities are being recognised and met 11. Familiarise all team members with SVP guidelines and best practice on issues including financial control and staff purchases. Compliance issues or concerns should be raised to the Line Manager. Comply with the Health & Safety Manual 12. Promote and maintain a satisfactory level of control in the area handling cash and stock control and ensure compliance to recognised staff purchase and Emergency Assistance controls. 13. Continually reassess the operational risks inherent in the business, taking account of changing economic or market conditions, legal and regulatory requirements, operating procedures and practices and any impact of management restructures / new technology.

5. CHALLENGES There are a number of challenges in this role, largely determined by the scale, complexity, voluntary nature and high levels of local autonomy with the Society. • Acceptance of the dynamic of a complex, national, membership organisation and an understanding of how this both contributes to and constrains the work. • Resilience and persistence in the face of barriers and organisational roadblocks encountered. • Management of ambiguity and complexity. • Influencing others not under direct authority. • Influencing stakeholders to recognise and to act upon, the need for accelerated change.

6. OTHER INFORMATION The job holder must be available for weekend and evening work as required. The job holder will be expected to use initiative and be highly motivated. The post holder will liaise with relevant personnel / departments in the Regional Office. In addition to the duties and responsibilities listed above, the job holder may be required from time to time to perform other duties as deemed reasonable and necessary by the employer. The job holder may also be required from time to time to work or attend training/meetings at another location. As much notice as is reasonably practicable will be given of any such requirement/ change. The Society is committed to the Right to Disconnect Code of Practice which applies to all employees irrespective of where they work, be that office, service, home or other remote location, or their working pattern, either core, shift, or flexible hours. Given the nature of our organisation, employees may request or be required, depending on their role and agreement of management, to work in a more flexible manner and occasionally outside of their normal/standard working hours. Certain roles by their nature may have a requirement to work evenings or weekends and may be on a shift pattern (as detailed in the written particulars of employment), others may be required to attend evening or weekend meetings with members or may be subject to annual peaks and troughs in the workload. These are usually normal, expected, and foreseeable work-related requirements and staff should ensure that they receive the required breaks and compensatory leave as detailed in the Society’s Time off in Lieu policy. Employees are responsible for notifying their manager in writing of any statutory rest period or break to which they are entitled to and were not able to avail of on a particular occasion and the reason for not availing of such rest period or break within one week. 7. EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS TO UNDERTAKE THE ROLE AT A FULLY ACCEPTABLE LEVEL Essential Education • Minimum Leaving Certificate level Experience • At least 3 years in a customer facing retail environment • Experience of managing / working with a diverse team of people • Experience of working with sales and meeting targets • Experience of independent working and also working as part of a team • Experience of providing and analysing sales reports Skills • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both written and verbal, in individual and group situations • An ability to establish and foster excellent working relationships with many different people across different functions and locations. • Excellent organisation skills • Competent in IT packages – Excel, Word, EPOS, Microsoft 365 • A positive outlook with resilience and persistence in the face of barriers and setbacks. • An ability to display empathy, patience and a well-developed sense of humour. Knowledge • Commercially aware The person must also demonstrate the following personal attributes: • Ability to work on own initiative or as part of team. • Be honest and trustworthy • Be respectful • Possess cultural awareness and sensitivity • Be flexible • Demonstrate sound work ethics Salary: €21,667.78 per annum. Paid on a monthly basis