Shop Manager

1. PURPOSE OF THE JOB • To maximize sales, productivity, revenue opportunities and customer satisfaction levels through the efficient management of the St Vincent de Paul Charity shop byensuring compliance with the Society’s retail standards, current relevant legislation and SVP policy and ethos. • You’ll lead and develop your team comprising of volunteers, CE staff, TUS and paid employees, where applicable to maintain the standards of the shop and achieve targetsfor business growth. • You will lead and develop the management of a motivated team comprising shop volunteers, CE staff, TUS, occasional placements and paid employees, where applicable. • As a Shop Manager you’ll be vital to the ongoing success of Vincent’s Retail, focusing on maximizing sales, productivity, revenue opportunities and providing customer service that meets and exceeds our customer’s expectations. You’ll take ownership of your shop ensuring compliance with the Society’s retail standards, health and safety and legislation to create a shopping experience that caters to our wide range of customers and promotes the ethos of the Society.

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 job holder will report to the Regional Retail Manager, West Region. The post holder is expected to operate with considerable autonomy. 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, volunteers, the reputation of the Society. • Where decision will have a significant impact on the workload of others.

4. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES ACCOUNTABILITIES 1. Implement effective re-sourcing of stock to anticipate customer demands - Develop and sustain a strong working relationship with the shop team. Participate in SVP retail initiatives as directed. 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 - Deliver a yearly growth on threshold and stretch - Shop Manager to be mindful of costs such as light/heat. 5. Keep Regional Retail Manager/Area/Shop Conference informed - Submit a monthly report to the Regional Retail Manager, Area/Shop Conference on performance, Health and Safety and compliance issues within the shop (a report template will be provided) - Attend Regional and National Meetings/training as requested.

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. - “Relationship manage” existing valued customers by opening two-way communications with them. Encourage customer feedback through questionnaires, focus groups and customer events as appropriate. - Establish and promote clear guidelines for all forms of customer interaction, encourage volunteers and staff to exceed customer expectations at every opportunity thus creating a culture of sales through service - Actively use of thank you cards and loyalty cards. - Ensure that all shops operate a meet and greet - policy on the shop floor. - Ensure that the customer has full access to the shop products and services during advertised opening hours. 7. Develop a culture of regular self- assessment in the shop. - By using the Vincent’s Retail check list for all areas of the shop. Areas should include shop atmosphere, window display, stock display and rotation and after sales service. - Maintain cleanliness and order in the shop. - Maintains professional boundaries with customers at all times.

8. Investigate and resolve all legitimate customer complaints where possible and aim to recover the customer where practicable. - Log all complaints and respond within agreed timeframes. - Escalate where necessary - Ensure complaint and accommodation ratio is recorded on a monthly basis in the monthly report. Team Satisfaction: Recruit and maintain volunteers: 9. Recruitment of new volunteers for the shop and management of existing volunteers. - Continually recruit new volunteers by advertising in store, externally and online, job and volunteer centres, word of mouth and converting existing customers - Liaise with National Volunteer Coordinator to organise recruitment events - Use existing volunteer recruitment application programme including the induction period for all new 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. - Ensure that all staff and volunteers are working in an environment free from intimidation, harassment and discrimination. - Ensure that all existing and new volunteers and staff receive training and induction into the ethos and policies and procedures of the organisation - Ensure that all team members receive regular updates on their progress. Ensure professional boundaries with staff and volunteers at all times. - Ensure that all retail staff/volunteers have specific, realistic and measurable objectives and receive regular updates on their progress. Adhere to the induction programme for staff and volunteers and provide regular feedback on progress. - Assess the training needs of all staff and identify opportunities for staff to acquire new skills - Introduce a comprehensive and sustainable two-way communication process. - Keep staff updated through daily team briefs, use of noticeboard and quarterly team meetings. Disseminate information from meetings to your team. - Develop relationships with scheme supervisors/leaders/partners