Retail Assistant
About Us
St Michael’s Hospice is nestled in the stunning Herefordshire countryside, in a state-of-the-art facility. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, a transferrable NHS pension or you can enrol onto our own Hospice pension. We offer Life Assurance, a superb working environment and facility, generous study leave allowance, discounts with local suppliers, individualised training needs analysis, advanced communication skills training, employee counselling service, free tea & coffee, a friendly & welcoming work environment and 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays. We are one of the top 100 best not for profit organisations to work for and have been caring to make a difference, to patients living with a terminal illness and their families, across Herefordshire and beyond for 40 years.
Job Description and Person Specification
Job Description
Job Title: Retail Assistant
Spinal Point Range: 4-5
Hours: 25 hours over 5 days to include weekends and Bank Holidays by rota
Department: Retail
Location: Unit 14 Whitestone Business Park, Hereford, HR1 3SE
Reports to: Retail Managers
Job Purpose: To undertake a range of retail activities to ensure efficient trading and to maximise income and profit.
Responsibility Areas:
Retail Trading
• Maximise sales opportunities in order that financial targets on income and expenditure are reached.
• Deliver and implement a high standard of customer service at all times.
• Merchandise sales areas to increase income potential depending on season.
• Accept and sort donated goods to ensure full income potential is achieved.
• Identify appropriate stock for other shops in line with the retail strategy segmentation.
• Ensure that the relevant information is captured for the Retail Gift Aid scheme in order to maximise income potential.
• Price items in accordance with guidance provided
• Comply with all financial procedures with regard to daily cash handling.
• Ensure that all Hospice retail policies and procedures are followed.
• Accept and verify the delivery and stock-taking of all new bought-in goods (if applicable).
• On occasion, be responsible for the site in the absence of the Manager.
• Take receipt of culled stock where applicable, to maximise sales.
Communication
• Liaise with all staff and volunteers on site and within other shops or departments within the retail operation.
• Provide training to staff and volunteers with guidance.
• Ensure that hospice safeguarding procedures are followed.
• Support the encouragement and recruitment of new volunteers as and when required
• Communicate with the general public in a sensitive manner especially following bereavement
• Attendance at relevant staff meetings.
Legislative Compliance
• Ensure compliance with all Hospice H&S policies and procedures.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant Trading Standards.
• Ensure that GDPR is adhered to in all areas.
• Participate in regular Fire and H&S checks.
Recycling & Waste Management
• Identify and sort recycling to provide maximum income from this source.
• Ensure safe waste management procedures are adhered to.
Property Maintenance
• Monitor and communicate any maintenance issues to Retail Manager.
• Attend out of hours emergency call outs when necessary- third key holder.
• Ensure that all equipment is safe to use.
• Administer the rules of good housekeeping in all areas.
Person Specification
1) Specialist Knowledge and Experience
Essential
• Retail experience ideally charity sector
• Knowledge of Health &Safety, Manual Handling and Trading Standards
• Basic IT skills
Desirable
• Experience of working alongside volunteers
• Commercial awareness of valuable items
2) Skills and Behaviours
Customer Focus: Puts the customer first and is eager to please them. Works hard to meet customer needs.
Relating to others: Relates well to different types of people, listens and gets on with them. Quickly builds rapport and establishes relationships.
Team working: Fits in with the team. Develops effective and supportive relationships with colleagues. Is considerate towards them and create a sense of team spirit.
Quality orientation: Provides a quality service. Maintains high professional standards and gets work right first time.
Organisation: Able to organise own time efficiently.
Reliability: Follows direction from supervisors and respects policies and procedures. Shows commitment to the organisation and task completion.
3) Special Conditions
• Regular loading and unloading of vehicles and vans.
• Regular handling of soiled and broken materials, including potential contact with needles, requiring personal protective equipment e.g. toe protectors, uniform, gloves.
• Limited heating in holding bays, having to work in cold temperatures.
• Lunch breaks sometimes disrupted due to business demands.
• Contact with bereaved individuals.
• Occasional threatening behaviours.
• Possibility of lone working.
Our values
“What matters to you is what’s important to us”
To ensure we deliver upon this every day, we empower people to work collaboratively to reach the best possible decisions, realise them in the best possible way and at the best possible time.
We value:
• Knowledge, judgment, and kindness in reaching the best possible decisions,
• courage, integrity, and passion in realising those decisions in the best possible way, and
• honesty, empathy, and determination in doing so at the best possible time.
Living our values influences the way we behave. The way we behave informs the way we do things. The way we do things is the St Michael’s way.
Equal Opportunities Statement
At St Michael’s Hospice we are committed to an equal opportunities approach in everything we do. This means that we seek to ensure anyone connected with St Michael’s, from patients and families through to donors, supporters, volunteers and staff are treated fairly, appropriately and with dignity and respect.
Next steps
- Application Guidance Notes
- Download the Equal Opportunities Form
- Your Information and How We keep It Safe
- Download the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Policy
Need some help?
To find out more, of if you need help with your application, contact our recruitment team