Charity shop volunteer retail assistant jobs

JOB TITLE: Retail Manager

LOCATION: Alderley Edge

DATE WRITTEN: May 2026

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Retail Area Manager

PRIMARY PURPOSE:

To manage an Age UK Cheshire Charity Shop located in the Cheshire area, ensuring efficient and effective management of colleagues, volunteers, premises, sales, and stock to provide a high-quality retail service in relation to agreed performance targets. 

To achieve the maximum potential of funds for Age UK Cheshire by achieving charity retail standards and community engagement.

To ensure all appropriate standards of security and health and safety are met. To organise and manage the day-to-day operations of the store including effective communication with the Head of Retail and reporting of relevant data.

Main Duties:

1. To ensure that the Age UK Cheshire Charity Shop achieves required standards of performance and agreed sales targets:

§  Maximisation of sales through stock rotation, correct pricing, brand awareness and merchandising, to use the full potential of the stock available to you.

§  To gain Gift Aid on eligible donations to Age UK Cheshire to maximise funds for the charity in line with HMRC guidelines. This includes signing up new donors to the scheme and selling stock accordingly.

§  Responsible for managing, training, and developing the Assistant Retail Manager to achieve pre-set objectives.

§  Support, train, and coordinate the work of volunteers in the shop as required.

§  Working with the Assistant Retail Manager to ensure that the shop complies with all the relevant legislation, trading standards and health and safety.

§  Ensuring stock from donors is correctly received and stored within the shop. Working with the Area Retail Manager to make certain of timely collections and suitable deliveries to merchandise appropriately and safely.

§  Administrative systems and working practices to include daily and weekly sales reports, charity log and financial information.

§  Identify stock which can maximise income when sold via e-commerce, auctions, or other sales opportunities.

§  To plan and prioritise special promotions, seasonal adjustments, and sale events.

§  Ensuring professional signage throughout the shop; to be clear and on brand.

§  Engage with the Retail Operations Manager regularly to create a cohesive working relationship with the wider retail team in order to gain support and advice

2. Maintain a high level of commercial awareness by staying informed of sales trends, stock position and local competition.

3. To work as a member of the wider retail team to ensure that all shops across the region are covered appropriately. Have a flexible approach to days worked and location, to provide support to other colleagues and providing holiday cover for the Assistant Retail Manager.

4. To participate in recruitment, induction, training and deployment of colleagues and volunteers. To work with other organisations when necessary to ensure compliance with all legislation and good practice.

5. To develop and manage “designated volunteers” through appropriate training and development, to ensure that they can take responsibility for the running of the shop in the absence of paid colleagues, including holiday cover if necessary.

6. Implement the highest standards of customer care and service.

7. To maximise income by participating in fundraising and trading opportunities.

8. To take responsibility for the shop to implement shop procedures, as follows: -

§  To act as a key holder at an assigned location

§  To prepare the shop for opening by the correct time

§  To close the shop at the correct time and ensuring the shop is secure before leaving

§  To assist in the acquisition of donations including furniture and to liaise with the Area Retail Manager on collection and delivery procedures

§  To sort, prepare and price stock to in line with charity retail processes.

§  To present stock in the sales area to the agreed standard

§  To recruit, train, organise, supervise, and care for the welfare of colleagues and volunteer helpers

§  To reconcile the cash register, banking and to work to Age UK Cheshire’s financial policies and procedures

§  To complete paperwork as necessary, to include use of information technology on computerised systems

§  To carry out Age UK Cheshire’s policy on Health and Safety of colleagues and customers, including all manual handling policies and procedures for goods and furniture, emergency and accident procedures, trading standard policy, refunds and exchange policy.

9. To use initiative to ensure any issues in the shop are resolved quickly and effectively. To follow the correct reporting procedure to inform the Health & Safety Manager of any problems or concerns.

10. To understand and achieve daily/weekly/monthly/annual targets which will be reviewed regularly with the job holder. To undertake performance related reviews with Assistant Retail Managers as required.

11. To be a role model for Age UK’s mission statement and values and to understand how the role of a Retail Manager complements this.

12. To undertake such duties as may from time to time be reasonably requested by management within the flexible definition of the post.

AGE UK CHESHIRE

RETAIL MANAGER - PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential Criteria:

- strong communicator with the ability to deliver team messages, deal with customer issues and resolve problems with firmness and fairness.

- ability to understand and interpret financial information in order to manage shop performance outcomes.

- good administrative and organisational skills with the ability to undertake banking tasks, keep basic records and organise resources in a busy environment.

- the ability to recognise stock potential in order to generate income and the importance of attractive presentation.

- supervisory experience with the ability to motivate, inspire and lead a team.

- IT literate

- ability to travel freely between shops (ideally full driving licence and use of a properly insured vehicle during work hours).

Desirable Criteria:

- basic knowledge of Health & Safety and Fire regulations and ability to identify potential risks to include items that sold under Health & Safety regulations.

- proven retail experience

- experience of working with volunteers.

- general understanding/empathy with the aims of the organisation.

Processing stock deliveries will regularly involve carrying and moving heavy stock.  You will also be on your feet for long periods of time.  On occasions you may be required to work on your own within the shop.

AGE UK CHESHIRE

RETAIL MANAGER - ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The organisation currently operates 9 charity shops and has ambitious plans to open more charity shops which all help to provide funds for the charity to deliver its services for older people in Cheshire, as well as being a location to promote Age UK Cheshire services.

All Age UK Cheshire shops sell unwanted household and personal goods donated by the public and other commercial companies. The success of the shops is dependent upon achieving a regular adequate supply of donations.  Age UK Cheshire shops have established a reputation for selling good quality items, well presented and at reasonable prices. 

The shop staffing structure is supported by volunteer helpers.  They do not receive any payment other than the reimbursement of their exact travel costs from their home to the shop. 

The shops are all expected to trade profitably. Their function is to provide income to the organisation. Each shop is given a weekly sales target to achieve to produce a targeted net profit once rents and other costs have been deducted.

Each shop has a mixture of staff and volunteers covering a 6- or 7-day working period.  The Retail Manager will be supported by an Assistant Retail Manager working flexibly to provide cover at the shop. At times you might be asked to cover other shops depending on staffing issues, so flexibility is a must. Volunteer support is key to the success of the operation and development of “designated volunteers” who can take responsibility for the shop, during some periods of staff absence. 

Location: Shop Base – Alderley Edge. You may be required to cover other shops on an ad hoc basis.

Hours: 36.25 hours per week, worked over 5 days Monday to Sunday.  Hours are required to be flexible to ensure that the shop is staffed appropriately.  There may be a requirement to travel between shops.  In exceptional circumstances you may be required to work 6 days per week. The role will require working over the Christmas period and potentially all bank holidays.

Salary:  £25452.03 per annum (£13.50 per hour).  Overtime payments can be paid for exceptional circumstances where additional days have been worked.

Pension: Age UK Cheshire has an automatic enrolment workplace pension scheme in place for eligible employees.

Leave: 25 days’ leave per annum (plus Bank Holidays) rising after 5 years’ continuous service by one day per year (pro rata) to a maximum of 30 days’ leave after 10 years.

Contract: All new staff are subject to a three-month probationary period. 4 weeks’ notice is required to terminate employment by either side i.e., the employee or Age UK Cheshire. During the probationary period, one week’s notice is required by either side.

Health Care: All staff will automatically join the Age UK Cheshire’s Health Care Cash Plan and will be entitled to receive healthcare benefits.

Criminal Disclosure:  Basic DBS Check applicable for this post.

Age UK Cheshire is a Mindful Employer and positive actions will be taken to ensure that people will not be excluded from working for Age UK Cheshire because of their age, race, ethnicity, faith, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, physical or mental health.

Registered charity no. 1091608

Are you someone who is excited about charity retail, fashion, who can use their initiative? Do you have experience managing a retail team? Yes, then please keep reading as we may have the role for you. 

We are excited to be looking for an Assistant Shop Manager to work in our Derby Crown Walk Shop for 37.5 hours per week,  on a permanent position. Shifts are worked on a 7‑day rota (Monday–Sunday). We’re flexible with days and happy to discuss what works best for you. We are looking for a passionate and motivated person to help our store reach full potential.

As an Assistant Shop Manager you will: 

• Help develop in store systems and promote donations and sales to maximise profits 
• Be representing Mencap as an efficient and charitable organisation by ensuring that your actions reinforce the Mencap aims and values 
• Strive to ensure stock is generated from the local area and donors 
• Sign up donors to the Gift Aid scheme and ensure maximum income is achieved through Gift Aid 
• Be responsible for achieving profit targets by ensuring sales are maximised and the cost are effectively managed 
• Maintain the store to a high standard of presentation throughout. 
• Build an effective volunteer team and provide training, development, work reviews and appraisals to paid staff and volunteers 
• Be responsible for all financial and cash handling and health and safety. 

To be a successful Assistant Shop Manager, you will be: 

• An experienced assistant manager or Supervisor  with the ability to maintain budgets and complete weekly income and banking sheets accurately, preferably with previous charity retail experience. 
• Have a flexible approach to working hours and days including working weekend and Bank Holidays as appropriate. 
• Willing to travel to occasional team meetings, training events and in the initial growth of the new retail train assisting with setting up other new stores. 
• Passionate about the Mencap values and will strive to ensure our Retail brand is successful.   

We are an equitable, diverse and inclusive organisation and we particularly welcome and encourage disabled applicants and those from the Black and Asian communities to apply for the role as they are under-represented within the workforce. 

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We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader and welcome applicants with disabilities to apply for all roles with us. To find out more about the scheme please visit the direct gov website. 

If you’re passionate about leading high‑performing teams and maintaining exceptional store standards, we’d love to hear from you.

Applications close on 2 July, with interviews taking place from 18 June onwards. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible, as we may close the advert early if we receive a high volume of applications or identify suitable candidates.

• Location: Oxfam House - Oxford
• Workplace Type: Hybrid
• Hours: 36 hours per week
• Salary: £28,057- £30,337per annum
• Job Family: Retail
• Division: Engagement
• Grade: D
• Job Type: Open ended
• Closing Date: 23 June 2026
• Country: United Kingdom

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

Do you have merchandising experience at merchandiser, junior merchandiser or experienced assistant level?

Do you have a passion for fair trade products and wanting to make a difference?

Are you curious and always looking for continuous improvement?

The Role:

Sourced By Oxfam, our ethically sourced product range, is looking for a talented new merchandiser to partner with the buying team, to help plan, develop and deliver an ethical, commercial, and profitable range suitable for our shops, wholesale & online channels.

You will need to be able to take ownership and accountability for your area, analysing trading patterns across different channels and taking actions to optimise sales and maximise the generation of unrestricted funds for Oxfam.  

You will need to control your department stock levels effectively against plan, whilst challenging what correct stock levels should be in relation to current trade performance. Balancing this with, managing the department open-to-buy budget - continually identifying risks/ opportunities to maintain flexibility and optimise performance.

Working with a worldwide, ethical, fair trade supply base, and multiple internal stakeholders, it’s important you can build relationships quickly, work collaboratively and communicate effectively.

You will need to be a self-starter. Able to work well on your own as well as in a team. It’s important that you have an eye for detail and accuracy, with a love of excel spreadsheets & systems and a passion for using data and analytics to drive decision making.

What we are looking for:

We’re looking for a candidate who cares about Oxfam's mission to end poverty and is personally aligned to our feminist principles and values of empowerment, accountability, and inclusion in all you do.

An ideal candidate for the role will also be / have:

• Previous merchandising experience
• Analytical and problem-solving skills and experience
• Team player
• Drive to achieve results
• Adaptable and flexible
• Ability to prioritise workload and manage conflicting priorities
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including presentation skills
• High level of numeracy and computer literacy, with high level of excel skills
• Decisiveness

We offer:

We offer a competitive salary and a range of additional benefits to staff including flexible working options, generous pension scheme, annual leave, additional leave allowances, company sick pay, life assurance and a range of other benefits.

From the day you join Oxfam we invite you to stretch and learn in your role. Our wide range of Learning & Development opportunities includes in-house courses, e-learning modules, on-the job learning opportunities, coaching and mentoring, and much more. 

You can read more about all Oxfam has to offer 

Flexfam:

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. We think this role would work particularly well as a hybrid role.

How to apply:

As part of your online application, please upload your up to date CV and Cover Letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.  

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our  are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the .  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

About us

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

 is a member of  of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries. 

A thriving diverse Oxfam:

It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today.

To do that:

• We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
• We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
• We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.