Deputy shop managers jobs

Role Purpose

The Deputy Support Manager is responsible for the effective day-to-day leadership of frontline support services, ensuring a consistently warm, inclusive, and professional experience for everyone engaging with Mustard Tree.

This role plays a critical part in delivering a “Mustard Tree Welcome” – a trauma-informed, non-judgemental, and person-centred approach that ensures every individual feels seen, heard, valued, and safe from their first point of contact.

You will lead a proactive and positive team to deliver exceptional client care across both in-person and digital channels (including phone, email, and internal systems), ensuring services are accessible, responsive, and delivered with dignity.

Through strong leadership, clear communication, and effective management, you will ensure the reception environment runs smoothly, maintains high standards of safeguarding and service delivery, and contributes meaningfully to Mustard Tree’s mission to support people facing poverty and crisis.

Key Competencies

World Class Welcome and Customer Service

· Deliver and role model a “Mustard Tree Welcome” that is compassionate, trauma-informed, inclusive, and non-judgemental.

· Ensure all individuals are greeted in a way that promotes dignity, respect, and belonging.

· Maintain a rota that provides reception and support coverage from 8am–4pm, ensuring accessibility for staff, volunteers, and members at all times.

· Lead the team to provide a high-quality, consistent welcome across all channels, including face-to-face, telephone and email and digital systems

· Ensure digital communication is timely, professional, and empathetic, with accurate information recorded on TreeSalt.

· Support individuals to access services confidently through clear communication, reassurance, and effective signposting.

Proactive in Living and Sharing our Culture, Values and Behaviours

· Take ownership of maintaining a professional, organised, and calm reception environment at all times.

· Ensure the reception environment is welcoming, safe, and accessible.

· Mentor and support Freedom volunteers, ensuring they are confident, capable, and aligned with service standards.

Courage in Problem Solving and Embracing Change to Meet Needs

· Identify areas for improvement and proactively implement solutions to enhance service delivery.

· Take ownership of operational decision-making within the reception area, including rota management, workflow prioritisation, and service adjustments.

· Ensure systems and processes are used effectively to maintain a smooth, efficient service.

Confident in Safeguarding and Incident Management

· Act as a safeguarding lead within the reception environment, ensuring all concerns are recognised, recorded, and escalated appropriately.

· Maintain a strong awareness of risk, responding calmly and effectively to challenging or complex situations, supporting to minimise incidents.

· Support individuals in distress with empathy and professionalism, ensuring appropriate boundaries and escalation.

· Ensure confidentiality and data protection standards are upheld at all times.

· Demonstrate resilience, maintaining professionalism, positivity, and emotional awareness in a fast-paced and challenging environment.

Skilled in Analysing Impact and Reporting

· Oversee and monitor registrations, identifying trends and ensuring fair access to services such as the Community Shop.

· Deliver a minimum of 20 weekly support appointments, ensuring timely access and reducing waiting times for individuals in need.

· Collect a minimum of 2 case studies per month to evidence impact and inform service development.

· Conduct monthly audits with the Service Manager to ensure high standards across:

•  Data input and use of TreeSalt
•  Paperwork accuracy and compliance
•  Quality and consistency of the welcome experience

Positive Management of Stakeholders, Partners and Supporters

· Support case management processes alongside the Service Manager, ensuring coordinated and effective support for individuals.

· Develop and maintain relationships with other services, ensuring clear navigation and warm handover for clients.

· Support individuals to access services confidently through clear communication, reassurance, and effective signposting.

· Regularly review feedback from comments books and satisfaction surveys, embedding learning into service improvements.

Insight in Finances and Expenditure

· Support effective use of resources, identifying efficiencies and ensuring services are delivered within agreed budgets where applicable.

· Work with operational teams to manage stock given using the 40% gifting model in the community shop.

· Monitor the use of the hardship fund from reception, providing small grants to people in crisis via existing processes.

Developing Accountability and Inspiring our Teams

· Lead, supervise, and motivate the Support teams, including volunteers.

· Act as the central coordination point for reception, ensuring alignment between services, teams, and daily operations

· Conduct regular 1:1s, setting clear expectations, supporting wellbeing, and addressing performance proactively.

· Ensure all data input is completed by the support staff time within expected guidelines, including communication of risk and safeguarding.

· Identify skills gaps and ensure appropriate training and development, including:

• Motivational interviewing
• Trauma-informed practice

· Deliver consistent communication through:

• Daily morning briefing.
• Monthly team meetings and updates

· Delegate tasks effectively while maintaining overall accountability for team performance.

General Work Duties

· Support Freedom trainees to develop skills and behaviours and feel part of the community.

· Work within health and safety guidelines and Mustard Tree policies and procedures

· Supporting other staff and departments and provide practical relief cover for workstreams.

· Take responsibility for professional development, attending training courses as required.

· Leading by example, embodying Mustard Tree values and represent the charity as required.

· Contribute towards being an environmentally responsible organisation as part of day-to-day activities including recycling and supporting ‘paper-lite’ practices.

· Other tasks and duties relevant to the role as required by the organisation.

As one of the UK's best employers, we’re looking for a talented Marketing Communications Manager to join our team on a 12-month maternity cover contract. This is a fantastic opportunity to play a key role in shaping and protecting our reputation, leading impactful campaigns, and making a real difference through meaningful communications.

Location: Hybrid working – a mix of home working, office-based work in Cheadle, Stockport, and occasional travel across Greater Manchester and England.
Hours: 37.5 hours per week (occasional evenings and weekends required)
Salary: £43,150 per annum 

About the role:

As Marketing Communications Manager, you’ll be at the heart of our communications activity—crafting compelling content through excellent copywriting and driving engagement with key audiences including supporters, staff, volunteers, and media.

You’ll work closely with the Head of Communications, deputising when needed, and leading a small team to deliver high-quality, creative and effective communications across multiple channels.

What you’ll be doing:

• Leading and delivering integrated marketing and communications campaigns.
• Managing and developing members of the communications team.
• Leading PR and media activity, including press releases and interviews.
• Supporting crisis communications and participating in a 24/7 media rota.
• Working with fundraising teams to deliver impactful campaigns.
• Managing external events from planning through to delivery.
• Ensuring all communications are clear, consistent, accessible and on brand.
• Monitoring performance and continuously improving communications activity.

What we’re looking for:

You’ll be an experienced communications professional who combines creativity with strategic thinking, and you will bring:

• Educated to Level 3 or 4 (or equivalent relevant experience in PR and communications).
• Proven experience of managing communications or marketing teams.
• Strong background in PR, media relations, digital and internal communications.
• Experience managing budgets and setting KPIs.
• Excellent copywriting experience and attention to detail.
• Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to adapt tone for different audiences.
• Strong IT, digital and administrative skills.
• Experience delivering successful campaigns and measuring impact.
• Confidence in building relationships and influencing stakeholders.
• Good understanding of GDPR and data management.
• A proactive, flexible and solutions-focused approach.

Experience in the charity sector is a bonus—but not essential.

Why join us?

• Annual Leave 27 day holiday plus 8 days bank holidays rising to 30 after 5 years, 33 days after 10 years.
• Generous pension scheme and death in service benefit , up to 7% company pension contributions initially rising with length of service and up to 6 x basic salary death in service benefit.
• Occupational sick pay and family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, paternity and adoptive leave.
• Reward and Discount platform offering discounts at high street shops, travel, insurances etc.
• Eligibility to apply for Blue Light card.
• Proud to be a real living wage employer.
• Refer a friend scheme, be rewarded for recommending a friend to work with us.
• Comprehensive training and development opportunities, including apprenticeship qualifications.
• Long service awards including cash gifts and extra holiday.
• Promotion of Wellbeing across the organisation including Mental Health First Aiders offering wellbeing support from trained colleague and free weekly yoga session  in person or online.
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme for you and adults at your home.
• Inclusive networks: Disability & Neurodiversity, Race Equality, Proud Together (LGBTQ+), Together for Men, Women Together.

Due to the locations and scheduling of events, the ability to travel independently between sites is preferred.

Together we make a difference, develop and learn, and support each other. Every day with us is different, but our mission remains the same: To champion the rights, needs and ambitions of the people we support - they are at the heart of everything we do. We stand by them and we work together for change.

Interviews are scheduled to take place week commencing 1 June 2026.

We welcome applications from individuals who have the right to work in the UK. Currently, we are not providing sponsorship for overseas staff. 

Applications are very welcome from all regardless of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, race, sex, sexual orientation, trans status or socio-economic background. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments for disabled people. We positively encourage applications from those with lived experience. 

If there is any part of your lived experience you want to keep confidential in some way please talk to the Recruitment or HR shared service teams and we will do what we can do to support you.

The Together Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the people we support and expects all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. 

Safeguarding checks will be undertaken for the successful candidate in line with our safer recruitment policy, including a DBS check (at no cost to yourself).