You’ll play a key role in ensuring the smooth operation of our research grant programmes across the entire funding cycle, from application and peer review through to award management and post-award administration. You’ll work closely with the Head of Research, internal teams, external experts, and funded researchers to maintain high standards of governance, transparency, and impact across all our research funding activities.
We’re looking for a confident communicator, with strong organisational skills, who’ll use their own initiative and ability to manage a varied workload. You’ll be motivated by ensuring our robust processes are followed to provide the best possible experience for CCLG-supported researchers, and ultimately that the highest quality research that will make an impact for children and young people with cancer is funded. You’ll be able to contribute to the continual development of our research programme to drive improvements. You’ll have a good understanding of research grants and funding processes, as well as an understanding of academic research environments in the UK, paired with a good understanding of a relevant biomedical science discipline through a degree or experience.
This role is offered on either a remote working basis, with occasional travel to our Leicester office, or on a hybrid basis, with a minimum of two days per week in the Leicester office.
Hours for this role can be flexible - while advertised as full time, we would be willing to explore part-time employment (minimum 0.6FTE).
About CCLG: The Children & Young People's Cancer Association
CCLG is a charity dedicated to creating a brighter future for children and young people with cancer. Powered by expertise, we unite the children and young people’s cancer community, driving collective action and progress.
Research is the key to better treatments, improved care, and potential cures. We fund and lead world-class research, fuelling groundbreaking work led by brilliant minds. Collaboration is at the heart of our approach—bringing together the right people and organisations to drive progress and deliver real impact.
We provide trusted information and guidance for children and young people with cancer, their families, and everyone supporting them. Our expertise helps them navigate the challenges of cancer and its impact, offering reassurance and clarity when it’s needed most.
Through our professional membership, we bring together the brightest minds in children and young people’s cancer, creating a national network that drives progress. Together, we shape better treatment and care - developing guidelines, sharing knowledge, offering expert advice, leading pioneering research, and creating essential resources and education for professionals. Our collective expertise sets the standard, advocating for excellence at every level—local, national, and global.
Our work is only possible thanks to the generosity of fundraisers, donors, and supporters who share our mission. Every pound raised helps fund our research, provide trusted information for families, and brings together experts to improve treatment, care and outcomes.
Our Research Team is responsible for the delivery of our research strategy, which includes our programme of research grant-making as well as initiatives to support the children and young people’s cancer research community, ultimately improving outcomes for young cancer patients.
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
CCLG is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce that represents the communities we serve. We warmly welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and will make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.
Benefits of Working at CCLG
- 24 days annual leave plus bank holidays, with 6 additional closure days per year (usually 2 at Easter, 4 at Christmas) (pro-rata for part-time staff)
- Enhanced maternity pay
- Enhanced sick pay
- Life insurance and employee assistance scheme
- Defined contribution pension scheme: 8% employer contribution / 5% employee contribution
- Hybrid working model
- Supportive and collaborative team culture
Application instructions
For your application, please upload a CV (which should include details of two referees, including your current/most recent employer - we will not contact references without your consent or prior to a provisional offer being made) along with a covering letter. Your covering letter should be bespoke to this job application, demonstrating how your experience makes you suitable for the role and showing how you meet the person specification. If you wish to include a small number of examples of relevant content you have created, please include links in your covering letter.
We recognise the benefits of AI, but if you're considering using it to submit your application, we encourage you to reflect on the value AI adds. AI tools often lack the personal touch and authenticity that set candidates apart. We want to hear your unique perspective, experiences, and skills, so we encourage you to tell us about your skills and experiences in your own voice.
Registered Charity
21 - 50
We are CCLG, a charity dedicated to creating a brighter future for children and young people with cancer
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
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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
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.