Senior marketing and communications officer jobs
Director of Retail
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About the Role
We are seeking an outstanding Director of Retail to lead one of Sense’s most significant income-generating operations. This is a critical executive leadership role, responsible for the strategic direction, performance, and future resilience of 108 charity shops, employing over 300 staff and generating £15m annual turnover.
Reporting directly to the Chief Finance & Commercial Officer, you will lead a national retail team and play a pivotal role in ensuring Sense’s long-term financial sustainability. You will drive innovation, commercial excellence, and operational effectiveness - building a modern, resilient retail model that supports Sense’s mission and responds to a fast-changing retail landscape.
This is a hybrid role, working between home and our site in Crayford. There will also be regular travel to our charity shops across the UK.
Key Objectives
- Develop and deliver a national retail strategy that drives sustainable income growth across physical shops and e-commerce.
- Lead digital and operational innovation to improve efficiency, enhance customer experience, and maximise profitability.
- Build strong strategic partnerships to extend reach, visibility, and income.
- Champion sector-leading retail practice, ensuring Sense remains competitive, agile, and future-focused.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide inspirational leadership to a high-performing national retail team of staff and volunteers, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Drive retail performance using data-led insights to identify opportunities, manage risk, and deliver results.
- Strengthen and diversify income streams, including expanding and optimising e-commerce.
- Lead financial planning and performance management, ensuring delivery of income targets and strong return on investment.
- Optimise the retail property portfolio to ensure value for money, profitability, and estate sustainability.
- Lead scenario planning and build operational resilience to respond effectively to market changes.
- Ensure robust governance, compliance, and risk management across all retail operations.
- Strengthen community engagement and deliver a consistent, high-quality customer experience across all retail locations.
- Represent Sense Retail externally, building influence with sector bodies, partners, and stakeholders.
- Embed sustainability and social responsibility into retail practices, supporting Sense’s commitment to addressing the climate crisis.
About You
You will be a strategic, values-driven retail leader with the credibility and experience to operate at executive level.
You will bring:
- Proven success in a senior retail leadership role within a large multi-site charity, public sector body, or comparable organisation.
- A strong track record of driving income growth, innovation, and transformation.
- Experience leading large, geographically dispersed teams through change.
- Deep knowledge of charity retail governance, regulation, and best practice.
- Strong financial acumen, with experience managing significant budgets and using performance analytics to inform decisions.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including experience presenting to executive teams and boards.
- A clear commitment to equity, inclusion, and the rights of disabled people.
- Resilience, adaptability, and the ability to lead calmly and confidently in a complex environment.
To apply
Please use the link below to complete your application. Managers will use your application to shortlist candidates for interview; in relation to the Personal Specification. Therefore, it is very important you complete this section thoroughly. We would recommend that you read the job description and person specification before applying.
Please note to avoid disappointment, we advise you to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close posts at any time.
No agency submissions please: any submissions without prior authorisation from the Sense Recruitment Team will be treated as our own and as such no fee will be payable.
Sense is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable children and adults and expects all employees to share this commitment. Therefore, all offers of employment, where appropriate, are subject to a DBS check; level dependent on the nature of the role.
For this role we particularly welcome applications from candidates from underrepresented ethnic minority backgrounds and candidates with disabilities. Sense is committed to equality of opportunity, and to promoting and celebrating the diversity of staff, volunteers and the people we work with. Everyone's contribution is valued and we ensure they're given the opportunity to realise their potential. We welcome applications from talented people from all sections of the community who share our values and belief that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be isolated, left out, or unable to fulfil their potential.
Registered Charity
More than 1000
We believe that every disabled person should have the opportunity to connect with others and be included in the world.
Thank you!
About Edward’s Trust
Edward’s Trust is a local West Midlands charity providing support for bereaved children, young people, and parents. We have 36 years of experience and operate at the highest level, providing qualified counselling and holistic support for complex or prolonged grief. We do not set time limits and the service is completely free. We do not get Government funding; therefore, we rely on donations to keep this vital service going.
Our Values
RESPECT
We will act with integrity in all that we do, being mindful and considerate to all. We respect and remember those who have died. Respect is a constant that embraces diversity and uniqueness of experience.
HOPE
A feeling of trust in tomorrow. We embody, instill and empower a feeling of trust in tomorrow. Hope is the hand to hold. We have a vision that one day there will be a universal understanding of life-changing grief.
HOLISTIC
Complete and all encompassing. We acknowledge and respond to the needs of the whole person: mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We recognise the total experience of grief, promoting a holistic approach to bereavement care.
SUPPORT
Enabling with compassion and care. We provide responsive support that is appropriate, relevant, and meaningful to each individual. Together in safety and strength. Encouraging society to respond appropriately to people facing loss and surviving bereavement.
EXCELLENCE
Embracing professional integrity and creative innovation. We are passionate about providing exceptional services and maintaining the highest standards in all that we do. Excellence is valuing people. We are committed to driving innovation and change.
Role summary
Here at Edward’s Trust, we are excited and committed to growing our service offer and fundraising whilst working with a small but mighty team. We have strong and realistic foundations in the trusts and grants income stream and a secure base of income from long-term committed funders. These funders enable us to reach children and adults through our specialist counselling services and projects alike, but with a huge amount of new work in development, securing new income from trusts and foundations is a high priority for us.
This is an exciting role at Edward’s Trust that will challenge and provide excellent career development opportunities for the successful candidate. This role will deliver essential stewardship to our growing portfolio of warm trust supporters, engaging with them to provide inspirational impact reporting to secure continued funding. Our new colleague will gain exciting CV enhancing experience through working and securing new grants for some of the larger funders which is where we wish this post to focus on.
You will support Edward’s Trust to develop its presence in the trust and foundations world, by working to agreed new business targets and contributing to the creation of a high-quality pipeline of new trust and foundation opportunities.
Key Accountabilities:
- Become an expert in Edward’s Trust current activities and future plans
- Manage a portfolio of trust supporters, providing outstanding stewardship, and ensuring relationships deliver against agreed objectives to enhance the long-term relationship.
- Prepare and deliver engaging bids and reports to share impact and inspire future support.
- Work cross-organisationally to support projects and reporting and to help shape and develop appropriate projects for funding (alongside the Head of Fundraising and Service Delivery Manager).
- Build good working relations with key staff and Trustees of established trust supporters.
- Thank supporters promptly and ensure that progress reports and updates are received by supporters as and when required.
We are open to Flexible Working Requests which can be discussed during interviews.
Registered Charity
11 - 20
Supporting bereaved families with care, compassion and hope across the West Midlands
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
We’re looking for a talented and purpose-driven Finance Manager to join Wiltshire & Swindon Community Foundation and help us make an even bigger difference in local communities across our county.
This is a pivotal role at the heart of our organisation. You’ll bring financial expertise, clarity and confidence to our work—helping us operate efficiently, meet our charitable obligations, and maximise the impact we create for the people and places we serve.
In this role, you will:
· Lead on budgeting, quarterly management accounts and financial reporting
· Prepare our Annual Report & Financial Statements and manage the audit process
· Oversee our finance systems (Xero, ApprovalMax, Salesforce, Power BI)
· Manage cashflow, banking arrangements and fund reconciliations
· Support donor reporting and investment oversight
· Ensure we meet requirements for Companies House, the Charity Commission and HMRC
· Line-manage and support our Finance Assistant(s)
About you: You’re aligned with our mission and values, passionate about strengthening communities, and keen to contribute your skills in a meaningful way. You’ll be:
· Fully qualified ACMA/ACCA/ACA or qualified by experience
· Experienced in a similar level finance role
· An excellent communicator with strong attention to detail and confidence managing a varied workload
· Experienced with accounting software (Xero desirable) and Microsoft 365
· Charity finance knowledge is helpful but not essential—we’ll support your development.
Why join us? You’ll be part of a small, supportive team who care deeply about what we do. We offer flexible working (30–37.5 hours) and a hybrid approach, with our office based in Devizes.
Closing date: 12 noon, Wednesday 14 January 2026
Please note, the full job description and person specification can be found in the recruitment pack.
For more information on the role, and for details on how to apply for this position, please read the recruitment pack in full available on our website.
If you want to use your financial expertise to help communities across Wiltshire and Swindon thrive, we’d love to hear from you.
Registered Charity
11 - 20
Grow sustainable funding, forge partnerships & a create a culture of giving that helps meet local needs & empowers the voluntary sector.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Using Anonymous Recruitment
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Join us and help create opportunities that change young lives.
Career Ready is a UK-wide social mobility charity, working to empower young people with the skills, confidence, and networks they need to succeed. We're looking for a Partnerships Manager to help transform young people’s futures. In this role, you’ll retain and grow corporate partnerships that fund our programmes and provide paid internships, mentoring, and volunteering opportunities.
You’ll lead a portfolio of corporate partners dontating five figure amounts, inspire businesses to invest in social mobility, and secure long‑term commitments that deliver real impact. Working closely with colleagues across programmes and income generation, you’ll ensure partners see the tangible difference they make while championing employer engagement at events and through networks.
We’re seeking someone with proven account management experience at a mid to high level, exceptional relationship‑building skills, and the ability to collaborate brilliantly with colleagues and partners. If you’re proactive, organised, and motivated by creating opportunities for young people, this is your chance to make a lasting difference.
For full information view our candidate pack, which is available when you click on Apply.
Closing date for applications: 9am on Monday 12 January 2026
First stage interviews: expected to take place w/c 19 January 2026
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.