Shop manager and assistant shop manager jobs in Edinburgh, scotland
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Area Manager Role
Location: London (field-based with some home working)
Salary: £46,000
Contract: Full Time
Closing Date: 24 August 2026
Join FARA and Help Transform Lives Through Retail
Founded over 35 years ago, FARA Foundation is a UK registered charity and a successful charity retailer with a network of 39 vibrant shops across London. FARA raises vital funds to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children, young people and their families in Romania, providing services that help break the cycles of poverty and give young people a better start in life.
We are looking for an exceptional Area Manager to lead and develop a portfolio of 10+ charity shops, supporting Shop Managers to deliver outstanding commercial results while creating welcoming, community-focused spaces that embody FARA’s values and mission.
This is an exciting opportunity for a commercially-minded and people-focused leader who enjoys developing others, driving performance, and contributing strategically to a charity retail operation.
The Role
Reporting to the Trading Director, you will be responsible for supporting and developing a group of Shop Managers, helping them maximise sales, donations, Gift Aid income and community engagement while ensuring shops operate safely, compliantly and efficiently.
As a member of the Senior Management Team, you will contribute to the wider development of the trading business, lead operational projects, and play a key role in delivering FARA’s long-term retail strategy.
About You
We are looking for someone who can demonstrate the following competencies:
- Values-led leadership: A strong commitment to FARA’s mission, vision and values, with the ability to lead, coach and develop Shop Managers in a supportive, accountable and collaborative way.
- Commercial focus: Experience of achieving results through others, using KPIs, budgets and financial reports to improve sales, contribution, Gift Aid, stock generation and controllable costs.
- People development: Strong line management skills, with experience of recruitment, induction, performance management, succession planning and handling employee relations matters.
- Retail operational excellence: A sound understanding of shop operations, including pricing, culling, density, curation, sales space, sorting, layout and the ability to coach managers to improve the retail proposition.
- Compliance and risk management: Working knowledge of health and safety, risk assessments, fire risk assessments, regulatory requirements and the ability to maintain safe, compliant shops.
- Project and planning skills: Experience supporting target setting, five-year plans, shop improvements, refits, relocations or other operational projects.
Essential Skills & Experience
- Proven experience in an Area Manager, Regional Manager or equivalent multi-site retail role (or demonstrable desire to gain wider experience).
- Strong track record of leading teams to achieve and exceed commercial and operational KPIs.
- Excellent commercial awareness with the ability to analyse financial and operational data.
- Experience in coaching, developing and motivating staff.
- Experience handling employee relations issues, including performance management, disciplinary and grievance matters.
- Knowledge of health and safety, risk management and compliance requirements.
- Strong organisational, planning and project management skills.
- Ability to build effective working relationships across a wide range of stakeholders.
- Proficient IT skills to perform a range of professional functions on excel, word and other applications.
Desirable
- Experience within charity retail or the not-for-profit sector.
- Experience recruiting and managing volunteers.
- Knowledge of retail refurbishment, relocation or property projects.
- Understanding of Gift Aid and donation-led retail operations.
- Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.
Additional Information
- Travel across London will be required.
- Participation in an on-call rota approximately one weekend per month will be required.
- Occasional cover for colleagues during periods of annual leave/absence will be required.
How to Apply
If you are an inspiring retail leader who can combine commercial expertise with a passion for people development and social impact, we would love to hear from you.
To apply, please submit a CV and a cover letter (maximum 2 pages) by email outlining how you meet the skills & experience required for the role and why the role excites you.
Join FARA and help us grow a retail operation that changes lives, strengthens communities and delivers lasting impact.
Registered Charity
101 - 500
A family for those "without" 30 years of transforming the lives of children in Romania
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
We're looking for an inspirational people person to join us as a Assistant Shop Manager in our Edinburgh Tollcross shop. This is an exciting opportunity, and we'd like you to join us to help raise vital funds for homeless and badly housed people.
You will work closely with the Shop Manager to ensure the shop looks welcoming, visually appealing and the team of volunteers are motivated and keen to engage with customers and maximise sales.
About the role
You will assist the Shop Manager in the recruitment, support and development of a strong community focused shop team and empower them to maximise Shelter's income. Representing Shelter in your local community, ensuring that you and your team share your knowledge of Shelter's cause with customers, volunteers, donors and potential Shelter clients will also be important aspects of the role. You will always ensure a safe, clean, bright and happy environment for your team to work in and for your customers to shop in, in turn attracting potential donors and volunteers.
About you
You are a naturally energetic person with an enthusiasm for managing and empowering people. You know how to recruit and develop a team of volunteers, and your extraordinary motivational skills will enable you to inspire your team to increase sales and control costs. Above all, you are ready to take on a new challenge and have a keen interest in Shelter's cause.
Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.
Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.
Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.
We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.
How to apply
Please click ‘Apply for Job’ below. You are required to submit your work history and a supporting statement.
Please provide specific examples of how you meet the criteria in the 'About you' section of this advert, following the STAR format, and ensure you demonstrate how you address the behaviours below throughout your support statement responses:
- We prioritise diversity and have an inclusive and open mindset
Any applications submitted without a supporting statement will not be considered
About Shelter Scotland
A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet over a million people in Scotland struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change, with individuals, in communities, across society, and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.
At Shelter Scotland we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home. Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe that to win that fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent.
We have committed to combat racism both within and outside Shelter Scotland and welcome you on our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.
Shelter Scotland helps over half a million people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.
Safeguarding statement
Safeguarding is everyone’s business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.
At Shelter Scotland, we welcome and encourage applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. We also encourage applications from people, who have been homeless or have been at risk of homelessness. We are facing diverse problems, so need diverse people to tackle them. In addition to this, we encourage an approach to involving people with personal insight of housing issues and homelessness in our recruitment processes.
Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.
