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Weston Hospicecare is seeking a Director of Retail to lead and develop our retail division at a pivotal moment in our journey. This is a senior leadership role with influence and autonomy, giving the opportunity to shape a vital income stream that directly supports specialist palliative and end-of-life care for our local community.

About the role

As Director of Retail, you will provide strategic leadership for a diverse retail portfolio comprising 16 shops across North Somerset and Somerset, e-commerce operations, and the associated logistics and donation processes. Reporting to the Chief Executive and working closely with the senior leadership team and Trustees, providing significant Board-level engagement, you will develop and deliver a forward-thinking, sustainable retail strategy that responds to evolving customer behaviours, high street trends, economic pressures and developments within the wider charity retail sector.

Just as importantly, you will lead, inspire and develop a committed team of paid staff and volunteers, creating a high-performance, values-led culture where people feel supported, accountable and proud to be part of their local community.

By building strong relationships across the hospice and working collaboratively, you will maximise income opportunities, strengthen community engagement, and protect and enhance the hospice’s reputation.

What you will bring

We are looking for a leader who combines commercial credibility with warmth, empathy and purpose, and who can confidently operate at both strategic and operational levels.

You will demonstrate:

Commercial and strategic leadership

· Significant experience of maximising resources and delivering strong commercial performance within a retail setting

· The ability to develop, articulate and deliver a clear, ambitious and sustainable retail strategy

· Agility and confidence to move comfortably between board-level conversations and front-line retail operations

People and culture

· A proven ability to lead, inspire and develop diverse teams of paid staff and volunteers

· A collaborative leadership style that brings people with you, fostering ownership and accountability

· Resilience to lead effectively through challenge and uncertainty, responding openly and constructively to feedback and change

· Credibility, confidence and presence to inspire others and lead effectively through change

Values and behaviours

· A genuine passion for charity retail and the difference it can make in communities

· Warmth, empathy and compassion, personifying our hospice values in how you lead

· A values-led approach with a commitment to encouragement, inclusion, collaboration and continuous improvement

· A strong commitment to building effective relationships with trustees, colleagues, supporters, customers and donors, patients and their loved ones

 

Why join us?

In return, we offer:

· A senior leadership role with real influence, autonomy and purpose

· The opportunity to take our retail division to the next level at a crucial time

· A supportive, flexible and collaborative working environment with passionate, committed colleagues

· A sector-competitive salary and benefits package

· Access to training, professional development and wellbeing support

We are seeking to appoint a permanent Director of Retail; however, we will also welcome applications from experienced interim retail leaders who can bring immediate expertise, stability and momentum during this important period while we recruit to the permanent role.

Weston Hospicecare is located in the quiet village of Uphill on the North Somerset coast, and was founded by our local community over 30 years ago. We are the major provider of specialist palliative care within the catchment we serve, offering in-patient, community, day care and related services to patients, and bereavement support to their families and loved ones. All our care is provided free of charge to whomever needs it, however it costs approximately £7 million every year to provide our full range of services, of which less than 20% is funded by the NHS. The remainder is raised each year through a combination of our retail division income, our multi-varied fundraising activities, and gifts in wills.

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or any other category protected by law.

About The Role
At Alzheimer’s Society, we’re working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.
Every partnership, donation and gift helps make that possible. As Impact Communications Manager (12-month fixed term contract), you’ll bring that impact to life in a way that inspires major donors, trusts, foundations and corporate partners to support our work.
You’ll turn complex information into clear, compelling communications that build trust, strengthen relationships and support fundraising growth. Working across Philanthropy, Corporate Partnerships and Legacies, you’ll shape proposals, reports and engagement materials that show both the human impact and the value of supporting Alzheimer’s Society.
This is a role that blends creativity with delivery. You’ll need to think strategically, write persuasively and manage multiple priorities in a fast moving environment where quality and deadlines matter.
You’ll also lead and develop an Impact Communications Officer, working closely with another Impact Communications Manager within our High Value Operations team to shape and strengthen this specialist function.
This role is a 12-month fixed term contract.
What you'll do
You'll help our high value fundraising teams secure support, grow income and build long term partnerships. You’ll combine creative thinking with strong delivery, making sure communications are engaging, clear and effective.
You’ll lead on writing proposals, pitches, reports and stewardship materials for high value audiences, shaping messaging and turning complex information into persuasive content that drives action.
You’ll also work across the organisation to gather insight, identify opportunities and bring together stories, evidence and data that demonstrate impact. Alongside this, you’ll support donor meetings, presentations and events with high quality communications that build trust and confidence.
Key responsibilities include:

- Leading high value fundraising communications from brief to delivery
- Managing multiple projects and deadlines, making decisions to keep work on track and to standard
- Building strong relationships across teams to gather insight and identify opportunities
- Improving engagement, messaging and fundraising effectiveness through better communications
- Managing and developing an Impact Communications Officer, providing clear guidance and support
- Contributing to improvements across High Value Operations

About you
You're a skilled communicator who combines creative thinking with strong delivery. You enjoy shaping ideas, solving problems and producing work that makes a real difference.
You’re confident working with different teams and stakeholders, able to manage competing priorities while maintaining quality and focus.
You’ll bring:

- Copywriting skills, with experience of creating clear and persuasive communications tailored to different audiences
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high quality work to agreed deadlines
- Understanding of high value audiences such as major donors, trusts, foundations and corporate partners, or transferable experience that helps you build this understanding
- Experience of building relationships and working with stakeholders, with the ability to collaborate and work towards shared outcomes
- Experience of supporting or developing others, with a commitment to helping people grow and succeed

If you’re excited by this role but don’t meet every requirement, we’d still really like to hear from you. We value potential as much as experience.
Interviews are provisionally scheduled to take place week commencing the 29th June via MS Teams.

About Alzheimer's Society
Dementia is the UK's biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.

At Alzheimer's Society, we're the UK's leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding groundbreaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.

Together with our supporters, we're working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.

Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for.

Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.  

We want everyone we work with, as a colleague, volunteer, supporter, or someone we support, to feel included and that they belong at Alzheimer's Society. 

Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy here along with our internal employee forum and Employee Lived Experience network groups help us promote inclusion and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people. 

Our hiring process

During your recruitment process we want to make sure that you bring your whole self and can be at your best. We are working hard to ensure our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible, so please do inform us of your experience and anything you think we could do better by completing our candidate survey when you apply.  Please also contact Alzheimer's Society Talent Acquisition Team via [email protected] for application support or any adjustments you might need.

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed. 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 it truly 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 showcase them in your own voice.

We try to avoid closing roles early where possible, however if we receive a high volume of applications, we may close earlier than the advertised closing date. Should this occur, we will aim to provide you with at least 48 hours' notice.

We are committed to safer recruitment and ensuring the welfare of those we work with, due to the nature of some of our roles, we might need to carry out a Criminal Record Check at the relevant level. You can read more information via our Website.

Giving back to you

Our employees work hard every day to make a true difference in people's lives. We are proud to support them with a range of benefits, recognition and many options for working agilely, all contributing to a strong work life balance. We also have various learning programmes to support you in your development and help you grow to realise your potential and shape a career with Alzheimer's Society. 

You can also visit our Working for Us pages, which give you more information about what it's like to be an employee at the Society.