Assistant Shop Manager - Needham Market

St Elizabeth Hospice; Needham Market; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Part time

Job summary

A local charity hospice in Needham Market is looking for a proactive individual to manage retail shop operations. Responsibilities include overseeing daily activities, achieving financial targets, and delivering excellent customer service. The ideal candidate will have experience in retail management and demonstrated success in team collaboration. Additional benefits include annual leave, a pension scheme, and health service discounts, making this a rewarding opportunity in charity retail.

Benefits

27 days annual leave

Pension scheme

Life Cover

Cycle to Work Scheme

Health Service Discounts

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Experience in retail management or similar role.
• Proven ability to achieve financial targets.
• Strong interpersonal skills for managing volunteers.

Responsibilities

• Organise daily operations of the shop.
• Achieve financial budgets and promote Gift Aid.
• Provide excellent customer service consistently.
• Maintain visual merchandising standards.
• Manage and support a team of volunteers.

Skills

Customer service

Team management

Financial budgeting

Job description

Status: Permanent – Salary: £9,649.20 per annum (WTE £24,123) – Hours: 15 hours per week with flexibility to cover additional hours due to unplanned absence and annual leave. Closing date: 14 December 2025. Interview date: 19 December 2025.

St Elizabeth Hospice is seeking a proactive, creative and dynamic individual who is forward‑thinking, ensuring our retail shops continually meet the progressive and ever‑changing world of ‘charity retail’.

Responsibilities

• Work with the Shop Manager to take responsibility for day‑to‑day organisation of the shop.
• Achieve agreed financial budgets.
• Promote and monitor Gift Aid.
• Provide a high standard of customer service and satisfaction at all times to both external and internal customers.
• Maintain high standards of merchandising, layout and display.
• Work with and manage a team of volunteers who are integral to our business.
• Provide cover across the local portfolio of retail shops as required by the Area Manager to cover holiday and sickness.

We have over 30 charity sites across Norfolk & Suffolk which includes two retail centres in Ipswich along with a community coffee hub, a café and one Zest retail outlet. Other income is produced through our e‑commerce sites, furniture operation and retail events.

Safeguarding and Recruitment

St Elizabeth Hospice is committed to safeguarding and protecting the adults and young people that we work with and has a zero‑tolerance approach to abuse, neglect and discrimination of any person. All posts are subject to a rigorous safer recruitment process, including the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks. We have a range of robust safeguarding policies in place which promote safeguarding across the hospice and staff are expected to undertake regular, mandatory safeguarding training to equip them with the knowledge and skills to identify and respond to potential risks.

About St Elizabeth Hospice

St Elizabeth Hospice is an independent charity and hospice, which improves life for people in the East Suffolk, Great Yarmouth and Waveney areas living with a progressive or life‑limiting illness. Established in 1989, the hospice has built a reputation for delivering high‑level care to patients and the community it serves. Through medicine and therapy, they ease pain; give life purpose and make life livable. Last year the charity supported over 4,000 patients and their families. The hospice’s work is centred on the individual's needs and they provide specialist support wherever it is needed; whether that is in the home, another setting in the community, in hospital or in the hospice itself. Support is provided to patients and their families via the Inpatient Unit, the Community Care Unit including outpatient’s clinics, home visits from the community nursing, medical or therapy team, the OneCall 24/7 telephone helpline and bereavement support. In 2023, St Elizabeth Hospice merged with East Coast Hospice to form a collaborative approach to developing achievable and sustainable specialist palliative care services for people living in the Great Yarmouth and Waveney area.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave entitlement
• Pension scheme
• Life Cover
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Car Leasing Scheme
• Health Service Discounts
• Occupational Sick Pay
• Blue Light Card
• Employee Assistance Programme

For more details about this role please read the job description and person specification. Only applicants selected for interview will be contacted, and invitation to interview will be sent by email. If applying, please keep a check on your emails including your spam/junk folders.