Head of Retail

St. Margaret’s Hospice; North Petherton; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days holiday

NHS pension continuation

Life assurance cover

Health Cash Plans

Employee Assistance Programme

Free on-site parking

Volunteer opportunities

Job summary

St Margaret’s Hospice is seeking a Head of Retail to lead our multi-site charity retail operation across Somerset, including 32 shops and e-commerce. You will shape retail strategy, oversee budgets and drive income growth while managing a large team of managers and volunteers.

The role is based in Taunton with regular travel; you will spend time across shops and sites to understand operations and deliver change. A visible, hands-on leader with strong people skills is essential.

Qualifications

• Experience leading charity retail operations.
• Proven ability to develop and deliver retail strategy.
• Experience managing income and expenditure.
• Willingness to travel regularly across Somerset.

Responsibilities

• Developing and delivering an ambitious and sustainable retail strategy.
• Leading Area Managers, Group Furniture Manager and Retail Digital and Support Manager to drive performance.
• Taking responsibility for retail income, expenditure and net contribution; using performance data to guide actions.
• Exploring opportunities to grow income through donated goods, furniture, new goods, Gift Aid, e-commerce and other channels.
• Creating a positive and inclusive culture where colleagues and volunteers feel valued and supported.
• Working closely with Finance, Estates, People, Volunteering, Marketing and IT.
• Ensuring shops, warehouse and logistics are safe, well run and compliant.
• Making evidence-based decisions about investment, new shops, relocations and the future of our retail estate.

Skills

Retail leadership

Multi-site management

Budget management

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

St Margaret’s Hospice Care has a fantastic opportunity for a Head of Retail to join our team.

• Location: Taunton, with regular travel across our retail estate in Somerset
• Salary: £47,000-52,000
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern:37 hours, will include some weekend and out of hours working where required

Our retail operation raises vital income to help St Margaret’s Hospice provide care and support for patients and families across Somerset.

What can you expect to be doing?

This is a brilliant opportunity to lead and shape a large and varied retail operation that sits at the heart of communities across Somerset.

You will lead 32 charity shops, including five furniture shops, alongside our e-commerce, central warehouse, logistics and retail support operations. You will be joining a fantastic team of colleagues and volunteers who care deeply about what they do and the difference they make.

Working closely with the Director of Income Generation, you will build on everything our teams already do so well while helping us become even more commercial, creative and ambitious for the future.

This is a visible and hands‑on leadership role. You will spend time across our shops and operational sites, getting to know our people, understanding what is happening and turning ideas and plans into action.

Your day‑to‑day work will include:

• Developing and delivering an ambitious and sustainable retail strategy.
• Leading our Area Managers, Group Furniture Manager and Retail Digital and Support Manager, helping them and their teams to succeed.
• Taking responsibility for retail income, expenditure and net contribution, using performance information to celebrate success and identify where additional support is needed.
• Exploring opportunities to grow our income through donated goods, furniture, new goods, Gift Aid, e-commerce and other retail channels.
• Creating a positive and inclusive culture where colleagues and volunteers feel valued, supported and clear about what is expected of them.
• Working closely with teams including Finance, Estates, People, Volunteering, Marketing and IT.
• Ensuring our shops, warehouse and logistics operations are safe, well run and compliant.
• Helping us make thoughtful, evidence‑based decisions about investment, new shops, relocations and the future of our retail estate.

During your first few months, we would love you to spend time getting to know our people and shops, understand what is working well and help us agree the priorities that will make the biggest difference.

What will you be good at?

• Leading and developing managers and teams across a multi‑site retail operation.
• Delivering income growth, managing costs and improving commercial performance.
• Understanding budgets and performance information and turning this into clear, practical action.
• Building strong relationships, communicating clearly and bringing people with you through change.
• Balancing commercial ambition with fantastic people leadership and the values and purpose of a hospice charity.

You do not need to have worked in charity retail before. Experience of charity retail, furniture, e‑commerce, warehousing or retail estate development would be helpful, but it is not essential.

Our Values

At St Margaret’s Hospice, our values guide everything we do. We are:

• Compassionate:Kindness and care for everyone, every day
• Collaborative:One team, working together for one goal
• Ambitious:Striving for better, now and into the future.

Inclusive recruitment

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Why join St Margaret’s Hospice?

You won’t just be joining a fantastic team --you’ll become part of a welcoming, community‑minded charity making a real difference every day.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment alongside a range of benefits including:

Holiday entitlement

• 33 days including bank holidays, rising to 35 days after 1 year, and increasing with length of service (pro‑rata if part‑time)
• Ability to buy and sell annual leave

Pension scheme

• NHS pension continuation where applicable*
• 6% employer / 5% employee contribution for non‑NHS staff

Additional Benefits

• Life assurance cover (2x salary)*
• Health Cash Plans
• Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 GP access, counselling, wellbeing support, and legal/financial advice
• Blue Light Discount Card
• Enhanced maternity leave*
• Excellent learning and development opportunities
• Free on‑site parking in Yeovil and Taunton
• Opportunities to volunteer and support fundraising initiatives

*Eligibility criteria applies

Our selection process will take place in two stages and will include a presentation. Shortlisted candidates will also have the opportunity to meet members of the team and learn more about our retail operation. Full details will be shared in advance.

Closing date:5th October 2026

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visasponsorshipat this time.

Safer Recruitment

St Margaret's Hospice are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of those who use our services.

As part of our safer recruitment processes, all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory pre‑employment checks relevant to the role. These may include verification of identity, right to work,references, qualifications,and otherregulatory, fraud prevention,and compliance checks.