Head of Retail

St Margaret's Hospice Care; Taunton; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free on-site parking in Yeovil and Ta1

Excellent learning and development

Life assurance cover (2x salary)

Health Cash Plans

Employee Assistance Programme

Blue Light Discount Card

Volunteering opportunities

Job summary

St Margaret’s Hospice Care is seeking a Head of Retail to lead 32 charity shops across Somerset, including five furniture shops, plus e-commerce and central operations. The role will involve strategic leadership, staff development, and driving income while managing costs.

Taunton-based with travel across Somerset; 37 hours, some weekend/out-of-hours work. You will work closely with the Director of Income Generation, shaping a dynamic, commercially focused retail operation that supports hospice

Qualifications

• Experience in charity retail would be helpful but is not essential.
• Ability to lead and develop managers across a multi-site retail operation.
• Proven track record of delivering income growth and improving commercial performance.

Responsibilities

• Develop an ambitious and sustainable retail strategy.
• Lead Area Managers, Group Furniture Manager and Retail Digital and Support Manager.
• Take responsibility for retail income, expenditure and net contribution.
• Grow income through donated goods, furniture, new goods, Gift Aid, e-commerce and other channels.
• Create a positive and inclusive culture where colleagues and volunteers feel valued.
• Work with Finance, Estates, People, Volunteering, Marketing and IT.
• Ensure shops, warehouse and logistics operations are safe, well run and compliant.
• Support investment, new shops, relocations and future retail estate decisions.

Skills

People leadership

Income growth

Budget management

Stakeholder communication

Change management

Retail leadership

Multi-site operations

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
• 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. If your experience broadly matches the role and you’re motivated to make a difference, we encourage you to apply.

If you need adjustments during the recruitment process, please contact [e-mail] or call 01823 774834.

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
• 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

We can’t wait to hear from you!

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship at 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 other regulatory, fraud prevention, and compliance checks.