Retail Assistant Manager Chelmsford Superstore

Cancer Research UK; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

Cancer Research UK in Chelmsford is seeking a Retail Assistant Manager to lead a large team and drive sales and fundraising at our superstore. You will support the Store Manager, manage stock and merchandising, and push for targets while delivering excellent customer service.

The role is permanent, full-time (37.5 hours) at the Chelmsford Superstore with a focus on community engagement and driving donations and income for cancer research.

Qualifications

• Commercial awareness with targets and profit focus.
• Experience managing a large and diverse team.
• Ability to multi-task in a lively high-volume retail environment.
• Creativity and a willingness to seek innovative ways of working.
• Ability to build relationships and communicate effectively.
• Flexibility to work on a rota basis.

Responsibilities

• Support the superstore manager in guiding and developing a large team of paid staff and volunteers.
• Oversee commercial running of the store including display, merchandising, stock management and standards.
• Collaborate to meet targets for donated stock, cash, Gift Aid, and stock processing.
• Assist with donation movement and distribution across stores and eCommerce.
• Lead by example with excellent customer and supporter service.
• Foster community engagement and additional income opportunities.
• Assist in organizing and delivering fundraising events and deputise when needed.
• Perform duties with appropriate manual handling.

Skills

Team leadership

Sales targets

Multi-tasking

Creativity

Communication

Flexibility

Retail operations

Job description

Endless pre-loved items. A talented team. One clear purpose.

Retail assistant manager

£26,274 - £30,828 per annum plusbenefits

Reports to: Store Manager

Department: Trading

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time 37.5 hours per week

Location: Chelmsford Superstore

Closing date: Friday 18th September 2026 23:55

Please note: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We are professionals with purpose, beating cancer every day. But we need to go much further and much faster. That's why we're looking for someone talented, someone determined, someone like you.

We're looking for a motivating superstore assistant manager to join Cancer Research UK's trading team. You'll be acting as an ambassador for Cancer Research UK, supporting the superstore manager and your team to maximise on sales and fundraising targets. Your superstore will be a place where your community gets to meet our people, understand our brand, and see some of the great things we do.

You'll also be surrounded by people who are as dedicated to beating cancer as you are.

What will I be doing?

• Supporting the superstore manager in guiding, inspiring and engaging a large team of paid staff and volunteers. This includes recruitment, retention and development of a diverse superstore team.
• Taking responsibility for the commercial running of the superstore including display and merchandising, stock management and generation, maintaining shop standards, store layout, sales and income.
• Working alongside the superstore manager to meet agreed targets for donated stock, cash, benchmark gift aid, average selling price, sell through and stock processing.
• Assisting with the processing systems that allow for the movement and distribution of large volumes of donations including across other Cancer Research UK shops, superstores and eCommerce.
• Leading by example and providing excellent customer and supporter service.
• Creating relationships with your local community and Cancer Research UK colleagues to generate community engagement and additional income and stock.
• Supporting the shop manager in the organisation and delivery of creative fundraising events for your store to achieve fundraising targets.
• Deputising for the superstore manager in their absence.
• There will be a varied amount of manual handling and physical activity required within the day-to-day duties of the role.

What are you looking for?

• Commercial awareness with previous success working with sales and profit targets.
• Experience of managing and inspiring a large and diverse team of people.
• Comfort working within targets and motivating others to achieve those targets.
• The ability to multi-task in a lively high volume retail environment with large volumes of stock.
• Creativity and a desire to seek out opportunities for innovative ways of working.
• The ability to create relationships and communicate well.
• Flexibility, our retail teams cover the needs of their stores by working on a rota basis. Whilst a level of flexibility is needed to meet the needs of the business, we don't forget that you have a life outside of work too.

What will I gain?

We make sure you are supported by a generous salary and benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools, policies and processes to enable you to do your job well.

Our benefits package includes a substantial retirement plan, a generous and flexible leave allowance, discounts on anything from travel to technology, gym membership, and much more.

Our retail teams also have access to confidential wellbeing support from the Retail Trust.

Owing to the nature of this position, any offer of employment for this role will be subject to a satisfactory basic DBS check.

Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do.

We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.

We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen.

Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.