Retail Operations Manager

AGE CONCERN EAST SUSSEX; Mount Pleasant; On-site; GBP 41,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits

Job summary

Age UK East Sussex is seeking a Retail Operations Manager to lead strategic and operational control of our high-volume furniture warehouses, fleet transport, house clearance services, and central stock distribution across East Sussex.

The role oversees a £1m+ budget and a team of ~20 staff plus 100 volunteers, with responsibilities spanning governance, stock visibility, and service excellence across multiple sites.

Qualifications

• Senior Operations Leader with proven track record overseeing large-scale networks, logistics hubs, or high-turnover retail operations.

Responsibilities

• Take full accountability for the £1m+ budget, commercial viability, and operational growth across warehouses, fleet transport, and clearance streams.
• Design and enforce overarching operational frameworks to guarantee policy compliance, stock visibility, and asset security across sites.
• Provide direction, mentorship and performance management to team managers, ensuring procedures are respected at all levels.
• Build a disciplined team environment aligning staff and volunteers with the charity's mission and standards.
• Partner with the Retail Area Manager to integrate warehouse logistics with the high street shop network.

Skills

Retail operations leadership

People management

Budget management

Compliance & audits

Job description

Retail Operations Manager

Job Title: Retail Operations Manager (ROM)

Location: Based in Newhaven with regular travel across East SussexHours: 35 hours per week (Includes weekend and holiday period working as required)Salary: up to £45,000 per annum, plus benefits

Are you an accomplished operations leader capable of delivering strategic structure, commercial governance, and values-led leadership across a major community enterprise?

At Age UK East Sussex, our commercial operations fund life-changing services for local older people. To lead the next stage of our development, we are seeking a senior Retail Operations Manager to take strategic and operational charge of our high-volume furniture warehouses, multi-site transport planning, house clearance services, and central stock distribution channels.

This is a senior management position overseeing a portfolio generating over £1 million in income. You will lead a workforce of approximately 20 contracted staff and over 100 dedicated community volunteers, led through a tier of localized management. We need a professional who knows how to design robust distribution frameworks, establish clear operational boundaries, while fostering a respectful and highly productive workplace culture.

The Ideal Candidate:

• A Senior Operations Leader: A proven track record managing large-scale commercial networks, logistics hubs, or high-turnover retail operations with a clear understanding of profit, loss, and resource allocation.
• An Astute People Manager: Composed, emotionally intelligent and capable of unifying large, diverse teams of staff and volunteers.
• An Expert in Compliance & Audits: Experienced in implementing organizational policies, internal audit controls, asset protection models, and multi-site safety governance.

Key Responsibilities:

• Take full accountability for the £1m+ budget, commercial viability, and operational growth across all warehouses, fleet transport, and clearance streams.
• Design and enforce the overarching operational frameworks to guarantee total policy compliance, strict stock visibility, and asset security across all sites.
• Provide clear direction, mentorship, and performance management to your team managers, ensuring standard procedures are respected at every level.
• Build a supportive, highly disciplined team environment that aligns our large staff and volunteer workforce with the charity's mission and standards.
• Partner with the Retail Area Manager to seamlessly integrate our warehouse logistics with our high street shop network.