Retail Assistant Manager (Assistant Shop Manager)

£13.67 - £15.52 per hour plus benefits

Reports to: Shop Manager
Directorate: Trading
Contract: Fixed-term until 8 January 2027
Hours: Part-time, 30 hours per week
Location: South Woodford
Closing date: Open until filled. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the vacancy will close once sufficient applications have been received.

Visa sponsorship: 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.

At Cancer Research UK, our retail teams are at the heart of our mission, raising vital funds that help us beat cancer. We're looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Retail Assistant Manager to support the successful running of our South Woodford shop. Working closely with the Shop Manager, you'll inspire volunteers, deliver excellent customer service, drive sales, and help create a welcoming shopping experience for our supporters and local community.

What will I be doing?

• Supporting the Shop Manager in the day-to-day running of the shop and leading the team in their absence.
• Inspiring, motivating and developing a diverse team of staff and volunteers.
• Maximising sales and income through effective merchandising, stock management and shop presentation.
• Delivering outstanding customer and supporter experiences that encourage repeat visits and donations.
• Helping achieve key performance targets including donated stock, Gift Aid, sales, stock processing and average selling price.
• Building strong relationships within the local community and supporting fundraising activities and events.

What are we looking for?

• Experience delivering excellent customer service in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• A positive and adaptable approach, with the ability to work independently when required.
• Commercial awareness and an interest in achieving sales targets.
• Experience supporting or leading teams, ideally including volunteers.
• Flexibility to work a rota that meets the needs of the business.

Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.

Act with ambition, courage and determination

Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism

Human: Act to have a positive impact on people

Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively

We’re looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.

f you’re interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience, we’d still love to hear from you.

[Download the Candidate Pack]  

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. 

For the full job description and more information about working with us please contact [email protected]  

How do I apply? 

We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly and objectively.  

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

For more information on this career opportunity please visit our website or contact us at [email protected].    

For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.  

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. Please contact [email protected] or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible. 

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.