We're looking for an inspirational people person to join us as an Assistant Manager and working in our Edinburgh Dalry Shop. You will be pivotal in assisting the Shop Manager in leading and empowering a team of volunteers to engage with the local community on Shelter's cause, maximising the contribution of gifts of time from volunteers, the gifts of products from our donors and the gift of income from our customers.

You will be the ambassador of Shelter on the high street; raising vital money for our cause. If you want to make a real difference to people at risk of homelessness, this is a unique opportunity to do just that.

About Shelter Scotland

A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet over a million people in Scotland struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change, with individuals, in communities, across society, and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

At Shelter Scotland we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home. Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe that to win that fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent.

We have committed to combat racism both within and outside Shelter Scotland and welcome you on our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.

About the role

You will assist the Shop Manager in the recruitment, support and development of a strong community focused shop team and empower them to maximise Shelter's income. Representing Shelter in your local community, ensuring that you and your team share your knowledge of Shelter's cause with customers, volunteers, donors and potential Shelter clients will also be important aspects of the role. You will always ensure a safe, clean, bright and happy environment for your team to work in and for your customers to shop in, in turn attracting potential donors and volunteers.

About you

You are a naturally energetic person with an enthusiasm for managing and empowering people. You know how to recruit and develop a team of volunteers and your extraordinary motivational skills will enable you to inspire your team to increase sales and control costs. Above all, you are ready to take on a new challenge and have a keen interest in Shelter's cause.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave (pro rata), enhanced family friendly policies, childcare vouchers, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

Shelter Scotland helps over half a million people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

Safeguarding is everyone’s business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

At Shelter Scotland, we welcome and encourage applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. We also encourage applications from people, who have been homeless or have been at risk of homelessness. We are facing diverse problems, so need diverse people to tackle them. In addition to this, we encourage an approach to involving people with personal insight of housing issues and homelessness in our recruitment processes.

We are looking for a Shop Manager who is passionate about charity retail and helping a good cause.

We have 5 shops in Edinburgh, 1 in Gullane and a new one in Glasgow to support the vital services we provide. All our services focus on relieving the immediate suffering and meeting the long terms needs of homeless and vulnerable people in Scotland. We don’t just work with homeless people. We stop people becoming homeless in the first place. When you join Bethany you are supporting projects such as the Welcome Centre, Care Van, Family Support work, Housing Support, etc.

As a Shop Manager you will join a fantastic team of staff and volunteers.

You will provide excellent customer service in a professional charity retail environment. You will also identify and encourage the potential of staff in order to maximise their contribution to the success of the shop. Other responsibilities include to actively seek donations to maintain required stock levels with strong pricing, stock rotation and proactive selling.

This position will require the Manager to grow and develop the business in line with strategies agreed with the Head of Group Income Generation.

We’re recruiting for various locations across Scotland – you can find a role near you by visiting our website and entering your postcode.

At Co-op, we stand for something different, and we put our communities at the heart of everything we do. As a member pioneer, you'll play a key part in helping us to build stronger and fairer communities. We'll look to you to bring people together, connecting with Co-op members, colleagues, and representatives of the many local groups we support. By building these relationships, you’ll be the catalyst for new ideas, initiatives and projects that will make our communities better places to live. So, if you're passionate about making a difference, join our team and be part of our plan for a better future.

What you’ll do:

· build a strong group of contacts locally, alongside using social media to help with listening to and getting involved in community conversation

· develop an action plan to improve community wellbeing, aligned to key themes

· establish and run a local community forum, or become part of one that already exists

· prioritise your time, making your hours count and focusing on opportunities to make the biggest difference

· get activities off the ground and encourage participation from members in your community

This role would suit someone who:

· is committed, enthusiastic and has a passion for improving their community

· can inspire and motivate people through their communication style

· loves working with and connecting to people

· can prioritise their time and remain focussed on a long-term goal

· has good basic IT skills and is confident using social media

· lives within or very close to the community you’ll support, detailed above

Why Co-op?

Here you’ll do work that matters. We’re a commercial organisation with a purpose beyond profit, and in this role, you’ll have an opportunity to make a difference. You’ll also get a package that includes:

· competitive salary

· 31 days holiday including bank holidays (rising to 38 in line with service)

· discounts on Co-op products and services

· a pension with up to 10% employer contributions

· free support for your physical, mental, and financial wellbeing

Building an inclusive work environment

We’re actively building diverse teams and we aim to build working environments where everyone feels welcome. Our Co-op colleague networks and inclusive development programmes help provide equal opportunities for all colleagues to reach their full potential. We celebrate our differences and recognise the importance of our teams reflecting the communities they serve.

If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs. We're also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we'll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job.