Retail Development Manager
The role of Retail Development Manager is crucial to the income growth and audience reach of The Children’s Trust retail function. The postholder will be responsible for researching, developing and establishing new income streams to reach new audiences and drive footfall for a disperse network of charity shops, including establishing the online selling of donated and bought in (New) goods; management of online and digital selling platforms and associated stakeholders, ensuring that all compliance requirements are fulfilled.
The role will work collaboratively as part of the Retail Management Team to develop and deliver long-term growth plans to drive voluntary income growth and increase footfall and to lead on new business initiatives.
Role Requirements
- Research opportunities to recommend, test and rollout new online and digital selling platforms. Introduce associated systems and processes to achieve compliance.
- Working with the Retail Sales Manager, identify and source donated product lines and items for listing and selling through online and digital selling platforms. Share learnings to source quality stock to drive sales.
- Create a new online offer to complement and integrate within our existing retail portfolio of shops across Surrey, Sussex and Kent. Develop processes to manage online and digital selling: inventory, listing, pick, pack and despatch of online stock, including organising the logistics for deliveries to customers and collections to meet both shops and customer requirements.
- Manage the development and optimisation of online and digital selling platforms and make recommendations for rapid growth and new business proposals.
- Work with the Retail Sales Manager and Marketing and Communications team to create assets and content that can be used in store, online, through owned channels to maximise opportunities, sales promotions and seasonal changes across the chain of shops.
- Research and implement efficiencies in reducing waste disposal costs for shops estate including items no longer purchased through Rag merchants.
- Research and recommend new income streams for the sale of unsold donated items to mitigate low return through Rag merchants.
- Manage full compliance of the Children’s Trust online and digital selling platforms in line with all Health & Safety legislation, Fire safety, Trading Standards, Retail Gift Aid, GDPR, ThankQ CRM, Risk Assessments, Safeguarding and all other legal or statutory requirements.
- Develop and manage risk assessments and associated online selling policy protocols to prevent reputational damage to The Children’s Trust through digital and online trading activities.
- Manage key internal and external stakeholder relationships including supplier contracts, internal support teams, ensuring that efficient and compliant services are maintained.
- Working with Marketing and Communications and Supporter Care colleagues to ensure that the retail supporter journey is optimised and relationships are managed holistically.
If you would like to discuss the role, please contact the Recruitment & Compliance Team, on 01737 365 880 or email: recruitment@thechildrenstrust.org.uk
For more information, a copy of the candidate briefing pack and application form please click here
Interview Date: TBC
If you would like to discuss the role, please contact the Recruitment & Compliance Team, on 01737 365 880 or email: recruitment@thechildrenstrust.org.uk
Terms and Conditions
PLEASE NOTE: The Children's Trust Application Form MUST be completed and submitted, for your application to be considered. As part of the shortlisting process, gaps in employment will be examined and further explored during the interview process.
Strictly no agencies, please.
About Us
The Children’s Trust is the UK’s leading charity for children with acquired brain injury, providing expert rehabilitation, education, therapy, and care at our national specialist centre in Tadworth, and to children and their families across the UK, via our Brain Injury Community Service.
Boasting a beautiful 24-acre site in Surrey, we are located just outside of London, close to the M25 (accessible via Junction 8, A217 to Tadworth) and easily accessible via National Rail, by way of: Clapham Junction, Sutton, and Epsom.
Staff Benefits
The work we do is highly rewarding, and in addition to an attractive salary, we offer a valuable range of benefits on our staff flexible benefits platform, on-site nursery, free eye tests, enhanced Maternity and Paternity Pay, time out days for those experiencing menopause symptoms and time off for gender reassignment.
We also offer additional annual leave days for those with long service, with entitlements ranging from 35 to 41 days (including bank holidays) depending on your length of service.
Other benefits include free on-site parking; a staff shuttle service from Epsom and Sutton train stations to Tadworth Court, subsidised cafeteria, on-site staff accommodation (subject to availability), the ability to retain your NHS pension (where applicable), Teacher’s pension (where applicable) or the opportunity to join an alternative scheme, and the opportunity to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.
Rehabilitation of Offenders
Many roles at The Children’s Trust are exempt from the provisions of Section 4 (2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013 and 2020) and as such, are subject to an Enhanced DBS check. Successful applicants will be required to complete an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check, which will disclose all unspent convictions and adult cautions and any spent convictions or adult cautions that would not be protected. The exceptions to this are our retail roles within The Children’s Trust shops, which are subject to Basic DBS checks which will disclose unspent convictions or adult cautions.
Equal Opportunity Employer
To help us achieve our ambition to give children and young people with brain injury and neurodisability the opportunity to live the best life possible, we want to accurately reflect the UK’s diverse population. We want equity, diversity, and inclusion to be at the heart of everything we do, and our people, services, and culture to reflect the diverse needs of all. Through our diversity and inclusion strategy, we have made a commitment to increase the diversity of our charity and create an inclusive culture. We have networks across the organisation working to ensure that these aims are met - including an LGBTQIA2S+ group, Ethnic Diversity Group, and Spark – our broad EDI group. Read more about our EDI work here. We welcome applications from all who share our ambition regardless of background. We will strive to ensure that any reasonable adjustments are made in respect of interview and working arrangements.
Online Searches
In accordance with statutory safeguarding and child protection guidance, online searches will be conducted for shortlisted candidates before interview. The online searches will be conducted by a person who is independent of the interview and selection process and will focus on relevant information returned via searches of the candidate’s name (and variations thereof). Social media searches will be limited to professional platforms such as LinkedIn. Any concerns relating to suitability for work with children and young people will be forwarded to the interview panel, for discussion during the interview.

