DEPARTMENT MANAGER

We're the only UK outdoor retailer to offer good, better and best choices from a £10 walking shoe to a £900 air tent. It's what our customers expect from an Aladdin's cave of outdoor gear and it's part of what makes us special. From experienced mountaineers to dog walkers and their dogs, everybody's welcome. We care more about those people than ticking boxes and we know it's what keeps them coming back.

Role Purpose:

To lead and motivate an engaged Store Colleague team to deliver GO’s mission and strategic pillars at store level. Be a brand ambassador for GO and role model the company values to exceed the customers expectation. Ensure store profit and sales are in line with or in excess of business requirements and duty manage in the Store Manager’s absence.

Accountabilities:

·Support the Store Manager lead and motivate a high performing, highly engaged team of Store Colleagues

·Support in the creation of an exceptional customer service culture ensuring Store Colleagues delight our customers and exceed their expectations  

·Ensuring the store is safe and compliant operating environment for colleagues and customers

·Support the achievement of financial results in line with or in excess of company targets

·Duty manage and take responsibility for the store in the Store Manager’s absence

Duties and Responsibilities:

·Recruit, coach and train a team of high performing store colleagues who are focused on exceeding customer expectations using GO’s customer service model ABC

·Support driving a sales culture in store that empowers Store Colleagues to deliver excellent customer service that installs confidence in the customer to purchase brilliant products that are suitable for their needs

·Conduct regular 121s and bi annual performance reviews with Store Colleagues to provide constructive feedback and review performance

·Identify and support a rich pipeline of talent and manage underperformance through GO’s performance framework

·Communicate key business messages clearly and effectively to the Store Colleagues to drive performance and colleague engagement

·Review and action customer feedback (GLUK) daily, celebrate successes and provide developmental feedback to the store team to enhance the customer experience

·Organise and facilitate in store events to promote and grow GO’s brand in the local community through recommended partnerships in order grow our reach

·Review performance data, identify opportunities for growth and action areas of improvement to drive performance of the store

·Support store compliance by following GO’s Standard Operating Procedures at all times

·Support the Store Manager to control store costs within agreed budgets to maximise store profit  including payroll, facilities and utilities

·Action daily operational tasks of the workforce management system to ensure a consistent high customer service level is maintained and GLUK targets are achieved or exceeded

·Ensure the store fully complies with statutory obligations and GO’s H&S Policy to ensure the store is health safe and legal for customers, visitors and colleagues at all times

·Ensure Store Colleague employee relations matters are resolved fairly and consistently using GO’s relevant policies and procedures.

·Take ownership for escalated customer complaints by offering solutions to resolve the customer concerns to ensure we delight the customer and maintain customer satisfaction scores

Skills, Knowledge & Experience:

We are the largest outdoors retailer in the UK, we are incredibly thrifty and offer excellent value to our customers. We are looking for Department Managers with proven retail management experience, who are passionate about people and delivering excellent customer experiences. In addition you must be have the right attitude and behaviours.

Skills

- Great coaching, mentoring and teambuilding skills that drives performance

- Clear, confident and motivational communicator with excellent verbal, listening and written communication skills 

- A keen eye for financial results with the ability to analyse and interpret KPIs, identify potential risks to address as well as identifying opportunities maximise

- Proficient and confident in the use of Microsoft Office products and retail business systems

Knowledge & Experience

- At least 2 years management experience in large format retail

- Experience of creating and leading high performing teams to include all aspects of recruitment, performance & talent management.

- Proven experience of effectively prioritising and delegating workload to achieve goals and objectives

- A proven record of successfully promoting and growing a retail brand in the local community

- A passion for customer service and a proven record of delivering excellence in this area.

- Be able to demonstrate the ability to improve store performance & standards through effective planning

- Experience of cascading business change initiatives clearly and concisely to teams and achieving successful outcomes

- A proven ability to not only deliver standards but to step back & challenge the accepted way of doing things to improve the customer experience

- Robust working knowledge of retail KPI’s and the proven ability to control costs, increase sales and improve the customer experience.

- Be able to demonstrate that you are a hands on manager on the sales floor

- Knowledge of local market trends, competitor activity and the ability to identify local community growth opportunities

Behaviours

- Be accountable, responsible and committed

- A positive role model that champions GO’s values

- Show great humility, emotional intelligence and compassion at all times

- Have a learning mindset and be open to ideas

- Show great self awareness at all times and be conscientious of impact on others

- Be a pro-active problem solver

- Show resilience and have the tenacity to bounce back

- Be a “change agent”; open to and supportive of new ideas and initiatives

- Take responsibility for all results and ensuring the team always work together

- Maintain a high level of integrity at all times

- Be timely and punctual with all deadlines

- Deal with multiple issues whilst working under pressure