Retail Director

Are you a collaborative and values-led leader who wants to make a radical impact on the world?

Do you want to use your commercial and retail expertise for social good?

Can you empower a diverse team to deliver an ambitious retail strategy for one of Britain’s largest charities?

We are looking for a Retail Director who will lead a new turnaround strategy, making us fit for the future at a landmark time for retail in the UK.

You will join as we respond to the profound impact Covid-19 is having on societies around the world, to our c.500 shops across the UK, within the communities we support and to Oxfam itself. Globally, we face reversal of some of the hard-fought wins around poverty and inequality. The founding principles of Oxfam GB – of saving lives and changing policies – seem just as relevant as they did in 1942, but we need to adapt and our business model needs to evolve fast.

You will be an empathic and self-aware leader, who will work collaboratively as part of the Engagement Leadership Team to deliver a 3-year strategy which will empower our shops, rebuild our volunteer and build our online business at scale. Most importantly, you will do this in a way that models our culture, our values and feminist leadership approach.

You’ll have:

Most of all we’re looking for a candidate who cares about Oxfam’s mission to end poverty and is personally aligned to our values of empowerment, accountability and inclusion in all you do.

An ideal candidate for the role will also:

• Track record of leadership, delivery and commercial success in a commercial or charitable retail environment
• Demonstrable experience of people management, and the ability to nurture, develop and inspire multi-disciplinary teams, with experience of supporting diversity and a culture of inclusion
• Empathetic and diplomatic leadership style that will help to inspire all colleagues across the retail team, in line with Oxfam’s feminist leadership approach
• Commercial acumen with demonstrable experience of innovation, creating successful retail strategies and plans, hitting challenging income targets and managing budgets
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with volunteers and staff
• Resilient and an advocate for positive wellbeing.

· The full list of essential criteria is outlined in the attached job profile. There is an additional document which shares how we will assess the criteria at shortlisting and at interview.

About Oxfam’s retail team and why we need you:

Oxfam shops are at the heart of the charity and their community, raising vital funds and increasing public awareness of what we do. They are always guided by our values of empowerment, accountability and inclusiveness and focused on making as much money as possible. Shop teams are the heart of our shops and 20,000 volunteers donate their diverse skills to maximize the income from thousands of donations we receive every day. We are building a newly integrated retail team, sitting as part of our Engagement Division, that can work together to make all our supporters – from someone who donates in our shops to a major corporate partner – feel part of a community creating change.

It’s people power that brings about change.

As an organisation that works on poverty and inequality, we will only be effective if we embody equality, diversity and inclusion and reflect the communities we serve from within. The more diverse we are, the better able we’re able to bring new perspectives and tackle the global challenges we are facing in the world today.

We need everyone, and that means we need you.

What can offer you:

This role will give you an opportunity to make a difference in creating an impact in some of the poorest and most vulnerable parts of the world, shaping a better world for generations to come. At Oxfam, we see that a positive and supportive place to work is key, so you will join a group of passionate people who are aiming to put our values and ethos into all we do. We also see everyone’s growth and development as key, so will work with you to shape relevant opportunities to support your career journey. More about our benefits and commitment to staff can be in a downloadable document titled Oxfam Promise.

We believe flexible working is key to building the Oxfam of the future, with many of our staff opting for different types of flexible working patterns. We’re open to talking through the type of flexible arrangements which might work for you. This is advertised as a full-time role, but we would also be open to job share arrangements or to discussing other flexible needs. You can discuss this at your interview or offer stage, or you are welcome to speak with us in advance by contacting Ash, our recruitment advisor, as below.

Our values and commitment to safeguarding:

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Further Information:

Location: Oxford and Home Based

Hours: 36 hours per week

Grade: Director

Job Type: Open ended

Closing Date: 16 November 2020