About the job

Job summary

House of Commons

The House of Commons is a unique and exciting place to work right at the heart of the UK's thriving democratic system. 

Behind the scenes, the House of Commons Service is made up of more than 3,000 employees who support and facilitate the smooth day to day running of the House. They provide professional services to Members of Parliament, their staff, and the wider parliamentary community.

Introduction 

The House of Commons Retail Team is a dynamic and ambitious team with three gift shops across the Parliamentary Estate, with an online shop and a warehouse based in North Acton.

Retail Services is part of the Customer Experience and Service Delivery team, with a remit of delivering an exceptional omnichannel retail experience for Members and their staff, House staff, visitors to Parliament, and the public. This role is an exciting opportunity to join a creative and ambitious team in a non-traditional retail environment.

Job description

The post holder is responsible for leading and managing the Retail Operations Team to deliver excellent customer service. You will lead on building a strong team atmosphere by involving and supporting others, sharing information and best practice, injecting enthusiasm, and promoting a harmonious and inclusive environment. You will also drive sales targets and hold responsibility for adhering to operational policies and procedures, audit compliance, health and safety standards, and stock control.

Some of the responsibilities for this role include:

• Take ownership of the retail operation by setting priorities and creating plans to deliver an exceptional omnichannel retail experience. Foster an exceptional team culture whilst providing inspirational leadership for the operations team in line with our values and strategy.
• Responsible for the management of the retail operations rota, ensuring a resilient, agile and outstanding team is in place to deliver excellent service in all operational areas, taking operational day to day decisions independently.
• Analyse retail operations data to make informed decisions and or make recommendations to the Retail Services Senior Management Team, with the ability to write low level business cases and report papers.

The post holder will be working in all or any of the retail gift shops including at our offsite online fulfilment facility, working evenings and weekends on a rostered basis, providing cover and assistance when necessary. 

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Ability to demonstrate commitment to outstanding customer service, with a strong track record of delivering an exceptional retail experience to a diverse customer base.
• Proven experience of financial management and KPI monitoring with the ability to clearly set and communicate sales targets to maximise profit in line with the retail strategy and budgets. Fully competent in retail policies and procedures including stock management, online fulfilment, security, and cash handling processes.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to develop strong, positive relationships and build credibility quickly.
• Experience of leading and developing a diverse team of customer-facing staff to deliver an outstanding retail experience, both face to face and digitally, inspiring, and motivating team members to collectively deliver against KPIs, offering clear, creative and strategic direction as needed, while upholding principles of diversity and inclusion.
• Confident in taking a ‘hands-on’ approach to problem solving, using initiative and exercising sound judgement independently to make dynamic decisions whilst remaining calm under pressure and taking control of incidents.
• Highly organised with the ability to balance operational responsibilities with a strategic approach to planning and delivery of a range of operational projects and activities across the Retail Operation.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,340, House of Commons contributes £11,161 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

• Application Form - If you would like to apply for this role, please submit an application providing evidence against criteria 1-5 in the Job Description. 

More information on the role and the full criteria can be found in the Job Description. 

Please note that most job offers will be made at the minimum of the salary range, other than in exceptional circumstances.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.