Designate Cluster Manager

As a Designate Cluster Manager, you’ll be responsible for the smooth running of a given group of stores, supporting areas that need an extra pair of hands or cover in cases of absence. Store locations you'll support will fall within Essex and East London, and you may be required to support with stores in Central London on occasion.
You’ll lead and inspire your High Street and Post Office store teams to provide exceptional customer service, meet business objectives and continuously improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our stores. We want you, our customers and our colleagues to be proud they’re starting and sharing their journeys with us whether it’s their first job, their first day at school, or their first holiday.

What being a Cluster Manager is all about:

• Remotely managing a cluster of WH Smith stores, creating and encouraging a ‘one team’ ethos with the Store Leader, Post Office Operations Manager and colleagues where success is celebrated
• Enhance the profitability of the cluster by reviewing the Retail Scorecards, Trading Plan and Post Office Strategy with your Store Leaders and Post Office Managers to set and agree key actions and priorities to be reviewed on each visit
• Playing a key role to make sure your colleagues are supported, set clear and measurable targets, which are reviewed regularly, and ensure team members are aware of their performance
• Ensuring legal, health and safety and legislative requirements are met across the Cluster
• Having a robust people and succession plan in place and work with the Region to support people development and succession planning, including review and development plans for all colleagues
• Keeping teams up to date on stores, cluster and business performance and appropriately challenging what can be done to improve
• Working with Head Office to discover and make the most of opportunities, using your knowledge of the local environment to do this and to increase community involvement
  

What our Store Leadership Team would love to see:

• Current Store Manager (or equivalent) in a fast-paced retail or similar environment - ideally with multi-site experience, but not essential
• Confident in energising, influencing and motivating store management and teams to deliver exceptional service and performance
• Organised, proactive - able to prioritise at pace in a fast-paced retail environment
• Experience in managing the employee lifecycle from recruitment, onboarding and ongoing performance reviews
• Proven people development experience, focused on fostering a supportive, productive, efficient and inclusive environment
• Strong stakeholder management experience, able to influence and communicate with your team, peers, head office colleagues and senior stakeholders with gravitas and conviction

How we reward our teams:

We know you’ll work hard to make WHSmith a success and keep our customers happy, so as well as your salary, pension scheme, holidays (Management - 33 days including bank holidays) and employee discounts (up to 50%), we’ll reward you with a range of deals from retail partners that will help you save money and make memories, whether a delicious meal, an adventurous day out, or tickets to see the latest blockbuster.

Whatever the future brings, our Employee Assistance Programme will support you with help and guidance for your wellbeing whether physical, mental or financial.

About us:

WH Smith has a remarkable heritage and we have occupied our place as the Hub of the High Street and in our customers’ hearts for 230 years. But this doesn’t mean that we’re resting on our laurels – Our stores work hard to make customer and colleague journeys in life possible, marking the milestones with cards and gifts, providing escape and education with our books, and communication and currency in our Post Office Stores.

WHSmith are proud to be an inclusive employer, we want our colleagues to feel welcome, and free to be themselves with us.