SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title:
Assistant Shop Manager
Salary:
£15,000 per annum
Hours of work:
35 hours per week (excluding lunch breaks). The Shop is open 7 days a
week between 10am and 6pm and the post-holder will need to be available
to work some weekends.
Overview
The Assistant Shop Manager will assist the Shop Manager with the management of the Cathedral Shop in an
effective and profitable way taking a particular interest in the book stock and its promotion to customers.
The post-holder will also be responsible for leading and managing the shop staff (both paid and voluntary)
with clarity and sensitivity.
Context
The Shop is an important source of income for the Cathedral and attracts a large number of customers not
all of whom are visitors to the Cathedral. The Shop is managed by the Cathedral’s trading subsidiary,
Southwark Cathedral Enterprises Ltd (SCE) and had an annual turnover in 2005 of approximately £230,000.
The Shop stocks books (a wide range of theological and general religious books and other titles), gifts and
cards. SCE is looking to increase the Shop’s turnover, especially through improved book sales and is seeking
to recruit someone with knowledge of books, and in particular religious and theological books, with some
retail experience, able to take a leading role in their purchase, merchandising and sale.
The post reports to the Shop Manager and will be responsible for the day to day running of the Shop in the
absence of the Shop Manager. Although the post involves supervision of three paid Shop Assistants (all parttime) and volunteers, line management for all staff lies with the Shop Manager.
The post-holder will be expected to work closely with department heads, and with a number of other staff
and volunteers as necessary.
Principal Tasks
Retail tasks
 Purchasing, display and maintenance of book stock responding proactively to customer requirements
and anticipating future demand where possible
 Assisting with the merchandising, display and organising of promotions and other methods of
increasing turnover
 Assisting the Shop Manager with the day to day running of the Shop including unpacking deliveries
and pricing
 Developing contacts with Diocesan training providers and clergy with a view to increasing book sales
for courses such as the Readers Course and South East Institute for Theological Education (SEITE)
 Liaising with Cathedral clergy on the range of theological books stocked
 Developing contacts with other cathedral shops with a view to exchanging ideas and best practice
 Assist the Shop Manager in maintaining a merchandising calendar based on promotions
 Dealing with customer orders and requests
 Maintaining accurate sales records through proper use of the till system
 Ensuring purchases and sales are accounted for appropriately
-2–
Staff supervision
 Ensuring that the Cathedral Shop is open at the specified times and full staff cover is
available in the absence of the Shop Manager
 Ensuring any personnel issues are brought to the attention of the Cathedral Shop
Manager
 Assisting the Shop Manager with the training and induction of new paid and volunteer staff in
customer service, sales, security and health & safety matters
 Assisting with the maintenance and updating of the staff procedures manual
 Ensuring customer service standards are met by all staff to maximise sales
 Assisting with general administration including correspondence and filing
General
 Attending Shop staff team meetings
 Attending quarterly meeting of SCE business managers
 Deputising for the Shop Manager at meetings where necessary
 Performing such other duties as are reasonably requested by the Shop Manager
 Being available for occasional special evening opening times (eg in Advent) outside normal working
hours for which time off in lieu will be awarded
-3–
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential

Knowledge and awareness of theological and religious book titles

Knowledge of book publishing in general

Some experience of working in a retail environment

Experience of supervising staff

Able to work on own initiative, largely unsupervised

Excellent customer service skills

Good communication skills, both written and oral

A good team player with ability to relate equally well to paid and voluntary staff

Able to work under pressure

Able to demonstrate sympathy with the aims and objectives of Southwark Cathedral

Flexible and willing to work overtime and shift-work when required
Desirable

Experience of merchandising and shop display

Experience of working in a Christian book shop

Experience of working in an environment where paid and voluntary staff work side by side
-4–
SUMMARY TERMS AND CONDITIONS
This post is open to candidates who are in sympathy with the aims and objectives of the Christian Church
and the Anglican tradition. The Cathedral encourages equal opportunities.
The person appointed will be employed by Southwark Cathedral at its offices in Montague Close, London
SE1 9DA.
1
Salary: £15,000 per annum, reviewable in April of each year
2
Hours: Normal hours are 35 per week spread over five days. The hours will be worked on a rota
pattern spread over the seven days of the week. There will be an occasional requirement to work
evenings during busy periods (eg in Advent).
3
Holidays: 25 days plus statutory bank holidays
4
Pension: Once the probationary period has been completed satisfactorily, the person appointed
will be eligible to join a defined contributions pension scheme managed by the Church Workers
Pension Fund. The Cathedral will contribute half of the annual premium of 10% of salary.
5
Probationary period: 26 weeks
6
Notice period: During the probationary period, the notice period is one week on either side. After
that, the Cathedral will give one month’s notice plus an additional week’s notice for each full year of
service beyond four years up to a maximum of 12 weeks notice for 12 or more years' service. The
person appointed will be required to give one months' notice.
7
Season ticket loan: Once the probationary period has been completed satisfactorily, the person
appointed will be eligible to take out a season ticket loan whereby the Cathedral will issue a cheque
for the purchase of an annual season ticket and deduct the cost in twelve monthly instalments from
the salary.
8
Retirement: The retirement age applicable to this position is 65.
9
Child Protection: This post is subject to satisfactory disclosure from the Criminal records Bureau.