Operations Manager

Dobbies Garden Centres Ltd; Carlisle; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading garden centre retailer is seeking an Operations Manager to oversee store operations in Carlisle. Responsibilities include maximizing sales, leading a team, ensuring health & safety standards, and creating a positive customer experience. Ideal candidates will have a strong background in retail management and stock control. The role offers a dynamic work environment with generous employee discounts and development opportunities.

Benefits

Generous annual leave

Employee discounts

Access to financial wellbeing support

Employee wellbeing platform

Development programs

Qualifications

• Experience in retail operations management.
• Capability to manage stock controls effectively.
• Proven leadership in health & safety adherence.

Responsibilities

• Oversee store operations to maximise sales.
• Lead and develop your team within Dobbies.
• Ensure audit controls and company best practices are met.

Skills

Operations expertise

Commercial awareness

Stock control management

Adaptability

Team leadership

Job description

Our Operations Managers play an essential role in delivering customer experience across our stores – driving sales, promoting customer loyalty, maintaining high operational standards and smashing commercial targets.

Responsibilities

• Overseeing the store operations to maximise profitable sales and growth
• Take the lead in creating a great place to work for everyone, whilst allowing your team the opportunity to develop within Dobbies
• Sparking your team's passion for delivering the best in-store experience possible by creating a brilliant customer journey and experience
• Working closely with our central support teams, maintaining excellent communication to improve our business
• Ensuring all health & safety regulations are carried out across the store, whilst caring for employee and customer welfare
• Take a lead in ensuring audit controls are in place, maintaining company best practice and coaching the whole team on good governance
• Monitor and maintain full stock management process across the store, from goods in to strong visual merchandising
• Act as deputy to the General Manager in their absence
• As a member of the senior management team, you will also have duty manager responsibilities including key holder duties

Who we are looking for

• You’ll bring operations expertise with experience of retail operations management
• Commercial awareness and understanding of budgets, profitability from driving sales and improved ways of working
• A proven ability to manage stock controls and strict adherence to health & safety regulations
• Ability to identify training needs. You'll be effectively coaching and training all levels ensuring our teams are delivering a first‑class customer experience and safe centre environment
• Adaptability. You'll act quickly and enthusiastically to changing priorities, workload and new regulations or requirementsPositivity managing change, you'll lead the team through each season with care and motivation to deliver the best
• Can demonstrate our values at all times - we're one team getting better everyday. We bring a smile. We live and breathe gardens. We make it work for our customers

What we offer

• Generous annual leave entitlement. Use your holidays when you want with limited statutory days off required
• Treat yourself with generous uncapped discount across our stores with 50% off in our Restaurants, 25% off in the Garden Centre and 10% off in our food halls
• Access to Stream – support your financial wellbeing, with ability to access earnings ahead of pay day, save for the future and financial advice
• Access to Retail Trust – seek confidential support, access to a virtual GP, free counselling service and discounted retail rewards with our employee wellbeing platform
• Access to Dobbies Academy – continue your development with our eLearning platform and development programmes
• Thriving culture; the Dobbies team are passionate, diverse and committed to making it work for our customers

About us

At Dobbies, we’re proud to have a history dating back to 1865. We were founded by James Dobbie and are the only garden centre retailer to have stores in every nation across the UK.

Our passion and joy for gardens and plants is what makes us special. In our stores, we showcase this through own brand and branded products, concession partners and services. We champion garden living all-year-round.

Many of our stores feature a restaurant or coffee shop, where customers can enjoy refreshments or meals in a relaxed and welcoming environment.

We offer a calendar of events and experiences that bring people and communities together, and we have a national charity partner that both our colleagues and customers raise money for.

We’re committed to being a great place to work. We’re one team and we encourage our colleagues to be the best version of themselves, every day; to share their wins and celebrate success. Together, we make it work for our customers.