Department Manager - Leeds

About the role

This Department Manager position in Leeds leads a department or defined business area and creates a positive, engaging environment for colleagues and customers. You will support, coach and develop store colleagues to deliver service centred on customers, through high store standards and highly engaged teams.

Key responsibilities

• Support the Store Manager in leading, coaching and developing a high-performing, engaged team.
• Deliver exceptional customer experiences that encourage loyalty and repeat visits, and provide excellent customer service, addressing inquiries and resolving complaints professionally.
• Develop store teams through an internal development programme, covering hiring, onboarding and training of new employees.
• Maintain a safe and compliant store environment and help manage day-to-day operations, including opening and closing procedures.
• Support cash management, such as processing transactions and reconciling tills.
• Help maintain colleague schedules for proper coverage and productivity, and act as point of contact for colleagues in the manager's absence.
• Contribute to financial results and support other retail management duties where required.

Role objectives and KPIs

• Contribute to achieving or exceeding the store's monthly sales target.
• Drive additional KPIs such as units, conversion, ATV and UPT, and achieve upselling or cross-selling targets.
• Maintain a high customer metric score and ensure stock accuracy during store audits.
• Ensure all new colleagues complete mandatory training and that engagement survey results meet or exceed company benchmarks.
• Assist in keeping operational costs within the allocated budget.

Required profile

• Experience leading, coaching and developing colleagues in a retail or customer-focused environment.
• Experience prioritising and delegating workload to achieve team goals.
• Experience supporting business growth through customer engagement, local activity or community initiatives.
• Strong communication, coaching and mentoring skills, with a resilient, positive attitude under pressure.

Required skills

• Strong understanding of retail KPIs and commercial performance measures.
• Knowledge of local market trends, competitor activity and local community growth opportunities.
• Ability to plan, make informed decisions and communicate in a way that inspires and engages.