Head of Retail

Description

At Demelza, every purchase, donation and volunteer hour helps us provide extraordinary care and support to children with serious or life-limiting conditions and their families. As our new Head of Retail, you will play a vital role in driving the success of one of our most important income-generating services.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced retail leader to take ownership of our retail operations, leading the performance of our shop network, e-commerce activities and wider retail function. Working closely with the Deputy CEO and Head of Retail Development, you will be responsible for translating strategy into action, driving income growth, delivering operational excellence and creating a high-performing retail culture.

We are looking for a commercially astute and inspirational leader who can motivate and develop teams, identify opportunities for growth and use insight and data to make informed decisions that improve performance. You'll bring experience of managing multi-site retail operations, delivering financial targets and leading teams through change while maintaining an exceptional customer and supporter experience.

This role offers the opportunity to shape the future of retail at Demelza, helping us maximise income, strengthen our presence in local communities and ensure our retail estate continues to make a significant contribution to our charitable purpose.

• Significant senior-level retail leadership experience within a multi-site environment.
• A proven track record of delivering income growth and operational improvement.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen.
• The ability to inspire, lead and develop high-performing teams.
• Experience of using data and insight to drive decision-making and performance.
• Outstanding communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• A passion for making a meaningful difference through your work.

Want to know more?

For an informal chat, please call Hayley Richardson , Deputy CEO , on 01795 845200 .

Closing date: 29th November 2026

Interview process: Please note that this recruitment process will consist of two interviews. First interviews will take place between 1st and 7th December 2026 . Candidates who are successful at the first interview will be invited to attend a second interview, with the date to be confirmed.

Demelza greatly values the benefits of a diverse team and embraces diversity, equality, and inclusion in all areas of its work. We are committed to building a diverse and authentic workplace, ensuring that our team reflects the diversity of the children and families we support. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds.

To find out how we process your personal data during the recruitment process, please refer to the Employee Recruitment Privacy Notice.

As part of our commitment to safer recruitment, all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at a level relevant to the role.

Demelza is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

Demelza is an equal opportunities employer. Registered Charity No. 1039651.

About Demelza

Demelza delivers extraordinary care to extraordinary children who are facing serious or life-limiting conditions, throughout Kent, South East London and East Sussex. We’re here to support them and their families at every step – from first diagnosis and for as long as we’re needed. Demelza believes in care that doesn’t back down.

Benefits include:

• Generous annual leave, with buy/sell opportunities and length of service awards
• Enhanced maternity pay for eligible employees
• Opportunity to remain in NHS Pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Tech scheme
• Eye care vouchers
• Wellbeing events and support
• Access to benefits and wellbeing platform
• Access to training and development opportunities