This position

There is an opportunity for a person with strong retail skills and experience to join the U-turn team thus allowing them to apply their professional retail skills in a development setting. Reporting directly to the Retail Area Manager, the candidate will apply their retail skills to run our Retail store in Canal Walk to grow sales and profitability. At the same time, the person will be managing a team of sales assistants who were formerly homeless and are currently on the U-turn work-rehabilitation programme.

The ideal candidate is someone who is happy to work in an organization with strong Christian motivations, displays a passion to see people grow (i.e. to work developmentally) and is excellent at customer service.

Background

U-turn is a thriving non-profit that exists to equip homeless people with the skills to overcome homelessness. Founded in 1997, we believe that every homeless individual is intrinsically valuable and should have access to an effective pathway to address their physical, spiritual and emotional needs so they can leave the streets and become a long-term productive member of society.

To help people overcome homelessness we operate a phased approach that includes addiction rehabilitation, counselling, life-skills training and sheltered work placement in one of our social enterprises. Through this process, the programme inculcates a healthy work ethic, furnishes modern job skills and gives 18-24 months of real work experience so that individuals can be gainfully employed in the modern South African economy.

Our graduates enter the open market employment and show an above 85% long term success rate! We are actively working to expand to more locations in Cape Town and across South Africa.

Social Enterprises

Actual work-experience largely takes place within our social enterprises. U-turn’s social enterprises comprise an extensive retail network connected to our Charity Stores as well as other companies owned by, or in partnership with, U-turn.

• Manage a U-turn charity store to meet sales targets, including motivating staff to do so.
• Provide excellent customer service, dealing effectively with complaints and queries, and encouraging customers to join the U-turn loyalty programme.
• Ensure cash and stock handling at the store is done as per instructions
• Preparing promotional materials and displays
• Ensure the store is a therapeutic space for those on the U-turn Life Change Programme.
• Provide training for and day to day management of store assistants, including task allocation, leave days, adherence to the disciplinary code, and supporting the unique growth journey of each person.
• Maintain, update, and enforce safety and security procedures.

Experience and Skills

• Previous experience in the retail sector (essential)
• Experience as a duty manager/ assistant manager or a manager in a retail setting (desirable)
• Excellent communication skills – verbal and written
• Well-developed interpersonal skills
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to prioritise
• A collaborative team player – concerned with the team success as well as individual performance
• Ability to motivate, coach and develop people Commercial awareness

Personal attributes

• Passion for U-turn’s mission and values.
• Strong leadership with a collaborative mind-set.
• Adaptability and resilience in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Organisational Fit (where applicable)

• If in recovery - actively engaged in own ongoing recovery, accessing accountability support and practicing recovery behaviour
• If employed as a Professional - affiliation with professional board, continued personal development and accessing supervision
• Gospel orientation - connected to a local fellowship of believers, reading the Bible and grounded in Gospel-motivated Social Action