Regional Manager Charity Shop Operations

About SVP

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVP) Ireland is a national, voluntary organisation committed to supporting individuals experiencing poverty and exclusion. With a broad network of members, volunteers, and staff, SVP promotes social justice and advocates for a more compassionate society. Employees within the organisation provide essential support to volunteers in various settings, including housing, hostels, community care, retail, administration, and specialised services.

SVP's foundation is deeply rooted in Christian values, with Blessed Frederic Ozanam's legacy of spirituality remaining central to its mission. Volunteer meetings often begin and end with prayer, reflecting the Society’s ethos. While staff members are not required to actively participate in these practices, they are expected to respect the organisation's traditions.

SVP operates under a structured governance model. The National Management Council (NMC) oversees strategic direction, while Regional Councils (RC) provide localised governance and oversight. Area Councils (AC) manage local conferences, ensuring alignment with SVP’s mission. Within this framework, governance mechanisms ensure that retail charity shops adhere to NMC policies, reinforcing the Society's values and objectives.

Employees within SVP are integrated into a structured membership and staff framework. While individual reporting relationships exist, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) retains overarching authority for strategic and operational directives. The CEO may allocate tasks, projects, and responsibilities necessary for the organisation’s success. These assignments complement existing management structures rather than override them, ensuring flexibility while aligning with SVP’s goals. Employees must cooperate with reasonable directives that align with their roles, skills, and the broader mission.

SVP’s charity shop operations function under the NMC’s strategic direction, striving for alignment, efficiency, and collaborative stakeholder engagement. Managers maintain accountability within a matrix organisational structure to their functional line managers. This model facilitates cross-functional governance and collaborative decision-making, integrating priorities across various domains. By balancing multiple leadership influences, SVP fosters dynamic operational efficiency while ensuring adherence to its mission and values.

The Role

The Regional Charity Shop Manager plays a crucial role in SVP's mission. Leading the operations function, the Manager ensures strategic alignment, stakeholder engagement, and the delivery of SVP charity shops' services within the assigned region. This role is not just about managing operations but about contributing to SVP’s mission, values, and governance. Guided by the Rule, organisational policies, and decisions of the National Management Council (NMC), the Manager is accountable for operational outcomes and impact, people development and management, strategic and organisational alignment, and service quality.

The National Retail Development Manager serves as the functional line manager. The role directly manages Charity Shop Managers and OFC Managers, cultivating cohesive teamwork and high standards across operations. By fostering excellence in service, compliance, and management, the Manager supports the charity shops' contribution to SVP’s long-term sustainability, strategy alignment, and KRO impact.

The Manager is responsible for maximising Key Results and Outcomes (KROs), ensuring operations' alignment, supporting the organisation on sustainability and viability, service quality, and ensuring operational efficiency and effectiveness, including income cycle performance and retail strategy alignment, implementation, and application. Maintaining compliance with the Society’s NMC decision, Rule, policies, SOPs, legislative requirements, and governance frameworks; strengthening stakeholder engagement and collaboration across the organisation, best practices, operations effectiveness, and efficiency.

The National Retail Development Manager (NRDM) is the role-holder's direct line manager. The role holder is responsible for maintaining strong working relationships with National and Regional Governance, Management, and Stakeholders, fostering engagement, and promoting collaboration. The range of stakeholders includes Regional Councils, Regional Presidents, Regional Charity Shop Chairs, National and Regional Management teams, local Conferences operating charity shops, and individual Charity Shop Managers, to deliver on KROs effectively.

This role is not about working in isolation but about being part of a team that contributes directly to the success, viability, and growth of SVP charity shops through strong leadership, strategic alignment, and adherence to the Society’s ethos.

SVP employees operate within defined governance structures that support clarity, accountability, and performance. While staff report to designated managers, it is recognised that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) retains overarching authority for all strategic and operational directives and instructions across the organisation.

Guidance and Authority

The Regional Manager Charity Shop Operations (RMCSO) plays a pivotal role in the operational delivery and strategic alignment of charity shops across their region. Reporting to the National Retail Development Manager (NRDM), the RMCSO works closely with the Regional President, Chair of the Regional Charity Shops Committee, and key stakeholders. Operating within SVP’s matrix governance model, the RMCSO contributes to the Society’s broader mission by ensuring that retail operations are efficient, compliant, and aligned with the organisation’s governing document (the Rule), policies, and strategic direction as set by NMC decisions.

The SVP operates as a multi-segment, multi-activity organisation with overlapping layers of accountability and responsibility to NMC. In this structure, the Regional Council, supported by its Charity Shops Committee, holds overall governance for the regional charity shops segment. Their oversight includes compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, financial reporting, capital expenditure, fund disbursement, and supervision of members and volunteers. In parallel, they are to achieve effective and efficient operational delivery and service quality within the region.

Within this framework, the RMCSO ensures that day-to-day shop operations run smoothly and in full compliance with internal policies and procedures. The manager monitors operational performance and key results (KROs), consults on compliance and regulatory matters, and engages in regular communication with senior leadership. This includes providing periodic reports and facilitating decision-making through clear upward communication.

Regular collaboration and documented engagement with stakeholders reinforce the integrity and transparency of the charity shop segment. By promoting accountability and continuous improvement, the RMCSO not only ensures alignment with SVP’s mission and values but also cultivates a culture of service quality, resilience, sustainability, and viability.

Matters requiring upward referral include:

• Significant resistance in the development and implementation of best practices and policies.

• Practices or proposed practices that pose a risk to stakeholders, including children, vulnerable adults, members, volunteers, staff, or the Society's reputation.

• Decisions that substantially impact the workload of other organisation members.

• Legal and regulatory concerns.

• Decisions with substantial financial impact on the organisation.

• Strategic decisions or sustainability and viability issues.

• Stakeholder impact affecting donors, partners, or beneficiaries.

• Situations that could damage the organisation’s reputation beyond the immediate safeguarding context.

Principal AccountabilitiesOperational Management

• Oversee daily operations, ensure compliance, implement standard procedures, and monitor key outcomes.

• Maintain transparent communication and alignment with NRDM and regional governance.

• Provide regular reports on operational outcomes, efficiency, and performance.

• Consult with NRDM on regulatory compliance, health and safety, and SVP policy adherence.

• Collaborate with NRDM to ensure alignment with regional strategic goals.

• Implement standardised operating procedures across all charity shops.

• Monitor and assess KROs using insights for decision-making.

• Ensure compliance with employment law, data protection, and health & safety regulations.

Operations Planning, Implementation, and Delivery

• Prepare an annual Business Development Plan aligned with regional and national strategy.

• Oversee and improve retail operations and service delivery.

• Direct operations in shops and Order Fulfilment Centre (OFC).

• Recommend staffing or practice changes to support SVP’s supply chain.

Customer-Centric Service

• Promote clear customer interaction guidelines.

• Foster a culture of self-assessment among staff for retail standards.

• Promote “Sales through Service” to retain and attract customers, donors, and volunteers.

• Monitor Customer Satisfaction Measures and address complaints.

• Engage customers through surveys, events, and feedback mechanisms.

People Management

• Hold regular team meetings and ensure documented communication.

• Deliver training on expectations, customer service, health & safety, and policies.

• Track KROs, promote feedback, and recognition.

• Foster morale through collaboration and recognition.

• Introduce grievance resolution protocols.

• Review shop performance against SVP’s goals.

• Enhance practices using staff/volunteer feedback.

• Conduct health & safety audits and updates.

• Develop volunteer recruitment and retention strategies.

Compliance and Assurance

• Ensure staff/volunteers comply with SVP policies and regulations.

• Monitor and resolve performance issues with HR.

• Maintain safe working environment and cash/stock control.

• Investigate non-compliance and take corrective action.

• Promote ethical conduct and continuous improvement.

Engagement and Communication

• Maintain communication with Regional President and Shop Committee Chair.

• Ensure alignment with governance, strategy, and frameworks.

• Submit reports to NRDM and committees.

• Share information across levels per RACI framework.

• Act as a point of upward reporting for leadership.

Operational Risk Management

• Reassess operational risks due to economic, legal, or organisational changes.

• Report concerns to Regional Committee and NRDM.

• Collaborate on action plans.

Ad Hoc Duties

• Undertake additional tasks as directed.

• Document and communicate role changes with management.

Challenges

• Managing scale, complexity, and high local autonomy.

• Resilience in the face of barriers and roadblocks.

• Influencing others outside direct authority.

• Accelerating change and influencing stakeholders.

Other Information

• Employees must comply with the Right to Disconnect Code of Practice.

• Flexible work including evenings/weekends may be required.

• Staff entitled to breaks and time off in lieu as per policy.

• RMCSO oversees day-to-day operations, efficiency, and reporting.

Education, Experience, Knowledge and Skills

Qualifications

• 3rd Level education in business-related field.

• Professional Management Qualification.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years in retail management.

• Substantial experience in multiple outlet operations.

• Staff and volunteer management experience.

• Proven history of meeting targets.

• Charity sector experience.

• Conflict resolution skills.

Knowledge

• Retail techniques (space management, pricing, stock control, EPOS).

• Understanding of charity law.

• Awareness of volunteer needs.

• Knowledge of SVP mission and issues affecting disadvantaged groups.

Skills

• Business development creativity.

• Budget setting and management.

• Revenue generation strategies.

• Strong organisational, communication, and team management skills.

• Volunteer management and motivation.

Personal Attributes

• Flexible, willing to travel, own car/clean driving licence.

• Honest, trustworthy, respectful.

• Strong work ethic, cultural sensitivity.

• Commitment to confidentiality.

Salary: €53,776.90 per annum