Volunteer Retail trustee

What will you be doing?

We’re looking for a retail trustee who can bring expertise to our retail portfolio, our largest income stream, and help grow its profitability.   We want someone with a background in retail, ideally charity, who is passionate about our cause and keen to explore new ways of working to ensure our retail offering continues to fund our essential animal welfare work. You will have knowledge of the second-hand market, have worked with volunteers before and dealt with Gift Aid. There is huge potential for growth and we’re looking for someone who will be able to help identify new opportunities, be instrumental in opening new shops and expanding into new areas.  The role will include overseeing the financial health of the retail part of our branch, ensuring compliance with regulations, and providing strategic guidance to the board and employees.    Duties:

Support and provide advice on RSPCA South London’s purpose, vision, goals and activities.  Approve operational strategies and policies, and monitor and evaluate their implementation. Oversee financial plans and budgets and monitor and evaluate progress.  Ensure the effective and efficient administration of the organisation. Ensure that key risks are being identified, monitored and controlled effectively. Review and approve financial statements. Provide support and challenge to the Branch Manager in the exercise of their delegated authority and affairs. Contribute to regular reviews of the charity’s own governance through attending Board meetings, and being adequately prepared to contribute to  discussions. Use independent judgment, acting legally and in good faith to promote and protect RSPCA South London’s interests, to the exclusion of their own personal and/or any third party interests.

As a small charity, there will be times when the trustees will need to be actively involved beyond Board meetings. This may involve scrutinising board papers, leading discussions, focusing on key issues, providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, presenting externally, or other issues in which the trustee has special expertise.

What are we looking for?

Specific skills and experience:

Commercial awareness: A knowledge of charity retail trends, customer experience and local market. Retail experience: Experience in the retail sector, including operations, finance, or management. Financial expertise: Strong understanding of financial management principles and practices.  Strategic thinking: Ability to analyse complex situations and develop effective strategies.  Communication and interpersonal skills: Ability to communicate effectively with the board, staff, volunteers and other stakeholders. 

Key Responsibilities:

Income Generation: Utilising knowledge of stock and trends to search for new initiatives within the retail offering Empowering staff and volunteers to deliver sales targets in a challenging retail environment Challenging the status quo and searching for more efficient relationships with suppliers and stake holders Strategic Leadership: Providing strategic direction and leadership to the retail team.  An awareness of staff and volunteer management. Ensuring the organization's activities align with its objectives and mission.  Monitoring the external environment for changes that may affect the organization. Compliance and Governance: Ensuring the retail team complies with relevant legislation, regulations, and its governing documents.  Ensuring the organization's resources are used appropriately and ethically.  Risk Management: Identifying and assessing financial and operational risks.  Developing and implementing risk management strategies. 

What difference will you make?

The RSPCA is broken up into regional branch areas. Each branch is responsible for all the local animal welfare.  Our trustees play a vital role in making sure that RSPCA South London achieves its core purpose. They oversee the overall management and administration of the charity. They also ensure that we have a clear strategy and that our work and goals are in line with our vision. Just as importantly, they support and challenge the executive team to enable us to grow and thrive, helping us to assist as many animals in need as possible. Board members have a collective responsibility. This means that trustees always act as a group and not as individuals. Your efforts will have a very real impact on the welfare of animals in our branch area.