Retail Assistant

House of Commons

The House of Commons a unique and exciting place to work right at the heart of the UK's thriving democratic system.

Behind the scenes, the House of Commons Service is made up of more than 3,000 employees who support and facilitate the smooth day to day running of the House. They provide professional services to Members of Parliament, their staff, and the wider parliamentary community.

Staff Benefits

In addition to your salary, we offer an attractive range of benefits including:

• 30 days' annual leave (increasing to 35 days after first full leave year).
• Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
• Access to training and development.
• Flexible working.
• Interest free season ticket loan and bicycle loan.

Introduction

The House of Commons Retail Team is a changing and dynamic team which operates three shops: two within the Palace of Westminster and an external shop in Parliament Square; in addition, there is an e-commerce site. Occasionally pop-up shops operate on or off the parliamentary estate.

Retail Services is part of the Customer Experience and Service Delivery (CE&SD) team, with a remit of delivering an exceptional omnichannel retail experience for Members and their staff, House staff, visitors to Parliament, and the public. This role is an exciting opportunity to join a creative and ambitious team in a non-traditional retail environment.

The Role

The post holder is responsible for providing exceptional customer service in any of the departmental operating locations. Service is provided to a wide range of external customers. In addition, given the nature of the business, there is a large internal customer base that includes key stakeholders and Members of Parliament (from both Houses).

Your role as a Retail Assistant will be to facilitate the front-line retail team in the day-to-day commercial operations of the department by:

• Providing exceptional customer service to all visitors in line with customer service best practice.
• Displaying good product knowledge about the ranges on sale and applying tactful sales techniques.
• Maximising sales to meet all budgetary requirements.
• Assisting the Warehouse and E-commerce team in picking and packing customer orders and shop deliveries.

Skills and Experience

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Relevant experience in a retail environment, including actively increasing sales, stock-taking, replenishing, counting with accuracy and working to targets. Proven stockroom/warehouse experience and an awareness of Health and Safety and Manual Handling.
• Experience of delivering excellent customer service to a broad and diverse customer base while upholding the principles of diversity, equality and inclusion.
• Evidence of working as a team with excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to deliver information effectively. Proven organizational skills, with the ability to work under pressure and prioritise workloads.
• Experience of till operation and basic MS Office computer skills.

• Application Form - If you would like to apply for this role, please submit an application providing evidence against criteria 1,2 and 3 in the Job Description.

More information on the role and the full criteria can be found in the Job Description.

Please note that most job offers will be made at the minimum of the salary range, other than in exceptional circumstances.

Please ensure that you anonymise your application by removing any identifiable factors from your CV or Supporting Statement.

We may close the vacancy prior to the closing date stated due to a high volume of applications.

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