Retail Training Manager

Job Introduction

This is a critical role in helping Selfridges to deliver an extraordinary team member experience for new joiners through leading a team of Retail coaches. The focus is to provide retail team members with a tailored 12-week on-boarding programme to embed our unique service style through continuous coaching and on the job training. To ensure that the team of Retail Trainers are effectively delivering on-the-job training, providing coaching, observations and feedback to enable new retail team members to offer extraordinary service to customers through all our channels. To work closely with the Retail L&D Manager in building bespoke learning solutions through the collation of key learning insights and continuous feedback. Working collaboratively with retail management to provide insight to senior management teams and retail L&D team.

A bit about the role

• Overall co-ordination of the team of Retail Coaches to deliver an extraordinary on-boarding experience for new retail team members in line with resourcing requirements and in-store activities (e.g. Masterplan)
• Support the Retail Coach team with the planning and prioritisation of their workload
• Support the Retail Coach team with their own development, including observations and on-going feedback, to ensure a consistent standard
• Work closely with senior retail stakeholders to share insight and ensure on-boarding requirements are being effectively planned and managed
• Work closely with the Resourcing Team to forecast recruitment figures and plan appropriate on-boarding resource
• Work closely with other key stakeholders across the business including Business Controls to share insight and ensure the training delivered during the first 12 weeks for new retail team members meets the requirements and training needs identified

• Work closely with the Retail L&D Manager to ensure all Retail L&D activity is aligned and to discuss new and bespoke retail L&D training solutions
• Manage ad hoc retail training requests, including carrying out a training needs analysis, as and when required
• Develop a consistently comprehensive knowledge of the business and products becoming a retail expert

• Develop a comprehensive knowledge of our L&D offer, including different L&D options and solutions, and be able to advise stakeholders on these
• Give and receive feedback and encourage others to do so, over and above the formal processes, promoting a learning culture
• Provide continuous feedback to senior managers on the performance and progress of new retail team members and learning themes
• Promote the business people strategy and key KPI’s in the business
• Actively promote learning and development through management team briefs, appropriate meeting forums and team communication channels as appropriate
• Maintain an awareness of the retail activity calendar and support its delivery through the on-boarding of retail team members  

A bit about you

• Established Line manager with experience of coaching others for performance 
• Experience of training and facilitating learning solutions
• Excellent planning and organisational skills with experience of managing complexity
• Experience of operating within a service-focused culture
• Experience within retail
• Ability to take a pragmatic approach to forward planning and to provide proactive solutions to ongoing business needs
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent presentation skills and an engaging facilitation style
• Strong interpersonal skills to engage with stakeholders
• Ability to influence senior managers and key stakeholders appropriately
• Ability to take a flexible approach, adjusting to changes in requirements as needed
• Ability to work both independently as well as within a wider team, on site and remotely
• Positive “can do” attitude
• Self-aware and competent in giving and receiving feedback
• Commercially aware
• Experience of working with a diverse range of audiences

A bit about us

We are a shop run on imagination: a place where the world’s most covetable brands combine with the most extraordinary spectacles, events and ideas for an experience like no other.

We have challenged the rules of retail from day one, whilst demonstrating our unwavering commitment to sustainability.  In 2016, we were the first to be awarded with recognition for the ‘World’s Best Sustainability Campaign by a Department Store’ at the IGDS Global Department Store Summit, in-line with its focus on buying better and inspiring change. We are also recognised as the Best Department Store in the World (2010, 2012, 2014 & 2018) underlining our place at the forefront of retail. In 2018 we were recognised as a LinkedIn Top Company to work for.

Our vision is to be the destination for the most extraordinary customer experience, and our people are central to us achieving this.  As an employer we are committed to making Selfridges an exciting, inspiring and fun place to work