Run today’s retail. Build tomorrow’s.

We’re looking for an ambitious retail leader to take responsibility for our current operation and help shape the future of retail at Sussex.

You’ll lead a £1m+ retail operation spanning physical and online retail, manage a substantial team and make sure our services are commercially successful, relevant and brilliantly run.

But this role also comes with a bigger brief.

Over the next two years, campus retail at Sussex is expected to change significantly. This role will play an important part in helping us determine what comes next, exploring future retail opportunities, new partnerships and potential models for the Students’ Union’s retail offer.

You’ll help us explore new retail opportunities, grow our merchandise offer, develop personalisation and made-to-order products, assess new commercial models and work with the Head of Commercial Operations on what the next generation of campus retail could look like.

The exciting bit is that the answer hasn’t already been decided.

We want someone who can help us work it out.

Lead a significant retail operation

You’ll oversee our retail activity across physical and online channels, working through our Union Shop Manager and Co-op Operation Managers and leading a large student staff team.

You’ll make sure the operation is safe, efficient, welcoming and commercially successful, while keeping a close eye on sales, budgets, customer behaviour and operational performance.

The role profile puts commercial development at the heart of the job, with responsibility for monitoring performance and customer trends and identifying opportunities to increase income, improve efficiency and enhance the customer experience.

This is a hands-on leadership role, but it is also about seeing the bigger picture.

You’ll need to know what is happening on the shop floor today while still asking what we should be doing differently tomorrow.

Grow the offer

A major focus will be developing our retail offer beyond where it is now.

That includes looking at how we expand our merchandise range, particularly through personalisation, made-to-order products and other opportunities that give students, staff, alumni and visitors more reasons to engage with Sussex-branded merchandise.

You’ll help us think about product range, customer demand, pricing, margin, routes to market and how our physical and online retail channels can work together more effectively.

We’re looking for someone who doesn’t just ask, “What are we selling?”

We want someone who also asks: What should we be selling next?

Help shape the future of campus retail

Campus retail at Sussex is likely to change significantly over the coming years.

Existing retail provision is expected to evolve, and future campus development may create new opportunities for convenience, grocery or supermarket retail.

You’ll work closely with the Head of Commercial Operations, University colleagues and existing or potential commercial partners to explore what those opportunities could look like.

That may involve strengthening existing partnerships, developing new ones, exploring opportunities arising from changes to current retail provision, assessing new campus developments or considering entirely different retail models.

You’ll help us build the business case, understand the customer need, assess commercial viability and work out what role the Students’ Union should play.

In other words, you won’t just inherit the future retail strategy.

You’ll help create it.

Lead and develop people

This role currently has responsibility for the Union Shop Manager, two Co-op Co-op Operation Managers and a large staff team of more than 50 people.

For many of our student staff, working with us will be their first job.

We want it to be a good one.

You’ll help create an environment where people are properly trained, supported and developed, where managers feel confident leading their teams and where students leave us with useful skills and experience they can take into their future careers.

The role profile specifically places responsibility for staff induction, training and development with the Retail Operations Manager.

Commercial, but with a purpose

We’re a charity.

The income our commercial services generate helps support the wider work of Sussex Students’ Union and ultimately benefits our students.

That creates an interesting commercial challenge.

We want strong financial performance, but we also need our retail operation to deliver great value, respond to student needs, provide excellent employment opportunities and contribute positively to campus life.

The purpose of the role explicitly combines customer experience, commercial performance, growth, student employment and income generation in support of the Union’s charitable objectives.

Who are we looking for?

You don’t need to have worked in a Students’ Union before.

You might currently work in supermarkets, convenience, high-street retail, university retail, e-commerce or another large customer-facing operation.

What matters is that you know how to lead people, understand customers and run a successful retail operation.

You’ll need experience managing a large and diverse team, be comfortable with budgets, understand relevant legislation and be able to handle the occasional operational curveball calmly and professionally.

Knowledge of the student market is desirable rather than essential.

We can teach you Sussex.

We’re looking for someone who brings retail expertise, commercial curiosity and the instinct to look at an established operation and think:

How could we make this better?

KEY INFORMATION

Job Title: Retail Operations Manager

Responsible to: Head of commercial services

Rate of pay: Grade 6.1 £35,972

Contract: Fixed Term, 2 year contract

Hours of work: 36.5 hours per week (including some evenings and weekends)

Location: Falmer House, BN1 9QF

Applicants: Open to internal and external applicants*

Please note that applications from full-time students will NOT be considered for full-time positions, as it exceeds the recommended hours of work for individuals in higher education. This applies to both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

For more details please see the full Job Description and Person Specification; if you have any questions about the role please email jamie.b@sussexstudent.com

KEY DATES

Closing date: Monday 12th October 2026; 08:00 am

Interviews: Tuesday 20th October 2026 or Thursday 22nd October 2026

Start date: As soon as possible

INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS

We really welcome applications from abroad for all of our vacancies. Due to legal regulations we have to ensure that everyone is eligible to work in the UK, and this would be done by us checking and making a copy of the correct original identification/documentation before your first day of work. You may also be limited in the number of hours you would be allowed to work. Find out more information about applying to work in the UK.

In any case, we would encourage anyone to apply for a job in one of our friendly departments to give yourself the chance of being selected, and we would look to see the appropriate original documents before your first day of work.

GETTING PAID

Everyone working in the UK needs a National Insurance number in order to get paid. If you are a UK citizen you will automatically have this, however if you are not a UK citizen you might want to apply for an NI number at the same time as you apply for a job so there is no delay in your payments. You can do so using this link: https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number. Please note you cannot apply for a National Insurance Number until you're in the UK, but this should not stop you from completing your application for this role.

COMMITMENT TO INCLUSION

We are really committed to maintaining a diverse workforce because we know how important it is to have decision makers and collaborators with varied lived experiences and backgrounds that reflect the range of needs from our diverse student community.

We welcome applications from everyone, and we want to strongly encourage applications from: people with an ethnic minority or Chinese background, people with a disability, people with dependents, and people who identify as LGBTQ+. We conduct anonymous shortlisting and all of our interview panels have Unconscious Bias Training in order to support the above. We also consider flexible working for those with care commitments. If you have any suggestions as to how we could improve our language or application process please let us know.

As a representative body, one of our key aims is to increase applicants that identify as Black, Asian or a minority ethnic to work in the Students' Union. To support this we will ask you an optional question about your ethnic origin. Not providing this information will not adversely affect your application for the role. This information will be hidden during the application process. Staff that identify as Black, Asian or minority ethnic are also welcome and supported to join our BAME Staff Network.

STAFF AND APPLICANTS WITH LONG TERM CONDITIONS

The Students' Union aims to implement reasonable adjustments for all staff and applicants with disabilities, creating a culture of cooperation, shared responsibility and proactiveness to ensure equitable access to jobs. We want to make sure everyone is supported in our selection processes, and are equipped to work safely and get as much as possible out of their role as possible.