Salary: £34,492 per annum
Full time - 36.5 hours per week on a rota basis, working five days out of seven
Closing Date: 9am Wednesday 30 September 2026
Job ref: 64/26

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Retail Manager to join our highly successful and vibrant Retail team at Leeds University Union. In this role you will lead, motivate and coach our team to deliver a high standard of operation and deliver exceptional customer experience, whilst creatively managing and developing our range of retail products and services to deliver exactly what our students need.

About the role:

Your role will be to develop and manage our two independent stores. Gear is our clothing store which exclusively sells University of Leeds branded clothing and Union Shop is our newest store, which sells stationery, greetings cards and gifts. This is a unique role in retail terms because it requires our manager to operate the full remit that an independent retail outlet needs. This means not only managing the regular day-to-day operations for both stores, but in addition you will manage purchasing, continually develop the product range, create a trading calendar, and gradually build a great deal of autonomy into your role. And of course, you will work with the team to deliver amazing customer service both in store and via our Gear website.

Take a look at both of our independent stores and more about what we do, at the link below;

Eat.Shop.Relax. - Leeds University Union

Leeds University Union is a special place to work and what we do is pretty special too. We are a charity that helps over 38,000 students to love their time at Leeds. Located at the heart of campus, the Union is a space for our students to meet people, make new friends, and get involved.

What we're looking for:

We are looking for a candidate with proven commercial skills to maximize sales and identify opportunities for growth. We also need you to be able to successfully manage all areas of operations and systems with a high level of compliance and accuracy. In return, you will be leading two diverse and vibrant stores and work with an energetic, motivated, and engaged team. You will need to bring lots of proven retail skills with you to this role, but you will also learn new retailing skills to support your career development. If you have experience in either fashion or stationery, that would be an advantage but not essential, just great commercial skills and a passion for leading your team is what we are looking for. 

Your development is important to us too, so through Leeds University Union you will have access to a wide portfolio of personal and professional development tools.

What you get in return: 

There are extensive opportunities for learning and further development, NUS TOTUM Card, onsite venue staff discounts, discounted travel card, and discounted gym membership. And, because we are a Student Union, we offer a generous holiday entitlement of 26 days’ holiday as well as additional statutory and customary closure days and a pension scheme.

If you are looking for a unique and rewarding role in a fast-paced and vibrant organization, we would love to hear from you!

Sounds good?
For further details, please download an application pack below. In your application, please explain how you meet the person specification and what you can bring to the team here at LUU. If you have any further questions, please contact hr@luu.ac.uk.

Retail Manager Application Pack

LUU highly values inclusivity and we welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Key Dates

Closing date: 9am Wednesday 30 September 2026

Interview date: Wednesday 7 October 2026

Start date: As soon as possible

Working in the UK: 

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