Job title: Student Duty Supervisor, Retail

Responsible to: Retail Store Managers & Retail Duty Managers

Responsible for: Retail Student Staff

Hours of work: A minimum of 3 shifts per week, approx. 12-16 hours per week. The post holder will be required to work early mornings (6am starts), weekends and evenings (latest finish 1am) as part of their shift pattern.

Purpose of the post: The post holder will be a member of the Retail Department delivering exceptional customer service. The post-holder will be responsible for staff motivation, front of house supervision and ensuring we exceed customer expectations. The post holder will be responsible for stock and cash control, health and safety of staff, customers and security of the building and its contents. 

Authority and direction is delegated from the Union’s Trustees, via the Director of KUTL

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. 1.0 Staff Supervision

• To co-ordinate the work and monitor the workloads of Student staff, ensuring that staffing levels are adequate and efficient.

• To provide leadership, direction and coaching for Student staff.

• To help to identify the training needs of Student staff, in conjunction with the Retail Store Managers, Duty Managers and Retail Supervisors.

• To be responsible for maintaining high levels of product availability and excellent shop floor presentation and display standards throughout all Retail Outlets.

• To carry out PDRs for student staff members.

2.0 Customer Care

• To ensure that Student Staff treat customers in a friendly and polite manner and do everything in their power to exceed customer’s expectations.

• To deal with all customer feedback, in a courteous, efficient, and timely manner.

• · To ensure all customers receive a great level of service.

• · To ensure that all areas of the premises are clean and tidy and that any maintenance needs are reported immediately.

3.0 Operational

• To assist in maintaining shop floor standards including shelf edge labels, product availability and queue times

• To replenish, rotate and merchandise displays in accordance with the store plans to maximise sales in line with recognised planograms.

• To assist in stocktaking where necessary.

• To be a trained and efficient user of the tills and back-office systems, coaching Student Staff to use them correctly.

• Carrying out Coop daily routines and processes such as My Work, Intelligent Reduce to Clear (iRTC), and Gap Scanning procedures.

4.0 Health and Safety

• To ensure that Kent Union’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy is always adhered to.

• To guide Student Staff in healthy and safe working practises.

• To ensure the health and safety of customers, suppliers and visitors to the Retail department premises.

• To act as a fire warden in line with the Union’s Health and Safety Policy.

• To ensure that Kent Union’s ‘Challenge 25 policy’ is being upheld.

• To ensure that other laws and regulations relevant to the running of the store are followed as per training given to them.

5.0 Cash and Stock Controls

• To ensure that both cash control and stock control systems are always adhered to.

• To ensure that stock display systems are always adhered to and to guide Student staff in stock and cash control procedures.

6.0 Other Duties

• To abide by Kent Union policies and procedures and to the Retail Department operating systems, policies, and procedures at all times.

• To contribute to the positive image of the Union with other students, the University and the local community.

• To help with recruitment and training of new staff throughout the academic year.

• To attend appropriate meetings as and when required by the Union.

• To undertake other tasks and responsibilities, compatible with the level and nature of the post, as required by the Retail Management Team.

• The post holder will be expected to minimise the environmental impact of Kent Union's operations by adhering to our Environmental policy and related procedural guidelines.

This Job Description does not form part of your contract of employment.

Person Specification – Student Duty Supervisor, Retail

	Essential	Desirable	Tested at interview	Tested at Application
Qualifications
Appropriate Supervisory Qualification		X		X
Appropriate Health & Safety Qualification		X		X
First aid certificate		X		X
Experience
Experience of supervising a Retail outlet		X	X	X
Experience of delivering exceptional customer service, individually and through effective staff management	X		X	X
Experience of the effective use of IT, especially Epos systems		X	X	X
Knowledge
A good understanding of commercial trends within Retail with particular reference to the student market & retail catering		X	X
A good knowledge of Health & Safety, COSSH legislation & First Aid		X	X	X
A good understanding of best practice in stock and cash security systems		X	X
A good understanding of the industry standard Challenge 25 procedure and what the candidate’s role would be in enforcing it	X		X	X
Skills
Ability to operate effectively in a busy environment, with the skills to develop productive relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders	X		X
Good communicator with the ability to relate to people at all levels	X		X	X
Provides highest standards of customer service and effectively solves customer problems.	X		X	X
A confident, resourceful individual with leadership skills who can operate in challenging environments	X		X	X
Values / Attitude
Evidence of commitment to continuing personal and professional development	X		X	X
A firm commitment to equality of opportunity; an individual who values diversity, shows respect for all people and works well with people who have different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds	X		X
A role model who effectively uses coaching and mentoring to encourage staff to reach their full potential	X		X	X
A team player, who helps others to build a successful team, celebrates others’ successes and supports others to achieve goals	X			X

Student Duty Supervisor, Retail

Rate of pay £14.33 per hour, including holiday pay

Thank you for your interest in the position of Retail Student Duty Supervisor at Kent Union.

Kent Union is a great place to work. We were re-accredited with Investor in People Gold status in December 2014, and were accredited with Leaders in Diversity in 2013. We were the first students’ union in the UK to achieve Investing in Volunteers status and have been included in the Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to Work For, for 11 years, placed 17th for 2020. This year we have been included in the Best Education & Training Organisations to work for list top 25.

The role of Student Duty Supervisor is a key role within our busy Retail Department. The post holder will be responsible for the provision of excellent customer service in our two Coop Franchise stores, motivating staff, supervising the shop floor, stock and cash control, health and safety of staff, customers, and the security of the building and its contents.

The postholder will be a self-motivated, highly driven and flexible individual, who works well in a team or on their own. They will have experience of working in a busy commercial and customer-focused organisation and will have excellent communication skills. They will be highly competent in supervising teams of staff to achieve outstanding customer service and ideally will have experience of working in a commercial operation. They will be an effective supervisor and leader and will be positive, confident and resourceful.

To apply please head to https://kentunion.staffsavvy.me/apply/login by Sunday 16th November – Midnight.

Successful applicants must be available to complete relevant department training from Monday 6th January to 16th January 2026, including the Leadership and Management Supervisor Training course. The attendance of these courses is a mandatory requirement from the post-holder.

Closing date for applications: Sunday 16^th November – Midnight 2025

Shortlisting for applications: Tuesday 18^th November 2025

Interviews will be held on: Monday 24^th November – 28^th November 2025

Store Training: Monday 6^th January – 16^th January 2026