Retail Assurance Manager
Location: Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Directorate: Retail, Services and Operations
Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week
Salary: £38,000 per annum
Closing date: 18 June 2026
We offer hybrid working.
About Us
Yorkshire Cancer Research is a charity dedicated to funding research so that you and those you love live longer healthy lives, free of cancer. As an inclusive employer, we aim to ensure our workforce reflects the rich diversity of our region.
We offer equal opportunities regardless of race, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnerships.
We have a strong set of values that inform everything we do.
The Benefits
We offer a wide and generous range of benefits designed to support our employees through every stage of life.
The Role
As Retail Assurance Manager, you will provide specialist support, guidance, and oversight across all areas of operational risk within retail and estates, ensuring our locations operate safely, compliantly, and to agreed organisational standards. As the estate continues to grow, this role will enhance the organisation’s confidence in retail governance through effective assurance processes, training, and continuous improvement.
The role will develop and maintain frameworks, policies, and tools to support retail managers in managing risk locally, covering areas such as Health and Safety, Fire Safety, financial controls and Gift Aid. By embedding accountability for risk management at every level, the Retail Assurance Manager will enable managers to own compliance within their areas, reinforcing a culture of safety, integrity, and strong performance.
Working with the Head of Retail and Head of Retail Property and Estates, the post holder will design and deliver an operational annual retail audit programme, assessing performance across operational, financial, and compliance areas. Findings will inform improvement plans, demonstrate governance to the wider organisation, and help reduce incidents of non‑compliance, theft, and fraud.
Responsibilities
* Be the Health & Safety (H&S) lead for retail and wider charity and be the main point of contact for all related queries, concerns and escalations.
* Provide “how to” checklists and guidance for ladders, steamers, reading and actioning risk assessments, etc.
* Be responsible for records of compliance training, Health & Safety inductions and DSE assessments across retail and the wider charity, flagging to senior managers non‑compliance.
* Develop risk assessments and processes with owners of the risk so these are relevant and highlight immediate and progressive actions.
* Support the Centre Manager and Café Manager in food safety compliance, developing food safety policies and procedures.
* Work across retail and operations to ensure the Business Continuity Plan is up to date and maintain the team’s risk registers.
* Create an intuitive system to ensure Health & Safety policy and procedures are maintained, relevant and up to date.
* Support the provision of COSHH registers on our premises.
About You
* Proven experience in an assurance, audit, compliance, risk, Health & Safety, or retail operations role (ideally within multi‑site retail or a customer‑facing estate).
* Working knowledge of relevant legislation and best practice (e.g., Health & Safety, Fire Safety, food safety where applicable, GDPR/data protection, safeguarding awareness) and ability to translate requirements into practical guidance.
* Experience of planning and delivering an audit/inspection programme, including developing checklists/standards, conducting site visits, identifying non‑conformance, and agreeing proportionate improvement actions.
* Experience of producing clear reports and presenting findings to different audiences, including senior stakeholders, with recommendations that balance risk, practicality and commercial impact.
* NEBOSH qualification preferred; IOSH considered with view to training towards NEBOSH for the right applicant.
* Educated to A Level or above.
* Basic Health and Safety and Fire training in previous roles, alongside awareness of GDPR, Cyber Security and Safeguarding or ability to demonstrate awareness. Good understanding of Data Protection principles.
* IT literacy, particularly with Microsoft Office.
Application
Before applying, please read the full role profile linked above.
Yorkshire Cancer Research is a responsible and flexible employer. We welcome discussion for flexible working at the interview/offer stage where we will consider individual circumstances against the needs of the charity.
We positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates from all backgrounds. If we can make any reasonable adjustments to support your application please contact us.
Interviews
First interviews are scheduled to take place week commencing 15 June 2026 via Teams.
Second interviews are scheduled to take place week commencing 30 June 2026 in person at our Yorkshire Cancer Research Centre in Harrogate.
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