Retail Assurance Manager

About Us

Yorkshire is one of the regions hardest hit by cancer. Together, we can change this.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is a charity dedicated to funding research so that you and those you love live longer healthier lives, free of cancer.

Thanks to supporters, the charity funds vital cancer research and pioneers innovative new services for people with cancer. These life-giving medical breakthroughs are helping more people survive cancer in Yorkshire, and beyond.

As an inclusive employer, our aim is to ensure our workforce reflects the rich diversity of our region. We believe a diverse workforce is vital to us taking action to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer more effectively in Yorkshire. We offer equal opportunities regardless of race, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnerships.

The Benefits

We offer all employees a wide range of benefits including an enhanced contributory pension scheme, 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (increasing to 30 days after 5 years service), flexible working arrangements, private medical insurance, enhanced maternity leave, career progression, learning and development, wellbeing initiatives, offices within walking distance of Hornbeam Park train station, and a whole lot more.

We ve got a strong set of values that inform everything we do and we re looking for people who are aligned with these. As our Retail Assurance Manager, you will put people in Yorkshire at the heart of everything you do, unite with colleagues and other organisations in this cause, and dare to think big and bold to make positive solutions happen.

To find out more about our values and how important they are to us, please read the role profile.

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.

Specifically, you will:

• Be the Health & safety (H&S) lead for retail and wider charity and be 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 team s risk registers.

• Create an intuitive system to ensure Health & Ssafety policy and procedures are maintained, relevant and up to date.

• Support provision of COSHH registers on our premises.

About You

To be considered for this role, you will need:

• To have proven experience in an assurance, audit, compliance, risk, Health & Safety, or retail operations role (ideally within multi-site retail or a customer-facing estate).

• To have working knowledge of relevant legislation and best practice (e.g., Health & Safety, Fire Safety, food safety where applicable, GDPR/data protection, safeguarding awareness) and the ability to translate requirements into practical guidance.

• To have experience of planning and delivering an audit/inspection programme, including developing checklists/standards, conducting site visits, identifying non-conformance, and agreeing proportionate improvement actions.

• To have experience of producing clear reports and presenting findings to different audiences, including senior stakeholders, with recommendations that balance risk, practicality and commercial impact.

• A NEBOSH qualification would be preferred but we would consider IOSH with a view to training towards NEBOSH to the right applicant.

• To be Educated to A Level or above.

• To have basic Health and Safety and Fire training in previous roles alongside an awareness of GDPR, Cyber Security and Safeguarding or ability to demonstrate awareness of the above. Good understanding of Data Protection principles.

• To have IT literacy in particular with Microsoft Office.

Application

To apply please submit a CV and cover letter outlining your suitability for the role to Claire Wooldridge, Head of People before 16th June 2026. Please read our privacy notice before applying.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is a responsible and flexible employer. We welcome any discussion for flexible working at the interview/offer stage where we will consider an individual s 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.

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.