Assistant Manager

Assistant Manager | Blackbird Bakery

Are you a hands-on leader ready to take the next step? At Blackbird, our Assistant Managers are the Shop Manager's right hand-leading from the floor one minute and driving the business the next. We're looking for someone who combines brilliant people skills with real commercial awareness and a "Service First" mindset.

If you love developing a team, thrive on responsibility, and are ready to run the show when the manager steps away, we want to hear from you!

The Blackbird Way: Driving the Standard

As Assistant Manager, you champion our four core pillars every single day:

• ?️ Plain Talking: You keep communication flowing in every direction-briefing the team clearly, cascading updates from the manager, and giving honest, respectful feedback that helps people grow.

• ? Real Me: You lead with ownership and pride. You treat the shop like your own, hold yourself to the highest standards, and aren't afraid to suggest better ways of doing things.

• ? Working Together: You're the bridge between the team and the manager. You plan, organise, and support so everyone knows their role, feels valued, and pulls in the same direction-even in the busiest rush.

• ☕ Service First: You set the pace on customer experience. You coach the team to exceed expectations, act on feedback, and make every visit memorable for our local community.

The Mission & Purpose

To support the Shop Manager in the efficient day-to-day running of the shop-and to run it confidently in their absence. You will deliver the highest standards of service and product quality through a well-trained, motivated team, while playing an active part in maintaining and improving turnover and profitability.

Key Objectives

• Deputy Leadership: Take full ownership of the shop in the manager's absence, keeping operations, standards, and the team on track.

• Team Development: Coach, support, and develop Supervisors and Team Members to build a high-performing team.

• Commercial Support: Assist the manager in maximising revenue and controlling costs through daily KPIs and smart decision-making.

• Brand Excellence: Ensure product quality, presentation, and service consistently follow the "Blackbird Bible."

Your Responsibilities: Running the Shop

? Operations & Commercial Support

• KPI Support: Assist with rotas, forecasting, and daily KPIs; take remedial action alongside the manager when needed.

• Sales & Initiatives: Help deliver local marketing plans, promotional activity, sampling, and new product launches.

• Stock Control: Order and control stock according to procedure; record and report wastage; process supplier invoices.

• & Security: Oversee digital payment processing, banking reconciliation, store security, and key-holder responsibilities.

? Team Leadership & Development

• Shift Leadership: Lead team briefings and manage opening and closing procedures to the highest standard.

• Training & Induction: Manage the induction of new starters, keep training records up to date, and ensure the team attends relevant training.

• Performance Coaching: Support the manager with job chats, performance conversations, and addressing issues such as lateness or incidents.

• Recruitment: Participate in the recruitment process and assessment days alongside the manager.

? Stock, Safety & Controls

• Quality Control: Ensure deliveries are checked for quality and quantity and stored to food safety standards-never allowing sub-standard products to reach customers.

• Audits & Hygiene: Maintain high hygiene standards, participate in audits, and lead daily stock checks and rotations.

• Health & Safety: Identify hazards, take corrective action, and respond to any food hygiene issues to protect the team, our customers, and the brand.

? Retail Excellence

• Service Speed: Monitor service so customers are never kept waiting, especially during peak trade.

• Displays & Standards: Lead the team to maintain full, perfect, and correctly labelled product displays.

• Customer Care: Resolve complaints effectively, investigate their causes, and use feedback and loyalty data to help the shop grow.

The Attributes We Value

• Passion for leading food & drink quality and an excellent customer experience.

• Excellent Communication skills and a professional approach.

• Fantastic Standards and a "can-do" attitude.

• Outgoing & Lively personality.

• Flexible, Committed, and Highly Motivated.

Please note: These are the key tasks for the role, but the list may change in line with business needs.