The posting
Job description
Royal Voluntary Service has an opportunity available for a Retail Customer Assistant to join our team at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UY. You will join us on a part-time, permanent basis, and in return, you will receive a competitive salary of £12.71 per hour (FTE £23,136 per annum).
About the Retail Customer Assistant role:
Royal Voluntary Service hospital cafés, shops, and trolleys are an integral part of the NHS and a valued asset in their own right. Staffed by a dedicated team of employees and volunteers, we provide an outstanding range of beverages and healthy food choices. Our customers appreciate knowing that the money they spend with us helps fund volunteer action in hospitals and the wider community.
Working alongside a friendly team of employees and volunteers, you will support the daily operation of our busy retail trolley service at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
In this role, you will be responsible for:
• Providing friendly, kind, and empathetic customer service when visiting hospital wards and assisting in the cafés • Setting up, taking out, and packing away the trolley, ensuring it is well-presented and stocked for each ward visit • Greeting patients and staff warmly during trolley visits, informing them about available products or specials, answering any questions, and processing orders and payments using the mobile till • Supporting and working alongside volunteers, helping to train and coordinate them during trolley service shifts
Hours: 12 per week, you will be working typically Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 3 hours a shift on a rota basis
Location: Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UY
Our retail sites are open every day, including weekends and all bank holidays. There may also be opportunities for paid overtime during busy periods or to cover absences.
What you'll bring as our Retail Customer Assistant:
Working in a hospital environment requires a special kind of customer service. Your ability to communicate with patients, staff, and visitors in a kind, empathetic, and cheerful way will make a real difference to someone’s day. The key is to adapt your approach to each individual to ensure their needs are met, whether you’re visiting wards with the trolley or assisting in the café.
This is what we're looking for:
• Previous experience in a retail environment would be an advantage, but training will be provided - just bring a positive attitude, a can-do mindset, and a willingness to learn, and we’ll teach you the rest. • Enjoy working within a passionate team of employees and volunteers, as well as independently during trolley rounds. • Knowledge of EPOS / till systems would be advantageous. • Experience with general administrative processes would be beneficial. • A willingness to engage in training and ongoing professional development. • The ability to deliver outstanding customer service with kindness and empathy. • Great communication skills, especially in sensitive hospital settings. • Excellent organisational skills to manage trolley visits and stock. • Familiarity with email and internet is required. • Good literacy and numeracy skills. • A flexible approach towards working hours.
This is what you'll be doing:
To ensure the effective operation our trolley service in maintaining outstanding standards, whilst providing friendly, helpful, and excellent customer service to all staff & patients, maximising a great shopping experience. Provide friendly, helpful, and efficient customer service at all times
• Providing friendly, kind, and empathetic customer service when visiting hospital wards • Greeting patients and staff warmly during trolley visits, informing them about available products or specials, answering any questions, • Setting up, taking out, and packing away the trolley, ensuring it is well-presented • This role involves pushing loaded trolleys of stock for long distances. • Regularly replenishing stock and displays on the trolley and in the cafés to ensure availability • Date rotate stock as appropriate. Assist in the accurate completion of regular stock checks • Cashing up the mobile till accurately at the end of each trolley round • Supporting and working alongside volunteers, helping to train and coordinate them during trolley service shifts • Maintaining a high level of cleanliness complying with Health and Safety and food hygiene standards and ensuring all areas of the trolley remain tidy • Preparing hot and cold drinks (Café) • From time to time, you may be required to work in our retail unit
This is how you'll be doing it:
Delivers Objectives Strives to deliver what is expected or required of them and consistently meets objectives and deadlines. Is dependable and does not like abandoned tasks without seeing them through to the end. Work is often conducted in a thorough and methodical manner.
Quality Orientation Pays attention, is precise, checks, and completes things Focuses on getting things right and seeks to ensure that decisions and solutions minimise risk. Adheres to policy and standards.
Team Working Enjoys participating in group activities and likes to work with other people. Is ready to collaborate with and support others and is willing to cooperate and compromise for the overall good.
Service Delivery Focussed Identifies and focuses on the individual needs and concerns of the customer or client. Engages and responds accordingly with a professional and high-quality service. Is committed to keeping people safe from harm.
Following Directions Is motivated to accept and comply with standards and instructions and delivers accurately on what is promised or expected. Works productively in co-operation with, and support of, others.
Interpersonal Sensitivity Has the ability to interact with others in a sensitive and effective way. Respects and works well with others. Is able to build and maintain healthy relationships that are mutually beneficial.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Values difference and sets a positive example of inclusive behaviour in all interactions and promotes practices that celebrate equality and diversity in the workplace and the communities we serve. Is an active participant and encourages others to engage effectively with charity wide inclusion activities.
Job benefits
- A salary of £12.71 per hour (FTE £23,136 per annum)
- 26 days’ holiday (pro rata) plus paid statutory Bank Holidays (pro rata)
- Up to 2 days paid volunteer leave a year, through our employer supported volunteer scheme
- Ten weeks’ company sick pay following successful completion of probation
- A great pension scheme
- 2 x Salary Death in Service Benefit, subject to qualification
- Enhanced Family Leave schemes
- An employee benefits package that gives access to an exclusive rewards website to get discounts and cashback online
- A 24-hour doctor line, financial support with dental/optical and other therapies
- A free and confidential employee assistance programme with up to six face-to-face counselling sessions included
- Extensive online and on the job training to ensure you will succeed in your role
- Opportunities to discuss flexible working
- Opportunities to develop new skills and progress your career
- The chance to make a positive, lasting impact that changes lives, communities and society
If you feel have the skills and experience to become our Retail Customer Assistant please click ‘apply’ today, we’d love to hear from you!
If successful in your application for this role a DBS check will be made as part of your pre-employment checks.
This is the latest you'll be able to apply, providing we do not close to applicants early:
The closing date for this role is 2nd December 2026. However, we reserve the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received. Please do not delay your application we often get a lot!
At Royal Voluntary Service our goal is to welcome everyone and build inclusive and diverse teams. We celebrate difference and encourage everyone to join us and be themselves at work. To find out more about our commitment to EDI, visit our website.
Join Royal Voluntary Service and together we can change lives, change communities and change society.
Other organisations may call this role Retail Assistant, Shop Assistant, Café Assistant, Store Assistant, Retail Sales Assistant, or Customer Service Assistant.
