The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

The Furniture Stores Manager will effectively support the development, implementation and management of the University furniture procurement and recycling scheme.

The postholder will oversee the centralised management of furniture procurement, distribution, repair, recycling, and disposal to ensure the scheme is adequately supported in a sustainable and consistent manner throughout the furniture lifecycle.

Reporting to the Campus Transportation & Logistics Manager, the Furniture Stores Manager will be responsible for all aspects of the Furniture Stores from procurement, to recycling through to customer service.

This will involve working closely with external suppliers and University colleagues to streamline processes, optimise workflows and implement best practices for smooth and efficient furniture stock rotation and general management. The postholder will also develop policies, procedures and processes for the centralised management of furniture assets.

Excellent organisation and time management skills are essential to this role, as is the ability to work to tight deadlines with a high degree of accuracy.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Support the development of institutional policies for the centralised management of furniture assets.
• Develop and implement processes and procedures for managing the supply chain and purchase of furniture.
• Identify best value suppliers for desired stock items, create supplier contracts, negotiate discounts, and monitor procurement behaviour to inform the development of a fit for purpose supply chain.
• Liaise with University Procurement for vendor management and to develop approved supplier’s frameworks.
• Manage the delivery of new furniture, asset tagging and redistribution of new furniture.
• Develop and implement policies, processes and procedures for furniture procurement, repair, recycling, and redistribution.
• Organise, allocate and manage space for furniture storage, implementing processes for efficient and safe organisation of furniture stock.
• Manage order requests and liaise with logistics for campus delivery and redistribution.
• Input into strategic planning by analysing stock data, identifying trends and contribute to financial forecasting and future expenditure needs.
• Line manage and provide day to day supervision of a Furniture Stores Assistant.
• Deliver exceptional customer service by fostering a reactive, positive, and welcoming furniture stores service.
• Oversee the development of a digital marketplace to redeploy surplus / unwanted furniture internally or to charitable organisations.
• Act as a key point of contact for furniture stock queries, respond to and address customer queries, concerns, and complaints, using feedback to continuously improve and develop services.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and are respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Essential criteria

• A good standard of education to at least A level standard (Assessed at application).
• Significant experience of working at a senior level within a warehouse or logistics environment in an operations or managerial role (Assessed at application).
• Experience of analysing, interpreting, and presenting data (Assessed at application / interview)
• Well-developed IT skills (Assessed at application).
• Excellent interpersonal skills and experience of communicating with colleagues within and outside immediate work area (Assessed at application / interview).
• Excellent organisation skills, decision making and the ability to manage own workload whilst supporting the needs of others (Assessed at application / interview).
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team (Assessed at application / interview).
• Experience of reviewing processes and procedures and implementing changes to improve efficiency (Assessed at application / interview).
• Ability to work to tight deadlines with a high degree of accuracy and excellent organisation and prioritisation skills (Assessed at application / interview).
• Have well developed underpinning knowledge and practical experience of Health and Safety compliance in a warehouse / logistics environment (Assessed at application / interview).

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of and experience in stock control, inventory, and procurement (Assessed at application / interview).
• Hold a current forklift truck operators licence (Assessed at application / interview).

Further Information

Grade: 6

Salary: £31,387 - £35,880 per annum.  

Working pattern: 35 hours per week 

Line manager: Campus Transportation and Logistics Manager

Direct reports: Furniture Stores Assistant

Our website: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/efm

For informal enquiries about this job contact
Darren Hardwick on d.hardwick@sheffield.ac.uk

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place on the week commencing 17th March 2025. This will consist of an interview and a test/exercise. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage within one week of the closing date. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact Rachel Taylor, Business Operations Manager on r.taylor@sheffield.ac.uk

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).
 

What we offer

• A minimum of 38 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes; integrated with our Professional Services Shared Skills Framework.
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
  • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
  • support for those going through the menopause
  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment
  • and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

Closing Date : 05/03/2025 

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society. We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience. Our University Vision (www.sheffield.ac.uk/vision) outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that recognises and values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.