Are you ready to take your first step into a career or maybe you are early into your career and looking for a change in direction, ever thought about an Apprenticeship Program?
Due to our continued growth plans, we have an exciting opportunity for two Assistant Responsible Sourcing & Quality Managers to join us as an Apprentices on a 2 year program.
We are Wickes, a fast paced, UK retail business in the home improvement sector, we employ 8500 people across the UK in our stores, distribution and head office teams.
Wickes are a digitally led, service enabled organisation with a vision to have a project in every home. We are more than the nation’s favourite DIY store, we are a growing multichannel organisation, with a strong culture of authenticity and innovation.
What will I be doing?
Whilst on the Apprentice Program we also offer on the job training and development, this will include online, in person and onsite activity.
- You’ll be providing support to the Responsible Sourcing Manager and commercial team on the sourcing, application and suitability of products entering the supply chain and first level support to customer services and legal teams where product failure has occurred
- Working in a team, you‘ll be supporting the business in providing safe, compliant and sustainable products & services through management of suppliers, manufacturers and raw materials within the Wickes supply chain.
- You will contribute to the development and implementation of policies linked to sustainability, carbon reduction, ethical trading and product compliance.
Apprentice Program
- We offer both formal training and personnel development in the area of Quality Management and best practice, through accredited learning provided by our external partner, this is over a 2 year program with 6 hours a week focused on apprenticeship training.
- Year 1 - You’ll enrol on to the Quality Practitioner Apprenticeship standard
- Year 2 - You’ll enrol on to the Improvement Practitioner apprenticeship standard.
- Whilst on the program, you can expect to attend both face to face and virtual workshops, as well as regular one-to-one coaching with your Apprentice Coach, and your line manager at Wickes.
- For the first 6 months you will be based out of our Northampton Distribution Centre at NN4 7EX, this will be full time and thereafter, you will move to a Hybrid Flexible working pattern where you will ideally spend 2-3 days a week in the office. Working patterns and locations may vary throughout the program based on business priorities. There may also be overseas travel.
Skills & Experience required
- English and Maths at GCSE Grade C / 4 or above, or Functional Skills at Level 2 or above.
- Physics and Chemistry GCSE level / A Level would be advantageous but not essential.
- Candidates must have a full UK drivers licence, have access to a vehicle and be able to commute daily to our Northampton Distribution centre based at NN4 7EX.
Does this sound like you?
- There is a real opportunity to build your career with us, this means we are looking for someone that is a self starter, who is assertive, but also proactive and able to work on thor own initiative.
- You will be well organised with the ability to plan workloads to achieve deadlines.
- Building relationships across the business, you will also be curious, tenacious with good commercial acumen
- Wickes is a forward thinking business and so we are looking for someone who is keen to explore, learn about and experiment with new tools and technologies, and outside of this someone with a desire to learn and develop themselves too.
What can we offer you?
You’ll be supported with a fantastic 2 year Apprenticeship Program that is a recognised qualification in the market today, also benefiting from the support and development internally to grow and develop your career with us and become a qualified Responsible Sourcing & Quality Manager.
You'll earn a starting salary of £25k per year, increasing to £27k per year after successful completion of Year 1, increasing again after successfully completing the program to £30k per year.
We’ll also equip you with a benefits package that includes
- Save-as-you-earn scheme
- Contributory pension scheme
- Colleague discount
- Discount platform including savings and cash back at numerous retailers, savings on gym membership, cycle to work scheme
Our widely recognised wellbeing strategy is something we’re proud of at Wickes. As part of this, we offer a range of health and wellbeing benefits and support, including an Employee Assistance Programme, financial education & loans, and access to parental, menopause and fertility support.
We recognise the value of bringing our teams together to collaborate, support each other and build on our amazing culture. We are also encouraging our teams to work flexibly, with a blend of remote / office working.
About Us:
Wickes is a multi-channel retailer operating in the home improvement market. With 50 years in industry, Wickes now generates revenue in excess of £1.6Bn across 230 stores delivered by 8,000+ colleagues.
But it is the Wickes’ culture that is considered its best kept secret; it’s a collaborative, down to earth, fun and inclusive environment where people feel part of a winning team. All our colleagues come from different backgrounds, but what we all have in common is a determination to succeed and a passion for being the best we can be. If that sounds like you, we’ll make you feel right at home.
We are:
A rapidly growing business with revenues increasing threefold in the past 5 years. To support our long-term goals, we are investing in people, systems, and technology to ensure we stay ahead of the competition, so there has never been a better time to join the Carlisle family. We are experts in our chosen fields, working in fast-paced, highly collaborative, innovative, and customer-focused environments, empowering our people to deliver exceptional outcomes.
