Francesca Willis Email & Phone Number

Crowborough, Gb

East Grinstead, England, United Kingdom

East Grinstead

With specific responsibility for compliance and employees, this is a £375k+ weekly revenue branch in which I also fulfil the role of Duty Manager. I have the privilege of managing the life-cycle of 16 dedicated employees in the store - from recruitment and selection to training and development. Integral to this is daily communication, sharing of information and ideas and resolving any people related issues. High levels of employee engagement have been achieved. I reduce risk and maintain standards and quality through driving change where needed and ensuring we all comply with regulations and company standards relating to health and safety, risk assessments, use of equipment, country of origin and security – liaising with Trading Standards and Environmental Health where needed to achieve this. As Duty Manager I ensure operations run smoothly in all areas of the store to enable customers to experience an outstanding service. This involves being a visible presence, communicating to staff, anticipating problems and competently handling any issues relating to customers, employees, stock and facilities. Key skills developed in this role include leadership, people leadership, HR, customer relations, compliance and operational management.

Burgess Hill

Assistant Team Manager, Duty Manager and direct line manager of a 20 person operations team for this £400k+ weekly turnover store which also had an online delivery service. Whilst Duty Manager, I had oversight of all floor operations, customer service and a team of up to 40 staff. With emphasis on staff welfare at Waitrose, I was pleased to be appointed as ‘Forum Representative’ enabling me to represent the interests and needs of our staff at a regional level.

Hailsham

As Assistant Manager, I had specific responsibility for Fresh Foods, Operations and Replenishment divisions of this £250k turnover store with 100+ employees. During my time here, I was selected to manage the 10-week project to refit the entire Hailsham store. Completed during the night time, this involved rigorous scheduling, co-ordinating work during the project and being point of contact for all trades on site for the project. All work was completed on schedule and to specification.

Crowborough

I joined Waitrose at the age of 16 on a part-time basis whilst at college and university. Quickly progressing to ‘Team Leader’ for Customer Services, I was further promoted to Assistant Section Manager Trainee. This was a role of responsibility whilst at University and involved Duty Management within the store and leading projects in store including annual cleans and the customer Christmas evenings. These experiences enabled me to develop team leadership, project management, organisational and customer service skills to management level whilst completing my studies, giving me a head start on graduation into further management posts.