Why choose a career with us?

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Image 2023 09 25 T04 23 27

At the Heart of England Co-operative Society, we believe in building a thriving community, and our dedicated team is at the core of making this vision a reality. If you're passionate about making a positive impact, contributing to a community-focused organisation, and embracing a culture of teamwork, integrity, and innovation, then we want you to consider a career with us.

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    Commitment to growing talent from within
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    Diverse opportunities from Food to Funeral
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    Dedication to developing our colleagues
  • Green
    Defined career pathways to Store Manager

More About Us

Explore our current vacancies

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Customer Service Assistant
Balsall Common
£12.31

We are looking for Customer Service Assistants   Heart of England Cooperative Society are looking for Customer Service Assistants to join our growing team in our Balsall Common convenience store on a permanent, part-time contract for 16 hours per week.    About You As a Customer Service Assistant with the Society, you will be positive and flexible, with a ‘can do’ attitude. A good communicator who is eager to deliver excellent customer service, you will work alongside your team to create a great atmosphere for our customers, making us the ‘go to’ store within our local communities. Your passion for convenience retail and our products will be contagious, as will your ability to always go the extra mile.   Life at The Society   Great Place to Work At Heart of England Cooperative Society, we are a family, who want the best for each and every one of our colleagues. We achieve this through promoting wellbeing throughout the Society and encouraging the development of our colleagues through structured Training & Development.   First for Customers We are recognised as the ‘go to’ convenience store within the communities we serve, and we honour this through the delivery of outstanding customer service and the consistent delivery of exceptional store standards.   At the Heart of the Community Our stores are the beating heart of the communities in which we serve. We support local groups, clubs and good causes within our local communities, with the help of our dedicated colleagues and our Community & Membership Team.   Rewards & Benefits At the Society, we offer a competitive salary of £12.31 per hour and generous staff discount across our Food Stores, Funeral Branches, Fabb Furniture stores & Coop travel. Our holiday entitlement increases with service and we offer a generous pension contribution. We provide you with a structured training plan, which will give you the tools you need to nurture your career and realise your full potential, whether you are looking to be the best Customer Service Assistant you can be, or Store Manager. The opportunities are endless!

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Team Leader
Rugby
£12.56

We are looking for a Team Leader! Heart of England Cooperative Society are looking for a Team Leader to join our growing team in our Crick Convenience Food Store on a permanent, part-time contract for 16 hours per week.   About You As a Team Leader within the Society, you will step up into a position of responsibility, supporting in the running of the store and an integral part of motivating and driving the team. If you have proven yourself as a leader before and have a passion for convenience retail, this is the role for you. You will work closely with the Store Manager to ensure all areas of the store are taken care of, and act as a role model to the rest of the team in championing the Society’s Mantra and behaviours. Our customers will be the focus of everything you do, and you will support in projects within our local communities.   Life at The Society   Great Place to Work At Heart of England Cooperative Society, we are a family, who want the best for each and every one of our colleagues. We achieve this through promoting wellbeing throughout the Society and encouraging the development of our colleagues through structured Training & Development.   First for Customers We are recognised as the ‘go to’ convenience store within the communities we serve, and we honour this through the delivery of outstanding customer service and the consistent delivery of exceptional store standards.   At the Heart of the Community Our stores are the beating heart of the communities in which we serve. We support local groups, clubs and good causes within our local communities, with the help of our dedicated colleagues and our Community & Membership Team.   Rewards & Benefits At the Society, we offer a competitive salary of £12.56 per hour, which rises to £13.20 after the successful completion of the probation period. You can benefit from our generous staff discount across our Food Stores, Funeral Branches, Fabb Furniture stores & Coop travel. Our holiday entitlement increases with service, and we offer a generous pension contribution. We provide you with a structured training plan, which will give you the tools you need to nurture your career and realise your full potential, whether you are looking to be the best Team Leader you can be, or Store Manager, the opportunities are endless!

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Customer Service Assistant
Rugby
£12.31

We are looking for Customer Service Assistants   Heart of England Cooperative Society are looking for Customer Service Assistants to join our growing team in our Crick convenience store on a permanent, part-time contract for 12 hours per week.    About You As a Customer Service Assistant with the Society, you will be positive and flexible, with a ‘can do’ attitude. A good communicator who is eager to deliver excellent customer service, you will work alongside your team to create a great atmosphere for our customers, making us the ‘go to’ store within our local communities. Your passion for convenience retail and our products will be contagious, as will your ability to always go the extra mile.   Life at The Society   Great Place to Work At Heart of England Cooperative Society, we are a family, who want the best for each and every one of our colleagues. We achieve this through promoting wellbeing throughout the Society and encouraging the development of our colleagues through structured Training & Development.   First for Customers We are recognised as the ‘go to’ convenience store within the communities we serve, and we honour this through the delivery of outstanding customer service and the consistent delivery of exceptional store standards.   At the Heart of the Community Our stores are the beating heart of the communities in which we serve. We support local groups, clubs and good causes within our local communities, with the help of our dedicated colleagues and our Community & Membership Team.   Rewards & Benefits At the Society, we offer a competitive salary of £12.31 per hour and generous staff discount across our Food Stores, Funeral Branches, Fabb Furniture stores & Coop travel. Our holiday entitlement increases with service and we offer a generous pension contribution. We provide you with a structured training plan, which will give you the tools you need to nurture your career and realise your full potential, whether you are looking to be the best Customer Service Assistant you can be, or Store Manager. The opportunities are endless!

Apply
Area Manager
Coventry
£52,000

Join us and help shape the future of our Food stores At Heart of England Co-operative Society, we’re proud to serve our communities through our network of convenience food stores. We’re now looking for an experienced Area Manager to work alongside our Head of Store Operations to deliver our Food strategy, drive performance, and inspire our store teams to deliver exceptional service every day. This is a key leadership role with responsibility for developing Store Managers, improving commercial performance, and ensuring our stores remain safe, efficient and at the heart of the communities we serve. About the role As Area Manager, you will lead and support a portfolio of food stores, ensuring strong operational standards, commercial success and a culture where colleagues thrive. You’ll act as a visible role model, coach and mentor to Store Managers, helping them achieve outstanding results while living our values and behaviours. Key responsibilities Leadership & People Implement and embed the Society’s Food Strategy across your area Coach, mentor and support Store Managers to drive performance and develop their teams Create and deliver structured people development and succession plans with HR Support recruitment, training and performance management across your stores Promote a positive culture that celebrates success and strengthens collaboration Lead by example through regular store visits, coaching and hands-on support Deputise for other Area Managers when required Operational Excellence Ensure stores operate safely, efficiently and in full compliance with legislation and Society policies Drive continuous improvement and successfully implement new initiatives Oversee new store openings and refits with the Senior Management team Encourage strong community engagement across all stores Financial & Commercial Performance Support the Head of Store Operations in monitoring divisional financial performance Help Store Managers manage costs including stock loss, wastage and payroll Analyse turnover and promotional activity to identify growth opportunities Contribute to business planning, budgeting and delivery of targets Ensure compliance with all policies and processes across the area Customer Experience Inspire store teams to deliver exceptional customer service and store standards Keep up to date with convenience retail trends and share insights across the division Drive effective merchandising, point of sale and store layout improvements About you We’re looking for a commercially minded, people-focused retail leader who can motivate large teams and deliver results. Essential: Experience in a multi-site retail management role, preferably within food convenience. Proven experience in a senior retail management role Strong leadership and coaching skills Experience developing high-performing teams and succession planning Excellent communication and influencing skills Commercial and analytical mindset with sound financial awareness Experience managing employee relations issues such as disciplinaries and grievances Strong organisational and time-management skills Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) You’ll also be: Passionate about convenience retail A confident decision maker who can win hearts and minds Calm under pressure and highly driven A natural leader who motivates and engages others Qualifications: A-level (or equivalent) plus higher education qualification (HND/Diploma) or equivalent experience. Why join us? £52,000 salary Company car Be part of a values-driven, community-focused co-operative Colleague Discount 10% plus double discount on 4-weekly pay weekend Pension scheme 3.3% employer contribution 30 days holiday (incl bank holidays) rising with length of service FAB furniture discount of 15% Enhanced maternity pay Enhanced redundancy pay Discounts and savings platform – My Staff Shop Wagestream EAP with GP Access – referrals, prescription service, GP consultations, phone and in-person counselling Refer A Friend Scheme Long Service Award Support for eye care Financial and Wellbeing support from: Co-op Credit Union, Grocery Aid Life Insurance 2 x salary Health Assured Bereavement Support Health Assured Wellbeing Services, including My Healthy Advantage mobile app ZGP24 Service providing video and phone consultations, open referrals and prescription service Crisis 24 – Worldwide security and health information service Terminal illness support If you would like the opportunity to shape the future of our Food division, and to be part of a values-driven, community-focused co-operative, then apply today!   The closing date for this role is Sunday 8th March.

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Join our team and be part of our journey!

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    Society

    ​Our Support Centre located in Coventry has a variety of roles in IT, People and Culture and Finance to name a few!

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    Funeral

    A unique and rewarding career, where you can find a sense of purpose helping families during a difficult time.​

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    Food

    ​Working in convenience retail provides opportunities to help people in the local community, it's fast paced and dynamic, with opportunuties to progress within the Society.

Hear what people say about us

  • ​I started my journey with Heart of England Co-Operative Society in April 2021 as a Business Analyst to work on a number of key projects as the society undertook it's own Retail Business Transformation. I worked closely and collaboratively with various departments at varying levels to support and help deliver the transformation. After being with the society for a year the Head of IT role was vacant and I was only trusted and supported to step into the role. This promotion has not only provided me with the opportunity to lead technological advancements crucial to the society's success but has also highlighted the organization's commitment to nurturing its talent. I am grateful for the support, opportunities, and trust placed in me, and I eagerly anticipate continuing to contribute to the society's success and growth.

    Manjinder Dhaliwal
    Manjinder Dhaliwal Head of IT
  • ​I joined the Society in May of 2022, having spent three years in the industry prior to arriving at Heart of England Co-operative Society. I started working in our Lower Holyhead Road funeral home, before moving to look after our Ansty Road funeral home in April 2023. It’s a fast-paced, challenging environment but I really enjoy the satisfaction you receive at the end of every day, knowing that you’ve managed to make a family’s journey through one of the most difficult times in their life a little easier. The team that I work with daily at Ansty Road all share the same goals and are committed to providing the very best care for the families that we serve in our local community.

    Jack Pestell
    Jack Pestell Community Funeral Director
  • I started at the Co-op in 2021 as an HR Officer and in 2022 I was promoted to HR Business Partner. My role is to support the Food Division by partnering with the Area Managers to ensure delivery of the People Plans and to provide coaching and support to the Store Managers on all areas of HR.​I’m partnered with two of the Area Managers and really enjoy my role as I get to work closely with the operational team and make a difference to the daily operations and support both colleagues and managers. The Society is always striving to do better and improve ways of working so I find it exciting to work for a forward thinking, innovative society and proud to be part of the team.

    Sarah Stallard
    Sarah Stallard HR Business Partner