Night manager job description

If you always having trouble waking up in the mornings, sleep through the alarm and are forever being told off for being late, then maybe it’s time to change your working hours…

Working in retail has always provided you with flexible hours (it’s probably why you love it), so if you hate working mornings, why not switch and become a night manager?

So, what will I actually be doing?

A world away from the hustle, bustle and long lines of customers, night management is all about taking control of the store when the day comes to an end.

Overseeing other employees to make sure they’re doing their job properly (and not sleeping in the store cupboards), your duties can vary depending on whether the store is open for business overnight. Your nightly tasks may include:

Overseeing deliveries
Restocking shelves (or delegating it to a retail assistant)
Monitoring inventories
Making sure targets are hit
Ensuring the store runs smoothly
Training staff
Dealing with customer enquiries (if open through the night)
Organising the warehouse
Dealing with payroll issues
Ensuring the store is ready for the daytime hours
Making evening bank deposits

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The nitty gritty

As your title implies, you’ll be working through the night and into the morning, usually between the hours of 10pm and 7am.

Just like every retail job, expect to be working both during the week and on weekends, as retail doesn’t stop at 5pm on a Friday.

Very similar to the role of a day manager, it’s a very hands-on job, and although you may have your own office, expect to spend a lot of time on the shop floor.

Money, money, money

Salaries can vary depending on the company, location and whether the store remains open through the night, but you can expect to earn between £14,000 and £20,000 on a starting salary.

As you gain experience in the role, you can earn around £21,000- £28,000, and senior managers can earn over £40,000 a year.

See what people are earning in this job

The good points...

Even if the store is open all night, due to the ridiculously late hours of your shift you’ll have less customer enquiries to deal with, leaving you to get on with your job in peace.

Retail is a great sector if you’re looking to learn. As well as training on the job, you’ll also get the chance to study for related qualifications, giving you more transferable skills to put on your CV.

Plus depending on your company, you may get paid more for doing the “graveyard shift”.

...and the bad

If your store is open 24 hours a day, the type of customer you’ll be dealing with may differ from those that you normally see at 5pm. They won’t all be sober, and many will properly be in their pyjamas.

Plus if you’re not used to working late, expect your first ever night shift to be pretty exhausting, but we promise you’ll adapt quickly.

Is there study involved?

When it comes to qualifications, you don’t need to have gone to university or even completed secondary education; it's all about your personality.

Like most jobs in retail, previous experience is often seen as more important than qualifications and for this role, experience in a duty manager position or similar role is often preferred.

If you do have some basic qualifications (five GCSEs, grades A-C), including Maths, or a NVQ in Customer Service (or similar), your CV will stand out though.

Never had a job in retail before? Start looking for customer service assistant jobs; you'll get on the job training so you can start working your way up.

OK, I'm interested... But is it really the job for me?

Apart from having the ability to stay up till the early hours, there are some essential skills that are useful to have if you’re looking at taking on a night manager role. These include: