Flagship Store Manager – Opticians

Contract: Permanent

Shift pattern: Weekday and weekend working - 37.5 Hour Contract

Location: Flexibility across the Oxfordshire area

Recruitment Partner: Laura Bradley - [email protected]

Need to know

As a Flagship Store Manager, you'll act as a role model within Boots Opticians, championing our values, leading by example and helping shape the standards that define our business.

We're looking for an experienced, people-focused and commercially minded Experience Manager to join Boots Opticians within our flagship store.

This role will play an important part in leading and developing our teams across the region, with a particular focus on creating brilliant customer and patient experiences, driving performance and maintaining high standards.

This opportunity is aimed specifically at experienced leaders who are ready to bring their leadership skills to Boots Opticians. Experience within optics, optometry or a regulated healthcare environment would be highly desirable, alongside a genuine passion for delivering outstanding care.

Your training and onboarding journey will be based at our Newbury store, where you'll gain hands-on experience, build relationships with our teams and develop a strong understanding of the Boots Opticians business and operating model.

Following successful completion of training, you will be permanently based within a Boots Opticians Flagship store located within approximately one hour of Newbury. Flexibility to travel during your training and development period will therefore be essential.

Job Description

Are you an experienced people leader looking for your next challenge?

At Boots Opticians, we're looking for an Experience Manager who knows how to lead from the front, create a great team environment, drive performance and put the customer and patient at the heart of everything they do.

This role is designed for an experienced leader who is already confident managing people, performance and operational standards and is now looking for the opportunity to make a real difference within Boots Opticians.

You'll spend time across different locations during your training programme, working alongside our teams and leaders to understand our business, our customers and patients, and the Boots way of working. This experience will provide a strong foundation for success as you transition into your permanent store placement.

Once established in the role, you'll continue to work collaboratively across the region, supporting teams to deliver consistently brilliant experiences and strong operational performance.

You'll be someone who is comfortable being visible and hands-on. You'll build strong relationships with your teams, understand what motivates people, set clear expectations and have the confidence to address challenges when they arise.

This isn't about stepping up for the first time. It's for leaders who already know how to build high-performing teams, manage performance, coach colleagues and create accountability, and who want to bring those skills into an environment where customer care and clinical excellence sit alongside commercial performance.

If you're resilient, authentic and clear in how you lead, and you take pride in developing people and improving the experience for customers and patients, you could be brilliant with Boots Opticians.

Key responsibilities

• Lead, inspire and develop colleagues to deliver exceptional customer and patient experiences.
• Build strong, engaged teams where expectations are clear and people take ownership for their performance.
• Support the delivery of commercial and operational performance across Boots Opticians locations.
• Champion the Boots Opticians brand and ensure our customers and patients receive a consistently brilliant experience.
• Build strong relationships with colleagues and understand what motivates them, where they need support and where they can develop.
• Manage performance effectively, addressing issues early, fairly and directly.
• Coach and develop colleagues, creating a culture where people feel supported, challenged and able to thrive.
• Maintain high standards across customer experience, operational processes and ways of working.
• Work collaboratively with Optometrists, Dispensing Opticians and wider store teams to create a joined-up experience.
• Be visible and hands-on, supporting teams across the region and adapting your approach to different locations and team needs.
• Use insight and performance information to identify opportunities and drive continuous improvement.
• Be curious and open to new ways of working, looking for opportunities to improve the experience for our customers, patients and colleagues every day.
• Support the successful implementation of Boots Opticians initiatives and strategy across the region.

• Significant experience in a leadership or management role within a busy, customer-focused environment.
• A proven track record of leading, coaching and developing teams.
• Strong commercial and operational awareness, with experience of driving performance and implementing strategy.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to work with colleagues at all levels.
• A clear, consistent leadership style that builds accountability, engagement and a strong team culture.
• Experience managing performance and having honest, sometimes challenging, conversations.
• A calm, flexible and resilient approach, with the ability to adapt quickly across different teams and locations.
• A genuine passion for delivering outstanding customer and patient experiences.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities effectively.
• A willingness and ability to travel during the training and onboarding programme based in Newbury.
• A passion for learning, with the drive to develop your own knowledge and support others to grow.

• Experience working within optics, optometry, optical retail or healthcare.
• Experience working within a regulated environment.
• Knowledge of optical services, patient journeys or the wider optics sector.
• Experience working alongside clinical professionals or multidisciplinary teams.
• Previous experience leading across multiple locations or supporting geographically dispersed teams.
• Confidence using technology, digital tools and performance data to improve ways of working.
• A relevant optical, healthcare or leadership qualification.

Where your brilliance can take you

At Boots Opticians, your career can be as ambitious as you are.

As an Experience Leader / Manager, you'll have the opportunity to build your leadership capability while developing a strong understanding of the Boots Opticians business. You'll work alongside experienced leaders and clinical colleagues, giving you exposure to different teams, locations and ways of working across the region.

Whether you want to continue developing your leadership career within Boots Opticians, progress into larger or more complex leadership roles, or explore opportunities across our wider Boots business, there are plenty of opportunities to grow.

We have field-based and leadership roles that influence operations, customer experience, resourcing, colleague development and performance across multiple locations, as well as opportunities beyond our stores and practices.

If you're looking to broaden your career, Boots also offers opportunities across our Nottingham Support Office in areas including Commercial, HR, Marketing, Buying, Strategy, Finance and Supply Chain.

Whatever path you choose, we'll give you the tools, training and support to be brilliant with Boots and build a career you can be proud of.

Rewards designed for you

• Boots Retirement Savings Plan
• Generous employee discount across Boots and partner brands for you and a family member
• Discretionary annual bonus
• 38 days annual leave
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave pay, and a gift card for those expecting or adopting
• Flexible benefits scheme, including holiday buying, gym discounts, life assurance and more
• 24/7 counselling and wellbeing support through TELUS Health, our Employee Assistance Programme

Find out more about Boots rewards

Exclusions may apply; eligible roles only. Please note that any salary estimates provided on third-party sites are not endorsed by Boots and may not be accurate.

A bit about us

At Boots, we're proud to be an equal opportunity employer, creating a place where everyone feels welcome, supported and free to be themselves.

We believe that when our people feel valued and included, they thrive. That's why we're committed to creating a brilliant Boots for our people, so they can make a difference for our customers, patients and colleagues every day.

What's next?

If you apply, one of our team will review your application and may be in touch by phone to discuss your application and experience further.

Where a role is advertised as full-time, we are open to discussing part-time and job share options. If you require additional support as part of the application and interview process, we're happy to provide reasonable adjustments to help you be at your best.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Be brilliant with Boots.