Apply now »

Department Manager for Cycling

Location: 

London - Kensington, GB, W8 7RL

Contracted Hours:  39
Salary: 
Sport:  Cycling

THE JOB  

As a Department Manager, you'll combine your love for sports with your leadership skills to create a thriving environment for both your team and our customers. You'll be responsible for developing and implementing strategies to enhance the customer experience, drive sales performance, and foster a passionate and collaborative team environment within your sport department.

Drive Omnichannel Performance and Growth

  • Develop a Winning Strategy: Create and implement a localised omnichannel strategy that aligns with overall store goals and maximises sales performance across all channels (in-store, online, and beyond).
  • Build Customer Loyalty: Provide exceptional customer experiences at every touchpoint to foster long-term relationships and encourage repeat business.
  • Optimise Retail Spaces: Continuously improve the physical and digital store layouts to enhance customer experience and product discovery, and drive sales conversions.
  • Champion Safety and Circularity: Lead the implementation of safety and circularity initiatives, ensuring compliance with company standards and promoting sustainability practices.
  • Achieve Performance Targets: Set, monitor, and achieve commercial objectives and profitability targets across all sales channels.
  • Build a High-Performing Team: Develop and manage a skilled and adaptable team to support business needs, drive growth, and achieve efficiency targets.

 

Lead and develop a high-performing team

  • Foster a Positive Work Environment: Cultivate a positive and engaging workplace where Decathlon's values and culture are embraced and celebrated.
  • Empower Teammates: Inspire, mentor, and empower team members to develop their skills, autonomy, and entrepreneurial spirit through personalised development plans and regular feedback.
  • Drive Customer Excellence: Ensure all team members are equipped with the knowledge and skills to exceed customer expectations and contribute to strategic goals.
  • Ensure a Fair and Inclusive Workplace: Uphold and enforce company policies and legal regulations to create a fair, inclusive, and respectful work environment for all team members.
  • Plan for Future Success: Design and implement staffing plans that align with current and future commercial objectives, economic activities, and organisational changes.

 

Oversee Daily Store Operations Performance

  • Maintain Store Security: Ensure a safe and secure environment for both customers and teammates by implementing and upholding security measures.
  • Optimise Team Availability: Manage team schedules and resources to effectively meet customer demands and provide exceptional service throughout the day.
  • Ensure Product Availability: Manage inventory levels, coordinate supply chain operations, and ensure seamless product availability to meet customer needs.

THE PROFILE

We're seeking a passionate and driven leader who embodies our values and is excited to inspire their team to achieve outstanding results. You:

  • Are passionate about sports and dedicated to fostering a thriving team environment. You prioritise tasks effectively, are organised, and excel at collaboration and knowledge sharing. You actively listen, communicate persuasively, adapt to challenges, and demonstrate efficiency and emotional intelligence.
  • Are dedicated to providing exceptional customer experiences and building strong relationships with the community.
  • Possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills, enabling you to develop and implement effective strategies to drive business growth and achieve key performance indicators.
  • Communicate clearly and persuasively, actively listen to understand diverse perspectives, and provide constructive feedback to foster growth and development.

Key Skills and Abilities:

In addition to the above qualities, you possess the following skills and abilities or demonstrate the capacity to quickly learn and effectively apply them: 

  • Planning & Forecasting: Develop and implement action plans to ensure your team is prepared for key periods throughout the year, promoting relevant products and services to meet customer needs.
  • Performance Management: Manage the performance of your department, including layout optimisation, product promotion, and stock availability, to maximise sales and profitability.
  • Sales Force Management: Lead and motivate your team to achieve sales targets and develop business opportunities.
  • Stock Management: Ensure stock reliability, optimise stock performance, and maintain profitability through effective inventory management practices.
  • Commercial Strategy: Analyse market trends, define target audiences, and develop and implement commercial strategies to achieve business objectives.
  • Product Range Selection: Curate a product range that meets the needs of your customers and aligns with seasonal demands.
  • Financial Management: Understand and manage the department's profit and loss statement (P&L), ensuring economic viability and profitability.
  • Activity Management: Lead and debrief team activities, implement action plans, and monitor progress towards objectives.
  • Circular Economy Promotion: Promote and encourage the use of circular services, such as product trade-ins, second-life options, repairs, and rentals, to support sustainability initiatives.
  • Safety & Security: Ensure a safe and secure environment for customers, teammates, and products, upholding safety regulations and protecting customer data.
  • Team Development: Foster team cohesion, collective intelligence, and a shared vision to achieve common goals.
  • Staff Management: Develop and mentor teammates through performance reviews, identify individual needs, and provide opportunities for growth and development.
  • Recruitment & Onboarding: Define recruitment needs, attract and recruit talented individuals, and ensure smooth onboarding and integration of new teammates.
  • Human Resources Management: Oversee the legal framework for staff management, define organisational structure, and coordinate team flexibility to meet business needs.
  • Scheduling & Operations: Manage daily store operations, including scheduling, task allocation, and resource management, to ensure efficient and effective workflow.
  • In addition to these skills and abilities, you're comfortable working in a dynamic retail environment, including weekends and holidays, and are excited to contribute to the success of our team.

If you’re someone who thrives in a dynamic environment, a career at Decathlon could be a great fit. Our welcoming culture, rooted in values of vitality, responsibility, generosity, and authenticity—and brought together by a shared passion for sports—offers a truly enriching experience for everyone.

Get to enjoy the following benefits and perks:

  • Healthy discounts on all Decathlon goodies
  • Fun weekly Staff Sports/Activities
  • Pedal your way to work with the Cycle-to-Work Scheme
  • Dive into top-notch training at Decathlon Academy
  • Dive into hundreds of discount vouchers (think groceries, travel, shopping, and more!) with our discount hub developed by SmartSpending!

… and many more

Careers That Let You Play. Lead. Grow. Make an Impact.

International. Sport-passionate. Entrepreneurial. At Decathlon, we believe in bringing people together through sport and making its benefits accessible to everyone.

As part of the DECATHLON Group, one of the world's largest sports retailers, we offer exciting opportunities to develop your career, take ownership and make a real difference.

Welcome to High Street Kensington!

Located in the heart of one of London's most vibrant and prestigious shopping destinations, Decathlon High Street Kensington is a dynamic, high-performing store serving a diverse and international customer base.

With approximately 1,000 sqm of retail space and an annual turnover target of £7.43 million, our store offers a fast-paced commercial environment where ambition, teamwork and entrepreneurship come together.

A newly transformed store. A new chapter. An exciting opportunity!

In October 2026, we completed a major transformation of our store, redesigning our departments, improving our commercial layouts and creating a fresh shopping experience for our customers.

Cycling now takes centre stage at our store entrance!

With increased visibility, a prime commercial position and exciting opportunities for growth, Cycling is one of our key departments in this new chapter.

We're now looking for an experienced Cycling Department Manager ready to take ownership, bring fresh ideas and help us unlock the full potential of our newly transformed store.

Whether you're an experienced Decathlon Department Manager ready for a new challenge or a retail leader looking to bring your expertise to Decathlon, this could be your next opportunity!

THE JOB

As our Cycling Department Manager, you'll be more than just a manager. You'll be a business leader, a people developer and a key contributor to the success of High Street Kensington.

You'll take full ownership of your department, combining your commercial expertise, leadership experience and passion for sport to drive performance, develop your team and deliver an outstanding customer experience.

With Cycling now positioned at the entrance of our newly transformed store, you'll have a unique opportunity to shape its future, maximise its commercial potential and make a visible impact from day one.

What You'll Do

1. Drive Commercial Performance and Growth

  • Own Your Business: Take full responsibility for your department's commercial performance, profitability and key business indicators.

  • Unlock New Opportunities: Maximise the potential of Cycling's new prime location, identifying opportunities to increase sales, conversion and customer engagement.

  • Build a Winning Strategy: Develop and implement a local commercial strategy aligned with our customers' needs and overall store ambitions.

  • Make Data-Driven Decisions: Analyse performance, identify areas for improvement and turn insights into concrete action plans.

  • Deliver an Exceptional Customer Experience: Optimise merchandising, product availability and omnichannel services to create a seamless shopping experience.

  • Champion Circularity: Develop sustainable services such as repairs, second-life products and buyback opportunities.

2. Inspire, Develop and Lead Your Team

  • Lead with Confidence: Inspire and manage a high-performing team, creating a positive, inclusive and results-driven environment.

  • Develop Future Talents: Coach your teammates, identify potential and support their growth through personalised development plans.

  • Empower Your Team: Build autonomy, encourage initiative and create a culture of accountability and entrepreneurship.

  • Drive Collective Performance: Set clear expectations, follow up on individual and collective results and celebrate achievements.

  • Build a Strong Team: Recruit, onboard and develop teammates while ensuring the right organisation to support business needs.

3. Take Ownership and Contribute Beyond Your Department

  • Be Part of the Leadership Team: Work closely with the Store Leader and fellow Department Managers to drive the overall success of High Street Kensington.

  • Challenge the Status Quo: Bring fresh ideas, question existing processes and identify opportunities to improve efficiency and performance.

  • Lead Store Operations: Ensure strong operational standards, stock reliability, safety and effective resource planning.

  • Think Beyond Your Department: Contribute to store-wide projects, commercial decisions and long-term development.

  • Make an Impact: Take initiative, anticipate challenges and turn opportunities into results.

    WHO YOU ARE

    We're looking for an experienced, ambitious and entrepreneurial leader who is ready to take on a new challenge.

    You bring experience, confidence and a genuine desire to make a difference.

    • You're an Experienced Retail Leader: You already have experience managing a department or team, with a proven ability to deliver commercial results and develop people.

    • You're Commercially Driven: You understand KPIs, profitability and business performance, and know how to turn data into effective decisions.

    • You're an Inspiring People Leader: You know how to motivate, coach and empower a team while creating a culture of trust and accountability.

    • You're Autonomous and Proactive: You take ownership, make decisions confidently and don't wait to be told what needs to be done.

    • You're Entrepreneurial: You see opportunities where others see challenges and aren't afraid to bring new ideas or challenge existing ways of working.

    • You're Organised and Solution-Oriented: You can manage priorities, anticipate challenges and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.

    • You're a Strong Communicator: You're comfortable presenting performance, collaborating with other managers and providing constructive feedback.

    • You're Passionate About Sport and Customer Experience: You understand the importance of making sport accessible and creating meaningful connections with customers.

    • You're Ambitious: You're motivated to keep learning, developing and taking on new responsibilities.

    Previous Department Manager or comparable retail management experience is required. Experience in Cycling is an advantage, but strong leadership and commercial skills are equally important.

    Key Skills and Abilities

    • Commercial strategy, KPI analysis and profitability management

    • Team leadership, coaching and talent development

    • Planning, forecasting and action plan implementation

    • Merchandising, product availability and stock management

    • Customer experience and omnichannel performance

    • Recruitment, onboarding and performance management

    • Operational excellence, safety and security

    • Effective communication, collaboration and decision-making

    • Entrepreneurial thinking, autonomy and problem-solving

    You'll be comfortable working in a dynamic retail environment, including weekends and bank holidays.

     

WHY JOIN HIGH STREET KENSINGTON?

Because this is more than just another Department Manager position.

You'll be joining a store that has just undergone one of its biggest transformations, with new commercial opportunities and ambitious goals ahead.

You'll have the chance to:

  • Make a Real Impact: Lead a department with a prime position at the entrance of our newly transformed store.

  • Own Your Business: Have the autonomy to shape your department's strategy, develop your team and drive results.

  • Grow as a Leader: Work alongside an ambitious leadership team that values initiative, collaboration and continuous development.

  • Be Part of Something Exciting: Help us turn our recent store transformation into long-term commercial success.

  • Build Your Future: Develop your skills, broaden your responsibilities and prepare for future career opportunities within Decathlon.

A new layout is just the beginning. What we achieve next is up to us. Are you ready to be part of it?

LIFE AT DECATHLON

At Decathlon, our culture is rooted in four values: Vitality, Responsibility, Generosity and Authenticity.

We believe in empowering our teammates, encouraging entrepreneurship and creating an environment where everyone has the opportunity to grow.

Benefits and Perks

  • Generous teammate discounts on Decathlon products

  • Fun monthly staff sports and activities

  • Cycle-to-Work Scheme

  • Training and development opportunities through Decathlon Academy

  • Access to hundreds of discounts on groceries, travel, shopping and more through SmartSpending

  • Career development opportunities across Decathlon

And much more!

Ready for your next challenge?

 

Decathlon is committed to inclusion and non-discrimination, and thus acts on a daily basis in favor of disability, a multi-generational workforce, social diversity, and equality between women and men. If, due to a disability, you require any special accommodations during the recruitment process, please let us know. At Decathlon, first and foremost, we are recruiting personality and character.

A note on reasonable adjustments

Decathlon is committed to inclusion and non-discrimination, and thus acts on a daily basis in favor of disability, a multi-generational workforce, social diversity, and equality between women and men. If, due to a disability, you require any special accommodations during the recruitment process, please let us know. At Decathlon, first and foremost, we are recruiting personality and character.
Floating Feedback Button

Apply now »