Upholstery Trainer; Manufacturing

It takes a whole lot of passion to be at the centre of what makes a house feel like home — and that’s just what we do ’re the leading sofa retail specialist in the UK, helping people find a comfy seat on their great quality sofas since 1969.

The Upholstery Trainer is responsible for delivering high-quality training and coaching to new and existing upholstery colleagues, ensuring they develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence required to meet quality, productivity, and safety standards. The role supports the continuous development of the upholstery team through practical instruction, performance monitoring, and ongoing skills development.

• Competitive Pay & Work-Life Balance:
  With an yearly salary of £38k and a reliable schedule, leading to a strong annual earning potential including uncapped commission.
• Working hours:
  
  40 per week – flexibility to cover early and late shifts.
• Growth and Training:
  Learn new skills and develop your career with us.
• Generous holiday allowance – the time you need to rest and relax and the longer you’re with us, the more time you’ll get. Opportunity to purchase additional holidays each year.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave: to give you the time you need to settle in with your new family member.
• Discounts:
  Get 30% off DFS and Sofology products for yourself, plus discounts for friends and family – and savings at big brands like Sainsbury’s, ASOS, and IKEA.
• Wellbeing Perks:
  Access healthcare services, an Employee Assistance Programme, and discounted gym memberships.
• Pension and Savings:
  Join our Group Pension and Sharesave schemes.
• Life Assurance & Sick Pay:
  Peace of mind with Life Assurance and Company Sick Pay.

• Identifying the skills, knowledge, and competencies required at each stage of the upholstery process, including correct preparation and assembly techniques.
• Assessing and evaluating current colleague skill levels, identifying strengths, development needs, and training requirements across all upholstery operations.
• Identifying skill shortages within the workforce and developing targeted training plans to address capability gaps.
• Delivering structured, hands‑on training to ensure colleagues achieve and maintain the required standards of quality, workmanship, and productivity.
• Coaching and mentoring colleagues on best‑practice upholstery techniques, promoting consistency and attention to detail.
• Working closely with the Product Development and Manufacturing teams to support new model introductions, ensuring training materials and delivery are aligned to new product requirements.
• Developing and implementing training programmes that increase operational flexibility by enabling colleagues to work competently across multiple upholstery processes.
• Supporting succession planning and workforce development by broadening skills and increasing cross‑functional capability.
• Accelerating colleague development through effective training provision, reducing the time taken for individuals to achieve full competency.
• Monitoring training effectiveness through competency assessments, quality measures, and performance reviews, adapting training programmes where required.
• Promoting a culture of continuous learning, quality excellence, and continuous improvement throughout the upholstery operation.
• Ensuring all training activities are delivered in accordance with company policies, product specifications, and Health & Safety requirements.

• Proven experience within an upholstery manufacturing environment, with a strong understanding of upholstery techniques, materials, and processes.
• Demonstrable experience across multiple stages of upholstery, including preparation, assembly, fitting, and finishing.
• Experience training, coaching, mentoring, or developing colleagues in a production or manufacturing setting.
• Experience conducting skills assessments and identifying development needs within a workforce.
• Experience supporting new product introductions or process changes is desirable.
• Previous experience working within a quality‑focused manufacturing environment.

• Strong technical…