Company Description

Because we strive to put people first.
Culture, our way.

Property Operations at Primark

What’s a career at Primark all about? The positive impact you’re making, the experiences you’re having and the people you’re with. You’re our inspiration. Embrace what sets you apart, own your career and develop in ways you never expected. Leave your mark. And do it your way.

Job Description

What You’ll Do

The Head of Space Optimisation is accountable for defining and delivering a best-in-class, end-to-end space strategy that positions space as a critical commercial lever for driving sales, margin and store productivity across the estate. This role brings together space optimisation across all stores (LFL and New), refits, CAD, and data and modelling into a single, integrated team, ensuring a consistent and commercially optimised approach to how space is designed, allocated and executed.

Operating at a strategic and enterprise-wide level, the role leads the development of data-led capabilities, including a centralised Space Optimisation Model, to enable smarter, more scalable decision-making across Merchandising, Retail and Store Development. The role is responsible for translating Primark's product and space strategy into executable plans across all stores, ensuring space allocation supports customer needs, category performance and long-term commercial objectives.

The role will establish and embed best-in-class space optimisation processes, creating a consistent approach to optimising and managing space across the estate. A key focus is maximising return on investment across all capital projects relating to space optimisation.

Through strong cross-functional leadership and a focus on performance, the role ensures that space is fully optimised across the store lifecycle, from initial feasibility and design through to in-store execution and ongoing continuous improvement, delivering measurable commercial impact and supporting long-term business growth.

In your role, you’ll collaborate with different people across a range of skillsets. Here’s a flavour of your day-to-day:

• Define and deliver the Space Optimisation strategy, positioning space as a key driver of sales, margin, store productivity and overall business performance.
• Act as a key strategic partner to senior stakeholders across Retail, Merchandising, Buying and Property, influencing decisions, building commitment to shared outcomes and driving business-wide change to maximise the commercial performance of space.
• Own the end-to-end space optimisation framework and governance, ensuring robust processes, clear decision-making and consistently high-quality delivery across all space activity.
• Lead space optimisation across new stores and refits, covering shopfloor and back-of-house layouts, adjacencies and space allocation to maximise conversion, customer flow, productivity and commercial performance.
• Lead the development and adoption of a centralised Space Optimisation Model, supporting data-driven decision-making across Merchandising, Grading, Option Management, Linear Planning and Retail performance.
• Oversee CAD and linear planning across the estate, improving planning accuracy, product grading integrity and execution while delivering a scalable approach at department and sub-department level.
• Own space data, reporting, modelling and performance metrics, using advanced analytics and insight to identify opportunities, measure outcomes and continuously improve space productivity.
• Lead and develop a high-performing, multi-disciplinary team, creating clear accountability, strong collaboration and an inclusive culture while coaching and empowering individuals to take ownership of their development and deliver commercial impact.