targetjobs UK
Industrial Placement – Retail Physical Estate Support
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
About The Role
Our 12-month Waitrose Retail Industrial Placement programme offers a unique and comprehensive experience designed to develop the next generation of leaders in Waitrose Retail. Over 12 months, IPs will gain experience in our Retail Physical Estate function, which is a Head Office role within the Retail Support Centre. The programme has been crafted to give IPs an in-depth understanding of our Waitrose expansion ambition in this exciting and rapidly evolving retail environment.
Our programme combines hands-on experience with real projects and on-the-job learning and development in our retail environment. During the programme, we will support you in developing your skills and capabilities so that you can be at your best, offering a range of learning and development opportunities, including coaching, mentoring, workshops, online learning, peer learning, and other unique opportunities that will stretch you. The role will require extensive travelling and flexible working patterns (including nights, weekends & potentially public holidays), and you should expect a significant number of intensive weeks away working on-site in order to provide a nationwide support function.
Salary: Up to £24,000. Please note from 1st April 2026, the salary range for this role will be £26,500
Contract type: This position is a Fixed Term contract for an Industrial Placement (typically 12 months).
Proposed Start Date: July 2026
Working pattern/flexible working: The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business. The team is expected to go to the office once a month, although this may be slightly more in the initial stages of the placement.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Location: Bracknell
Key Responsibilities
- Support the Retail Physical Estate Specialist with administrative tasks associated with planned projects in order to ensure smooth on-site implementation.
- Oversee and manage the delivery of phases of work in shops, ensuring they are fit to trade after the delivery of each phase of the project.
- Manage the agency team leaders, contractors, and shop Partners when on-site to ensure the delivery of the phases of work.
Essential Skills/Experience You'll Need
- As part of your degree, be able to take a year out in industry commencing July 2026.
About The Partnership
We’re the largest employee-owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.
We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality, and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.
As Partners, we all share the responsibility of ownership and its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours, and treating everyone with kindness and respect.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective.
As Partners, we make all the difference. And we all own it.
Important Points to Note
- It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.
- We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application, please contact us as soon as possible.
- We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing, or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills