Sainsbury's
Lead Format Development Manager

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Why join us
Joining Sainsbury's as the Lead Format Development Manager means being at the forefront of shaping the future of our in-store customer proposition, influencing how customers experience our physical store formats for the next five years and beyond. As a strategic business partner and thought leader, you will have the opportunity to drive innovative projects and initiatives that have a direct impact on our Win in Food and Brands that Deliver strategy. With a focus on customer satisfaction, financial performance, and operational efficiency, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams and external partners to deliver best-in-class store formats that delight our customers, offering a challenging yet rewarding environment where your drive and resilience will be instrumental in driving successful multi-million pound capital change plans.
What you'll do
As the Lead Format Development Manager at Sainsbury's, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering projects that impact the in-store customer proposition, driving the physical commercial change programme to enhance customers' shopping experience for the next five years and beyond. You will leverage data and insights to engage with stakeholders, develop proposition briefs, and manage projects through the key delivery teams, ensuring ideas are successfully trialled and documented. You will lead, develop and grow direct reports in this role. Your strategic leadership and analytical skills will be key in conducting post-investment reviews, driving the analytical agenda, and providing actionable business insights to support a successful multi-million pound capital change plan.
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I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
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StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
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You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
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Who you are
You are a strategic and forward-thinking project and people manager professional with a deep understanding of end-to-end retail operations and a strong focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences through innovative store formats. With a data-driven approach, you excel in engaging stakeholders, shaping strategic direction, and driving projects from inception to post-investment review, ensuring alignment with business objectives and financial goals. Your ability to distil insights from complex data sources, lead major change initiatives, and optimise processes sets you apart as a visionary leader in shaping the future of in-store customer propositions and driving business success through multi-million pound capital change plans.


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Essential Criteria
- Proven experience in Project Management within a large retail organisation or in a client setting. You will have worked in dynamic and fast-paced environments such as Retail or Consultancy firms where you have managed multiple complex projects simultaneously
- Demonstrable ability/experience to engage stakeholders and shape strategic direction using data and insights, including the capacity to influence senior leadership and drive cross-functional collaboration.
- Experience in managing projects from inception to post-investment review, ensuring alignment with business objectives and financial goals.
- Strong analytical skills to distil insights from complex data sources and drive the analytical agenda.
- Proven line management and leadership experience, including the ability to lead and develop teams to achieve business objectives.
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