Profit Protection Specialist - Field Based

Role Overview

PLEASE NOTE: As part of our organisational changes, our ongoing structure and roles continue to be reviewed. While this role is being advertised, circumstances may change and the role could be withdrawn/amended.

This is a Field Based role.

At WHSmith Europe our people are at the heart of everything we do. They are the ones that go the extra mile for our customers, the ones that enable our growth. The Profit Protection Specialist is accountable for protecting margin, reducing loss, strengthening operational compliance, and helping ensure stores operate safely across the UK estate. Through structured and unannounced Store Assurance visits, the role provides independent risk assessment, drives corrective action, and supports stores to deliver stronger performance across loss prevention, cash and stock control, food safety, health and safety, colleague welfare, incident prevention, and brand protection.

What You Will Be Doing

• Owning the delivery of the Store Assurance Program through planned and unannounced visits that assess compliance, control effectiveness, and operational discipline.
• Producing clear risk-based reports, agree corrective actions with store and field leadership, and track completion through to sustainable resolution.
• Identifying shrinkage drivers, control weaknesses, and emerging loss risks, translating findings into targeted interventions that reduce financial exposure.
• Escalating material risks with evidence, recommended actions, and clear ownership to support timely leadership decision-making.
• Assessing food safety, hygiene, allergen, and brand-standard compliance to confirm stores are operating within required controls and customer expectations.
• Escalating critical risks promptly and verify that corrective actions restore compliance and protect brand reputation.
• Provide a robust assurance over health, safety, and colleague welfare standards, identifying hazards, unsafe behaviors, and control gaps that may create legal, operational, or reputational risk.
• Reinforce a proactive safety culture by coaching store teams on risk ownership, safe ways of working, accident prevention, and timely issue resolution.
• Coaching store teams on control standards, risk awareness, and practical improvement actions that strengthen local ownership.
• Share best practice across the estate to improve consistency, capability, and compliance performance.
• Updating leadership with actionable insight, clear escalation points, and agreed ownership for issue resolution.