Store Opening Supply Chain Operative
Salary: Competitive Plus Benefits
Location: Holborn Store Support Centre - Field Based and Home, London, EC1N 2HT
Contract type: Permanent
Business area: Logistics
Closing date: 06 June 2025
Requisition ID: 306376
We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work/life balance. That’s waiting for you right here. Supply Chain and Logistics are the engine room for getting thousands of products from farms and factories, through the business and to our millions of customers every day. We plan around events from barbecue weekends to Sunday roasts, and who wants oven-ready cauliflower cheese to those who prefer to make it from scratch. Insight and data are everything. But so is judgement — if there’s an issue or ambiguity anywhere, we’re the first to spot it. There’s a big transformation going on. That calls for people who champion change, bring others with them, collaborate and communicate. Because those people can go a very long way.
Sainsbury’s is Growing food space to bring more of our range to more customers, with bold acceleration in our space growth ambitions with over 400k sqft to be added over the next 2 years.
As a Store Opening Operative, you will own and deliver the Supply Chain end to end process of new and refit stores as across all formats and ad hoc investments. You will be time focused, have strong impact and influence skills, an ability to coach and manage people, knowledge of supply chain systems/store environments and be able to work independently.
You will need to be comfortable working cross functionally with key stakeholders within Logistics, Retail, Space and Property to successfully delivery your projects to timescales. You will work at pace, in an ambiguous environment, having the ability to adapt to challenges and change, show strong and inspirational leadership and will be accountable for implementing the company’s new concepts and future store propositions.
The job role covers stores across the estate, so travel and some time away from home is necessary.
This is a fast paced and exciting role where you will be accountable for the planning and execution of Supply Chain activities associated with investment delivery of projects between £500K and £50M, ensuring the availability and wastage targets set by Trading/Supply Chain and Retail are met.
What you will be doing- Responsible for the delivery of industry leading availability for New and refit stores, culminating above corporate availability on launch.
- To lead and coach 3rd party resource reporting to you in new and refit stores.
- To ensure that agreed KPIs are met, or where shortfalls happen conduct an After Action Review to understand the reasons.
- To ensure that future technical developments incorporate the needs of new, refit and events ordering
- To work cross functionally with Retail, Trading, Logistics, Central Supply Chain and Store Development in the delivery of plans.
- To manage incidental expenses to ensure budgets are met and agreed
- Organise and chair all Supply Chain related meetings for new and refit stores, to ensure that all parties understand the process and the relevant timescales, acting as a focal and communication point for the business.
- To identify to the Retail, SDG and Supply Chain teams the key stock management risks and issues associated with each investment store, create and implement actions to mitigate these risks.
- Liaise with the Logistic leadership and sign off the revised depot delivery schedule ensuring that the needs of the store are met within the constraints of reasonable costs.
- To agree and action all Supply Chain system changes required to enhance the supply of product to investment stores.
- Liaise with SDG/Trading and Retail to deliver industry leading availability during the investment period, culminating in above corporate availability.
- To arrange with Supply Chain colleagues stock direct from supplier where the main estate stock, both store and depot, is exhausted.
- Accountable for remedial decisions in the event of critical issues (where no escalation is possible), in the protection of customer availability/perception and store wastage.
- Accountable for availability and analysis opening morning up to board level, and for the initial period post re-launch of the store.
- To interact with other Supply Chain and business colleagues to share best practice, communicate investment activity and ensure that Sainsbury’s achieves a high level of delivery across the company.
- Accountable for the delivery of the waste targets in investment stores in the initial period post re-launch.
- Review and make recommendations on existing process to ensure continuous development of the function.
- 3-5 years’ experience in retail/supply chain management
- Proven experience managing teams
- Detailed knowledge of project planning and product management
- High level of impact and influence
- Excellent forward planning and organisational skills
- Structured approach and clear deadline focus
- Ability to work independently
- Proven coaching skills
- Retail Supply Chain experience is essential
- Understanding of forecast and demand principles
- Experience of working in a new, refit and store/business environment
- Knowledge of Supply Chain Systems and strategy
- Coaching and training skills
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We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new — whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them: Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 10% of salary, depending on how we perform. Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance and you can buy up to an additional week's holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, salary advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme. Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave. Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).
