Transformation & Operational Development Manager
Salary: Competitive Plus Benefits
Location: London Store Support Centre and Home, London, EC1M 6HA
Contract type: Permanent
Business area: Retail
Closing date: 04 September 2025
Requisition ID: 400012490
We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. As the link between sellers and buyers, retail and head office, our retail operations team is the cog that keeps things running. With teams focused on store facing, labour, transformation, online, delivery and contact centre work, we touch almost every part of the business. It’s an incredibly fast-paced environment where you need to pivot not just daily, but often hourly. So while we plan all we can, it’s vital that we all think outside our job descriptions and look to optimise and improve how we do everything. There’s also a real team ethos. After all, it’s people like you who are going to truly transform this part of the business.
Why join us
Joining Sainsbury's as a Transformation & Operational Development Manager means being at the forefront of shaping the future of Retail and Digital Operating Models, translating our corporate strategy into impactful programmes that drive transformative change within the business. With opportunities to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams, challenge the status quo, and drive innovation, you will play a key role in implementing complex and strategic initiatives that align with our business goals and customer needs. Embrace a dynamic and fast-paced environment where your strategic and operational thinking can make a real difference, while continuously learning, growing, and contributing to the success of Sainsbury’s.
What you'll do
You will be instrumental in advancing our Retail and Digital Operating Models and developing new end-to-end propositions, ensuring alignment with the Next Level Sainsbury’s strategy to facilitate significant transformation. Your key responsibilities will include owning the end-to-end design and successful implementation of detailed and complex programmes of work, utilising your strategic and operational thinking mindset to identify and solve customer and colleague needs. You will work closely with key stakeholders across the business to deliver meaningful change, anticipate and mitigate risks, and ensure that impacts are understood across people, processes, and technology, driving the business forward with brilliant storytelling and continuous improvement.
You will spend regular time in office & in stores, which will be determined by business need.
Who you are
You are a strategic and forward-thinking professional with a proven track record in leading complex end-to-end transformation programmes within the retail and digital sectors. With a keen analytical mindset and strong project management skills, you excel in identifying opportunities for business improvement and driving operational efficiencies. Your ability to build strong relationships, navigate ambiguity, and drive meaningful change while working collaboratively across functions makes you a valuable asset in delivering our strategy.
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable experience in delivering complex end-to-end transformation programmes, including strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and implementation across Retail and Digital functions
- Ability to analyse qualitative and quantitative data to generate insights, develop business cases, and measure programme outcomes
- Evidence of operational and financial business understanding, including modelling new business and operating designs and assessing their impact
- Proficiency in using Excel and PowerPoint to support programme planning, reporting, and communication, with comfort working in fast-paced and ambiguous environments
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 20% 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, and we provide private healthcare. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, interest free car loan of up to £10k, 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).
