Lead Data Analyst - Retail transformation
Salary: Competitive Plus Benefits
Location: London Store Support Centre and Home, London, EC1M 6HA
Contract type: Permanent
Business area: Marketing
Closing date: 27 November 2025
Requisition ID: 400038592
We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. We’re one of the biggest supermarkets in the UK with one of the largest websites. So marketing here really happens at scale. We move a lot faster than you’d think too, across Brand Planning, Brand Comms and Creative, Digital Marketing, CRM and Loyalty, Nectar 360, Insights, and Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability. More people shopping with us each week means more interactions. And thanks to data insight, we understand customers in a way that almost nobody else does. We work alongside incredible brand partners and the best agencies around. So if you have a passion to learn, grow and experience new teams, come and explore it all with us.
LEAD DATA ANALYST – RETAIL TRANSFORMATION – HYBRID WORKING/LONDON
Sainsbury’s is on a mission to make good food joyful, accessible and affordable for everyone, every day. We’re a multi-channel, multi-brand business serving millions of customers a day, with the UK’s largest loyalty scheme and an ever-evolving set of digital platforms. This equals over 1.2 billion transactions a year, presenting a volume, depth and complexity of data that few can match.
We don’t think we’re exaggerating when we say we have the most exciting data set in the country. And from the insights gained, we build scalable, high-performance products using cutting-edge technology that give our customers an amazing shopping experience – like our award-winning Smartshop app. In an inclusive, agile environment, you’ll have the space to be curious, to experiment, and to solve real-world challenges.
In the Retail Transformation Analytics team, you’ll stretch the imagination of what the power of data and insights can bring to how we do things. You’ll use your intense curiosity to find creative ways to land impactful analysis that directly supports the Sainsbury’s strategy of ‘First Choice For Food’ and ‘Save & Invest To Win’.
In this role you will
- You will be an Analytics Lead part of a high calibre team of 8 Analysts, supported by Analytics Managers in exploiting Sainsbury’s data assets to establish the realisation of Sainsbury’s strategy.
- As a lead in this team you will manage 1 direct report, supporting them in their professional development as well as role modelling best practise to the rest of the team.
- You’ll be primarily focussed on delivering analytical value for our retail division, ensuring Sainsbury’s continuing to develop a profound understanding of our operations.
- You’ll have a great analytical foundation, and we want you to think about how you apply that in the context of Sainsbury’s – getting to know how we operate is key so you can propose and recommend the approach that should be taken to fulfil data analysis.
- You’ll work on projects requiring varying analytics approaches, from building predictive models to defining and creating metrics as well as measuring the impact of trials, all providing stakeholders with recommendations to inform their decisions.
- You’ll develop & maintain relationships with your stakeholders, championing a collaborative approach to requirements gathering and the formation of compelling analysis. While remaining confident in questioning a proposed strategy or approach to analysis.
- We move at pace, whilst still delivering high quality, accurate, professional outputs that land the real truths that sit within the data. You will proactively ensure you are always in touch with the ‘Why’ behind every project – how your analysis will be used, and which decisions the business is looking to inform.
- You’ll take pride in your work, have brilliant attention to detail, and enjoy presenting findings with empathy towards an audience with a limited technical background. Possessing the ability to translate complex concepts into easily digestible stories with data, which inspire action.
- You will embrace our values of owning it, making it better and being human.
What you need to know and show
- Excellent SQL knowledge and Python or R experience is essential. ML modelling is advantageous but not vital.
- A highly numerate background. You may have a degree in mathematics, statistics or another analytical subject, or analytical work experience
- A proven track record of delivering actionable insight and demonstrable business change through the application of analytics.
- A passion for high quality data storytelling. We love data and deriving value from it. The key to the value is in being able to build and tell compelling stories based on the data that’s been interrogated.
- Keen to learn and develop. Proactive about driving your career development and progression.
- The ability to partner brilliantly with the business to understand their problems and deliver value, applying commercial acumen and communicating/connecting in a compelling way.
- A high level of team contribution – looking for opportunities to provide input and support across the wider analytics community.
Essential Criteria
- Proven ability to deliver actionable insight and demonstrable business change through the application of analytics.
- Demonstrable expertise in SQL and Python.
- Highly numerate background, evidenced by a degree in mathematics, statistics, another analytical subject, or equivalent analytical work experience.
- Ability to translate complex analytical concepts into clear, compelling data stories for non-technical audiences.
- Experience in building and maintaining collaborative relationships with stakeholders to gather requirements and deliver impactful analysis.
- Team leading and mentoring experience
#LI-JH1
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).
