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Salary: Competitive Plus Benefits
Location: Manchester Store Support Centre and Home, Manchester, M4 3AL
Contract type: Permanent
Business area: Group HR
Closing date: 06 February 2026
Requisition ID: 400046728

Our people are at the heart of our business, and we are looking for those that are just as passionate about that as we are. Join our People team, and come with us on a journey as we transform the way we do HR. Our team is made up of business partners working with leaders to get the most out of their teams, specialist knowledge in our centres of expertise, and colleague-centric, efficient people services. Our work ranges from making sure that our 150,000+ colleagues are paid on time to attracting brilliant talent to drive our strategy, to unlocking the skills and capability of our colleagues. This is a fast-moving business, and we make sure our policies and rewards keep up with that too. We know flexibility is important and helps you be more productive so there's more choice than ever about where and when you work. When it comes to your development, we'll support your growth in your own unique way. When you join us, you’ll be joining a team that knows just what it means to be happy and engaged, and who makes a real impact across our business.
 
 
 

Why join us 

We are on an exciting journey to take Sainsbury’s to the ‘Next Level’ and this is an opportunity to be part of an ambitious team and organisation. You will play an important role in how we show up for and serve our customers every day, as well as supporting the delivery of our corporate outcomes and strategy. Joining our People Division as a recruitment leader you’ll be at the very forefront of one of the biggest workforces in the UK and play a pivotal role in recruiting the very best talent for our stores.

What you'll do 

As the Recruitment Manager for our retail colleague roles you will shape, drive and deliver the recruitment of tens of thousands of new hires for our Sainsbury’s and Argos stores. Our large-scale makes this a multi-faceted role, ranging from the efficient day-to-day running of our recruitment operation, and evolving our candidate experiences, through to innovating our technologies to maximise the service we deliver.

Your responsibilities will also include contributing to the strategic direction of the recruitment team, and key to your success will be your people leadership. By fostering a motivated and skilled team of Recruiters, you will optimise recruitment metrics, manage risks, drive compliance and resolve complex recruitment queries and escalations.

You will be able to manage all of these at scale and at pace and develop approaches that will have an meaningful impact across thousands of hiring managers and candidates.

Your focus will also extend to promoting diversity and inclusion, analysing recruitment data and engaging with third-party agencies. Moreover, you will contribute to the growth and development of your team and advance your own knowledge and skills in the recruitment market to establish yourself as a recruitment expert within Sainsbury’s.   

Who you are 

A leader who champions recruitment as one of the most impactful ways that a People team can impact an organisation and transform business outcomes. You are an action-orientated and adaptable individual with exceptional leadership, judgement and collaboration skills and thrive on leading a high performing and happy team. You can balance a progressive and future focussed mindset with a practical and operational lens, and can effectively manage cross-functionally, liaise with stakeholders, and drive the successful execution of recruitment projects and initiatives at scale. With your keen eye for detail, a proactive attitude and passion for working in a fast-paced team, you take accountability for driving a service that is efficient, professional, externally credible, and has our hiring managers, candidates and customers at the heart of the experience.

Please note: This role is based out of our Manchester office, and in order to stay connected with the team, would require travel to the office at least once per week.

Essential criteria

  • Preferably a recruitment professional with strong knowledge of recruitment practices, performance metrics and platforms including how to optimise existing systems as well as ability to leverage new and advanced technologies
  • Demonstrated success in building and leading a high-performing team
  • Proven experience of working in a large-scale fast paced environment and delivery of strategic projects from inception through to user adoption
  • Excellent communication, collaboration and influencing skills, with the ability to build strong relationships across a large volume of stakeholders, hiring managers and external partners
  • Strong commercial skills, balancing recruitment needs and risk with commercial necessity
  • Demonstrate an analytical mindset with the ability to collect, analyse, and interpret data to drive decision making and continuous improvement for your business area

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 get 10% off at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 weeks. This increases to 15% off at Sainsbury’s every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day. 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 additional holiday. 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, pay 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, you will also be eligible for private healthcare too.

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).

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