Innovation & Change Manager

ABOUT THE ROLE

We have an exciting opportunity to join our Waitrose Retail Innovation & Change team!
In the role of Retail Innovation & Change Manager, you will strategically build and cultivate an innovation pipeline that is integrated and formative to retail business planning. You will ensure retail input shapes the development of major change programmes, with a keen focus on Partner, operations, and service implications.
You will work cross-functionally, to create a pipeline of investment into shops, driving profitability and enhancing Partner and Customer experience to achieve sustainable, long-term growth for Waitrose shops.

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• Salary - £59,800.00 - £90,000.00  
• Contract type - This position is a temporary contract until end January 2026

• Working pattern/flexible working - The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business. The team aim for around 1-2 days a week in the office to connect and on a more ad-hoc basis to attend key meetings. 
• Location - This role is based at our Bracknell Head Office with expectation to travel to other locations as required.
• Interviews - are likely to be held on Thursday 8th May

Key responsibilities 

As a Partner in Retail, you’re accountable for retail excellence with a relentless connection to customers and shops alike, dedicated support for today's demands, and visionary strides to shape, optimise, and revolutionise the future of retail. Rooted in adaptability, driven by a continuous improvement mindset, and fueled by a commitment to getting it right the first time, our Retail Support Teams are the dynamic force steering a thriving and innovative retail ecosystem of John Lewis Partnership.

As a Retail Manager, you play a key role in executing plans, leading a dedicated team, and fostering collaboration within the retail environment. Collaborating across retail,  your role extends to effective people management, plan delivery, and ensuring accountability for results. Recognising the dynamic retail landscape, your flexibility, proactive approach, and commitment to continuous improvement contribute to team resilience. Embracing development, your role is pivotal in driving team success, delivering plans, and contributing to the broader retail strategy.  Your adaptability ensures sustained excellence in this dynamic retail environment.

As Retail Innovation & Change Manager you will manage retail input into the development of major change programmes, ensuring partner, operations and service impacts are considered. You will manage the innovation, transformation and change programmes within the Retail capability with end to end accountability. You will lead the team that identifies innovation opportunities, develops the processes, governance and ways of working that ensure the successful in-branch implementation of agreed proof of concepts, projects and initiatives into the Retail estate providing business assurance that risks have been mitigated and robust implementation plans are in place for success. You will ensure cross directorate review mechanisms are in place to inform and evolve future implementation.

Essential skills/experience you’ll need 

• Project & Change Management Experience
• Delivering scaled results at pace 
• Ability to work across boundaries
• Successfully managing large quantities of fast changing, variable and ambiguous information
• Leadership of large teams
• Shop operations experience

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To learn more about this role, please copy and paste this link into a new browser window: https://embed.wirewax.com/8114190

Closing Date:

April 30, 2025

Pay:

£59,800.00 - £90,000.00 Annual

Contract Type:

Temporary

Hours of Work:

NA

Job Level:

Partnership Level 6

Where You'll Be Working:

Bracknell Campus, Doncastle Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8YA

ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.

We also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants.  

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.