Principal Solutions Strategist

Ocado Group is an equal opportunities employer and as such makes every effort to ensure that all potential employees are treated fairly and equally, regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, age, or disability or union membership status.

About Us

The Ocado Intelligent Automation (OIA) division is marketing Ocado’s proven, unique warehouse fulfilment technology in sectors outside of grocery retail. It operates as an independent client-facing business, combining the dynamism and vision of a start-up with the resources, IP and reputation established over 20 years by Ocado Group. OIA’s first customer is the leading pharmaceutical distributor McKesson Canada, and we have ambitious growth plans. In December 2023, Goldman Sachs valued the OIA part of Ocado Group at £2bn.

OIA Solutions Strategy was created to define automated warehouse propositions and products that meet the needs of OIA’s potential customers, and ensure that related development work (software and hardware) is valued, prioritised and delivered by Ocado Technology teams.

About the Role

Are you ready to lead the charge in revolutionising the future of automation? As a Principal Strategist, you'll bring unparalleled real-world expertise in OIA’s target markets, including their segmentation, trajectory, and an in-depth understanding of competitor ASRS and AMR systems. 

In this role you will be the critical ‘voice of the market,’ guiding Ocado Technology’s product leaders and pinpointing exactly where and how OIA products can dominate. This is your chance to shape the future in a pivotal role during a dynamic growth phase. Be part of something extraordinary—join us!

Please Note: We offer a hybrid work environment, requiring at least two days in the office each week. This position is located at our Head Office in Trident Place, Hatfield.

What you will be doing 

• Maintain and share your deep understanding of ecommerce and store replenishment supply chains - including the current processes and automated systems being used in Pharma, Apparel, CPG, General Merchandise, etc, the business problems that distributors are facing and what outcomes / products they are looking for
• Analyse OIA’s competitors, identify the relative strengths / weaknesses of our different propositions, and articulate our market positioning with technical and commercial detail
• Formulate and communicate to Technology Development teams ‘what success looks like’ for non-grocery propositions and subproducts (e.g. required functionality, documentation, or cost)
• Analyse and communicate the value of OIA product development work (e.g. size of prize, economic benefit); support and input to the relevant business cases
• Support the development of compelling automated warehouse solutions for key prospects and market segments and sales channels
• Support the prioritisation of OIA development work, and review/support the development of the non-grocery roadmap, short and long term
• Analyse and report on trends/data which will affect our markets and the relevance of our propositions over time
• Support Commercial team in establishing commercial models for new products
• Lead on key ad-hoc strategic projects as sponsored by OIA senior leadership (e.g. acquisitions or new ventures)

About you 

• Multiple years of experience in warehouse automation likely in commercial roles at automation vendors or systems integrators (e.g. strategy, sales, product management, solutions design) 
• Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal) at all levels of an organisation; ability to see the big picture and use data to tell a clear story
• Creative problem-solving skills, intellectual curiosity and a critical mindset
• Excellent ability to make decisions based on complex data and your own research and modelling
• Strong sense of ownership and proactive can-do attitude
• High empathy and EQ; natural ability to build trusting relationships with others 
• Experienced in handling multiple competing priorities/projects in a fast-paced environment
• Proven ability to plan, manage, track and deliver on commitments with high autonomy

What we offer you

Our employee benefits are designed for you, we care about people and we’ve ensured we have a wealth of benefits that focus on your well-being. We regularly review our benefits to ensure we are supporting our employees appropriately.

• 30 days ‘working from anywhere in the world’ policy 
• Wellbeing support through dedicated apps and an Employee Assistance Programme 
• 25 days annual leave, rising to 27 days after 5 years service (plus optional holiday purchase)
• Pension scheme (various options available including employer contribution matching up to 7%)
• Generous Private Medical Insurance (within the first month of joining!)
• Income Protection (can be up to 50% of salary for 3 years) and Life Assurance (3 x annual salary) 
• 22 weeks paid maternity/primary parent leave and 6 weeks paid paternity leave (once relevant service requirements complete) 
• Train Ticket loan (interest-free)
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Free shuttle bus to and from Hatfield Train Station to the Hatfield offices 
• Free shuttle bus to and from Welwyn Garden City Train Station to the Welwyn Garden City offices
• Opportunity to participate in Sharesave and Buy as You Earn share schemes
• 15% discount on Ocado.com and free delivery for all employees (within the first month of joining!