Division/Dept

Channel Operations / Asset Protection

Location

Nationally Field Based - can be based at any of our SSC locations.

Reporting to

Head of Process and Loss

In a nutshell

In this role you will be supporting and influencing Store Managers and Food Leads to drive performance of store process to optimise inventory performance and minimise losses. Embedding Supply Chain owned processes around inventory management routines to deliver better outcomes for customers, colleagues, and the P&L.

You will work in a matrix environment reporting to the Head of Process and Loss and alongside a multi-disciplinary team including Directors of Stores, Store Managers, Retail Food Leads and Retail Colleagues, plus a broad spectrum of other functions including but not limited to Sainsbury’s Logistics Depot Managers/Shift Leaders and the Central Commercial teams.

Provide key audiences with an expert independent view of the current operational loss & compliance landscape, any emerging risks and future risk potential, ensuring the business has effective controls & processes that optimise availability, shrink and waste.

You must have the ability to work autonomously in the short to medium term and provide insight into the longer-term strategy and direct. You will be able to communicate with a variety of stakeholders at all levels. With a passion for and demonstrable experience in Supply Chain and Retail processes, you will build relationships and use leadership and influence to quickly drive business performance.

What you need to do

• Provide expert knowledge and guidance on all aspects of space, inventory management & Loss (Shrink) prevention in order lead, challenge, support, and coach Retail stakeholders and Teams, to deliver the desired inputs to support availability, waste and shrink performance across regions/stores.
• Draw on your business acumen, interrogate data to surface insight which enables you to influence and where required, challenge varied stakeholders.
• Position yourself as a ‘subject matter expert’, providing advice, guidance, and recommendations on preventing region/store loss and improving core inventory metrics.
• The role is the clear owner of operational compliance and loss reporting to key management audiences across Retail (Regional Stores Directors and Store Managers), (Heads of) Retail Finance and (Heads of) Supply Chain Business Units to drive action.
• Support the delivery of collaborative working practices to ensure that process gaps and/or losses are identified, reviewed and solutions delivered that reduce or mitigate loss events.
• Deputise for the Head of Prosses and Loss as required.
• Workings days are 5 out of 7 with occasional weekend working.

What you need to know and show

• 3 years of experience in Supply Chain or Retail management roles, ideally experience of both is preferable.
• Strong knowledge of Retail and Supply Chain processes (e.g. space, inventory, code control & shrink) including Argos, Convenience, Cafes, Hot Food Counters and Bakery.
• An ability to identify opportunities relating to the end-to-end process flows. Through interpreting central data and focusing on the outputs, you will influence operational teams - Directors of Stores, Store Managers Retail Food Leads and Retail Colleagues.
• A proven track record of successfully leading culture & change initiatives with multiple stakeholders and broad impact across a multi-store programme.
• Strong inter-personal and influencing skills, communicating with colleagues at all levels in an engaging and inspiring way.
• Ability to lead & inspire others, particularly through ambiguity, change and periods of challenging performance and when working at distance or with infrequent contact.
• This is a national field-based role, you will be a visible presence in stores and across the business to impact Process and Loss outcomes which are impacting profitability.
• Strong attention to detail is critical with proven prioritisation, organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Able to understand and influence business functions to drive efficiency through collaborative ‘end to end’ working.
• Ability to efficiently use limited resources and dynamically prioritise to deliver greatest business benefit.
• Business owner for all Store Inventory access controls for all central and field team colleagues.

What decisions I can make including budget

• Influence the deployment and direction of the Loss team focus based on risk and insight
• Challenges to operational delivery to support the mitigation of loss
• Instigate projects <>
• Recommendations on innovative solutions to be tested
• Advice given to the senior retail team
• Improvements to current reporting process and documents

Directly or indirectly manages

• Directly influence operational teams

Support we will provide

• Access to personal development tools
• Role specific technical training
• Internal Mentoring
• Support from other AP and Central Retail teams

Work-life balance is important to us, so we offer our colleagues as much flexibility as possible in line with the needs of their role. We trust them to decide how, where and when they work, combining remote and collaborative working with a flexible approach to hours, giving them plenty of time and space for life outside of work whilst delivering against our objectives and business goals.

Qualifications

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 heathcare. 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 eligibiity criteria may apply).

Responsibilities

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.