Commercial Manager

About the roleWaitrose & Partners prides itself on being different. Our intention is to combine the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist food shop. Add this to our unswerving dedication to our customers and the highest respect for our suppliers (the provenance and traceability of our food is vital) and, of course, the environment and you can start to see we’re a bit more than ‘just’ a supermarket.

We are recruiting for a Commercial Manager, to join the Commercial Optimisation team.

At a Glance

• Salary - £65,000-£98,000 

• Contract type - This is a permanent position. 

• 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 2-3 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 occasional UK based travel to suppliers.

• Interviews will be held w/c 10th March. 

What will you be doing?

As a Commercial Manager, you will be a key member of the Commercial Optimisation team, you will define and deliver the supplier strategy framework and tools for Category Proposition Groups (CPGs). You will support the Waitrose strategy on supplier tenders and product category negotiations with linkage to range reviews and provide expert support on managing commodity and other inflationary pressures.

You will business partner the CPG Leadership team and provide senior negotiation support for the key strategic suppliers where relationships are complex due to size and exposure and importance of the supplier. You will continually upskill the capability of Waitrose Commercial through developing new and enhanced negotiation approaches and processes, tools and techniques.

Internally this is known as a Commercial Manager, however externally it may be better understood as focussed on supplier strategy and cost optimisation. 

Some of your key responsibilities will include:

• Develop complex and cross category negotiations (e.g. LTA suppliers, dedicated suppliers, cross category suppliers) in your area of business partnering

• Business partner the CPG Leadership teams

• Work closely Trading Managers, VCA team, and Category Managers in order to leverage significant efficiency opportunities

• Working with Heads of CPG to develop of long term supplier strategies and optimise ways of working with key suppliers

Essential skills you’ll need

• Extensive commercial experience in food and associated non-food retail or food manufacturing / supply

• Extensive commercial negotiation experience

• Stakeholder management and influencing

• Experience of influencing situations which require a high degree of emotional intelligence

• Advanced analytical and financial understanding

• Comprehensive understanding of GSCOP and Commercial Law

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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. If required, you’ll find out more about vetting throughout the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays.

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.