Knowledge Specialist

About the roleWe are looking for a Knowledge Specialist to join our team in the John Lewis Partnership.

Team culture is very important to us; we are an enthusiastic and ambitious team with a passion for knowledge management supporting the best journey for our Partners, who are co-owners in our business.

As part of a newly forming team, initially you will develop relationships with immediate team members and develop a network across the Partnership in functions such as Operations, Technology, and the extended Communications function.  Working closely with the team, you will work to exploit technologies for the benefit of organisational knowledge and how it is managed to the optimum level. 

A key focus of the role will be to provide expert guidance to support a Community of Practice for  knowledge content creators across the Partnership, ultimately enhancing the look, feel and ease of use for end users.  The role will require an interest & understanding of existing & emerging technologies and what they offer to deliver the best possible knowledge management journey for users.

If you are passionate about knowledge management and its critical place in the effectiveness and success of the Partnership, we’d love to hear from you.

• Salary range - £36,500.00 - £54,800.00

• Contract type - This position is a secondment / fixed term contract until October 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 aims for around 1 day a week in the office to connect and on a more ad-hoc basis to attend key meetings.  

Key responsibilities 

You will have proven experience of these key skills, outcomes and deliverables:

• Knowledge Management:  delivering knowledge under a variety of approaches best suited to user populations, whilst being cognisant of user load.

• Knowledge capability strategy: supporting development and implementation of a comprehensive strategy in collaboration with other knowledge experts.

• Knowledge Creation: using appropriate tone of voice and writing styles relevant for content and user experience.

• Collaboration: embracing working together to cultivate and promote a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration through Business Partnering opportunities and Communities of Practice, supporting all to thrive.

• Stakeholder Management: understanding who is impacted by or involved in the goals of knowledge creation and optimisation as critical, and understanding the motivations and priorities of stakeholders to build sustainable and trusted relationships. 

• Digital awareness: An interest in digital channels and their adoption, as well as a keenness to learn about emerging and benefits to adoption. 

• Flexibility & agility: Working to embrace change, addressing ambiguous or uncertain situations directly and being adaptable in the face of changing circumstances. 
   

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Experience of using the Google Workspace suite - Slides, Docs, Sheets, Gemini

• Sound understanding of Knowledge Management theory, including KCS and non-KCS models

• Process management, understanding of the organisation, content gardening and governance

• Experience of successfully managing large quantities of fast changing, variable and ambiguous information, for example, data analysis on content usage and search terms

• Ability to work collaboratively across boundaries.

• Excellent communication skills at all Partner levels

• Passion for Continuous Improvement

• Creativity and innovation

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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 (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.