Proposition Owner: Local & Regional

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.

So, it is an exciting time to join the Commercial team at one of the UK’s best-loved brands. We are recruiting for a Proposition Owner: Local & Regional. With plans to invest over £1bn in our store estate over the next 5 years, this role is a fantastic opportunity to make a significant impact on the future of the business. 

At a Glance

• Salary - £53,700 - £83,500

• Contract type - This is a 12 month Secondment/Fixed Term contract position until Feb 2026. There will also be an expectation to travel to attend meetings, branches/suppliers when necessary. 

• 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. 

• Interviews will be held likely w/c 3rd March, in person at our Bracknell campus. 

What will you be doing?

As the Proposition Owner for Local & Regional you will be accountable for overall performance and assuring GSCoP compliance across the full Local & Regional portfolio. You will be responsible for ensuring the Product Proposition provides a differentiated, high quality experience and customer journey for target customers, and as a result add sustainable value to our business. 

You will define how the Product Proposition will be run in the long term and build a streamlined operating model which is fit for the future. Supported by a Trading Manager and/or a Category Manager, you will translate the Commercial Strategy into a 12-18 month plan, and will then lead a team of cross functional experts (including at times external stakeholders) to deliver, run and develop this plan and market-beating performance. You will be the central ‘hub’ of activity, setting a clear direction, fostering communication, and skillfully balancing competing priorities.

Alongside leading the roadmap of change activity you will also monitor performance and feedback of the Product Proposition, identifying root causes of successes and challenges. You will stay abreast of industry best practices and emerging technologies to keep us ahead of the market. With the support of cross functional specialists you will lead the response in order to ensure the Product Propositions continual success.

The role will form part of the Value Added Food team, working closely with BrandsNew to seek innovative and challenger brands and products to offer to our Food Loving customers. 

Some of your key responsibilities will include:

• Delivering product proposition commercial, customer, Partner and process targets

• Creating the 12-18 month product proposition roadmap, with clear targets and measures of success

• Responding to ad hoc queries and requests for support from around the business to ensure issues are resolved promptly with an end to end benefit mindset

• Analyse customer data, market trends, and competitor activities to inform proposition development.

• Monitor performance metrics, including sales, profit, operational costs, customer and Partner feedback

• Leading proposition design and development at all states i.e. test, trial, full launch, maintain and continuously improve

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Commercial management

• GSCoP expert

• Clear understanding of ideation, test and learn, pilot and roll out process, including full estate roll out of new customer concepts

• Evidence of launching recent high performing Grocery customer propositions

• Evidence of building a streamlined operational model and developing a team to support the success of a proposition

• Proven strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to inspire and influence others, including senior stakeholders, in areas where you are not the expert or decision maker

• Understanding of commercial and operational levers

• Priori experience of leading cross functional projects and matrix managing cross functional stakeholders

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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.