Head of Optical
Location: Asda House
Employment Type: Full time
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours per Week: 37.5
Salary: Competitive Salary plus benefits
Category: Compliance/Audit
Closing Date: 18 December 2025
As part of the Asda Healthcare team, you’ll be joining a high‑performing and vastly experienced group of medical and business professionals, with overall line management of the Central Optical team and direct line management of 10 colleagues. The team places a high importance on values and collaboration, with the aim of progressing Asda Opticians to perform the very best it can.
Whilst primarily overseeing the Healthcare and Optics division, you’ll have plenty of interaction and collaboration opportunities with wider Asda teams including Training, Retail, People, Legal, Tech and more.
As Head of Optical, you’ll be accountable for the design and delivery of all commercial, compliance and central operations elements of our Optical offer. You are the responsible officer of the business to the regulator, the GOC. The role is accountable for sales and gross profit delivery, strategy for our offer, compliance, clinical governance, risk management and ensuring a safe and effective operating model in our stores. Along with this, you will deliver a safe, legal, profitable department which delivers great service and offerings to our customers.
The role will also provide the opportunity for horizon scanning and managing information related to market trends, standards and regulations for Health and Wellness, changes to the NHS contracts, and impacts on commercial arrangements and regulatory requirements.
As Head of Optical, you will be responsible for ensuring that Optical Systems meet the needs of the business now and in the future, ensuring that all communication with stores is strategically aligned and impactful. This will also include ensuring appropriate training exists for all Optical roles, providing training and development opportunities to strengthen and improve their knowledge, skills and competencies, ultimately positioning Asda Opticians to complete in the market by supporting the development of new commercial and service opportunities.
Eligibility: You must be registered with the General Optical Council (GOC) for the relevant professional role type you have applied for. You must also have evidence of Right to Work in the UK.
Qualifications and Experience
* Detailed knowledge and understanding of the regulatory & NHS frameworks for Optical in all four nations, including an in‑depth understanding of NHS requirements relating to different commissioning and contracts, GOC Standards of Practice, and legislation relating to providing optical services.
* Ability to work in a complex team environment and to collaborate with both external and internal professionals and other stakeholders.
* Ability to develop external relationships and alliances, strengthening the company’s reputation in the Optical Community, leading outreach meetings, and communicating the company’s positions, policies, procedures and reports in a persuasive, accurate and understandable way while protecting sensitive data.
* Strategic and agile decision‑making ability.
* Proven ability to represent Asda at external bodies.
Benefits
* Discretionary company bonus
* Company pension up to 1.5 times colleagues’ contribution (max 15%)
* Company car allowance of £8,000
* 15% colleague discount in store and online
* Free access to wellbeing services such as Stream, 24/7 virtual GP, counselling, health and dental cash plans and a 24/7 employee assistance helpline, alongside discounts across a range of services and activities, from airport parking to theme parks and cinemas.
* Asda Allies Inclusion Networks – helping colleagues to make sure everybody is included and that our differences are recognised and celebrated.
* Excellent parental leave policies, including maternity & adoption leave, paternity leave, shared parental leave, neonatal care leave, and support for those doing fertility treatments.
We want all colleagues to be able to bring their best and true selves to work, every day. Simply put, we want our colleagues to be proud to be Asda and proud to be themselves.
To ensure we balance moments where we need to collaborate together and the need for flexibility, Asda has a hybrid way of working with a minimum of 3 days a week in one of our Home Offices. Over and above this, each area may have additional requirements which may require spending more days in the office, visiting suppliers, stores or depots.
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