About the role Are you ready to take charge and shape the future of Waitrose retail across London and South Regions? Our 24-month Waitrose Retail Graduate Programme is a unique and comprehensive experience designed to forge the next generation of shop leaders in Waitrose & Partners. If you have the ambition to be a Branch Manager of the future, our 24-month Retail Graduate Programme is designed to guide, prepare, and support you every step of the way. Graduate Scheme Details: Salary Range: £31,000 - £41,000 Contract Type: 2-year fixed term contract Hours of Work: 37.5 hours per week (Weekend working on a rotational basis is expected) Expected Start Date: Sept 2026 The next stages: following a successful application, are: a recruiter screening call, and then (if successful) an in-person interview. Assessment Dates: Mid-January 2026 (subject to change) Key Responsibilities: Over these two years, you’ll gain hands-on experience through structured rotational placements within our shops (Core and Convenience models) and our central head office. This intensive programme is crafted to provide you with a holistic understanding of our entire retail operation, equipping you with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in this exciting and rapidly evolving environment. By the end of the programme, you'll be on track to become a Branch Manager within either one of our core stores or one of our convenience stores. This is a hybrid working role, with your time split primarily between our shops and our Bracknell Head Office campus (which you will attend up to one day a week during certain placements). Your shop rotation locations will generally be within one hour of travel time or 30 miles of your home location. Significant travel and a flexible rota across the trading week are central to the role, as some rotations are field-based and cover a shop region. Quote from 2024 Waitrose Graduate Trainee Eddie Leveritt ‘’ A unique opportunity; this scheme equips you with more than just technical knowledge. It provides you with a fantastic perspective into how Waitrose operates and the distinctive nature of The John Lewis Partnership. The opportunities for development have allowed me to expand my horizons, finesse my skills and inspire my future career’ Essential Skills/Experience: Working towards, or achieved, the minimum of an honours degree within the last 12 months (Graduates from 2025/2026 only). A genuine passion and interest in grocery retail and the customer experience. A focus on continuous improvement, being curious, creative and analytical. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Desirable Skills/Experience: Demonstrated leadership experience (professionally, extra-curricular, volunteer work, or prior employment). Project Management and strong networking skills. LI-HEADOFFICE LI-SHOPTRADE GraduateScheme Waitrose Retail 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 occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible. 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.