Join to apply for the Lead Food Manager role at Sainsbury's
Our management teams don’t just run stores – they’re the driving force behind our business. With bold leadership, a passion for service and an eye for opportunity, they empower teams to raise the bar every single day for our customers. Whether it's product availability, safety standards, or delivering seamless daily operations, they’re hand‑on, sleeves‑rolled‑up changemakers. The impact? Work becomes more rewarding for our colleagues, and shopping becomes a next‑level experience for every customer who walks through our doors. This is how we bring our purpose to life, one powerful action at a time.
What you’ll be doing
* Lead a small team of food managers to manage the grocery shop floor in one of our supermarkets.
* Execute exciting trading events by working closely with the rest of the store leadership team – whether it’s Christmas or Easter you’ll help ensure we win.
* Take full accountability for the store in the absence of a store manager, role‑model and coach for high standards and efficiency across the food hall.
* Manage compliance to processes and safety while bringing passion and flair for great shop‑keeping and creating fantastic shopping experiences.
* Manage a large team of colleagues, ensuring they perform at their best, are present on the shop floor when needed and that all people matters are conducted properly – from celebrating successes to handling difficult situations.
What makes a great Lead Food Manager
* A passionate leader consistently ambitious for customers and colleagues, growing the team to do the same.
* Experience managing managers in a fast‑paced, customer‑facing environment.
* An operator comfortable managing alone in the absence of senior management.
* Driven to deliver high performance with a focus on efficiency and engagement.
* Confident in using data, understanding and interpreting KPIs and turning them into meaningful actions.
* Champions inclusivity, placing it at the heart of their work, and builds an inclusive team and working environment.
* Comfortable managing complex people matters such as disciplinaries, performance issues and other employee relations issues.
Essential Criteria
* Experience leading large teams in a fast‑paced, customer‑focused environment – developing leaders, building high‑performing teams and creating a culture of ownership and accountability.
* A track record of delivering exceptional customer experiences across complex operations, with evidence of driving results through the team.
* Proven success in improving KPIs – from sales and stock availability to customer satisfaction and colleague engagement.
* Experience managing sensitive and complex people matters, including performance, absence and formal employee relations cases, with confidence, fairness and sound judgement.
* Leadership experience in an operational environment – retail, hospitality or food service – owning departmental performance and confidently leading the store in the absence of senior leadership.
* Evidence of leading change – rolling out new ways of working, embedding new systems or shifting team mindsets, and making change stick.
Benefits
* Salary dependent on experience, store size, complexity and location.
* Great range of benefits for managers, including a discount card, an annual bonus scheme, free food and hot drinks, generous holiday entitlement, maternity and paternity leave, pension match, share scheme, wellbeing support, colleague networks, cycle‑to‑work scheme and special offers on gym memberships, restaurants, holidays and retail vouchers.
An inclusive place to work and shop
We are dedicated to being a truly inclusive retailer, where every colleague can achieve their full potential and every customer feels welcome when they shop with us. We offer enhanced discretionary leave for families and support for carers, provide resources to help colleagues understand and support their roles, and run mentor programs, training and career progression pathways. We celebrate diversity through initiatives and events that foster a culture of inclusion and respect.
Should you require any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview stages, please let us know and we will endeavour to support you.
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