Strategic Programme Lead
Contract type: Permanent
Location: Hatfield (Hybrid working – 3 days in the office)
Working hours per week: 40 hours
Level: Lead
Application closing date: Friday 21st March 2025
About us
Our mission is to deliver joy in every shop, through unbeatable choice, unrivaled service, and reassuringly good value.
We’re Ocado Retail, a market-leading, joint venture between Ocado Group and M&S and the world’s largest dedicated online supermarket ocado.com. Not only is Ocado.com the only place to shop a full range of M&S food online, but it’s also the home to the widest online supermarket range in the UK and champion of small, independent brands. We’re also the brains behind Zoom by Ocado, our same-day grocery delivery service.
About the team and the role
We are looking for a Strategic Programme Lead to play a critical role in driving the next stage of growth for our business. This role is instrumental in delivering sales and profitability growth through successful execution of large-scale and complex investments. We are seeking a passionate and experienced individual who thrives on delivering projects end-to-end, from concept to on-time and on-budget delivery.
The Strategic Programme Lead will be responsible for ensuring strong return on capital from our capital investments. The job requires someone with proven experience of handling high levels of complexity and developing strategies from open-ended questions. This role requires strong leadership skills to influence in a matrix structure and collaborate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.
What you’ll do
Strategy Development:
- Contribute to the development of programme strategies aligned with overall business objectives.
- Identify and evaluate new opportunities and contribute to strategic planning processes.
- Lead the development of project ideas and comprehensive business cases, using strong analytical skills to create reliable investment appraisals.
- Collaborate with the Finance team to construct business cases from first principles, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and financial metrics.
- Engage with stakeholders across Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, Commercial, Property, Ocado Technology, and Logistics to align objectives and gain buy-in.
Team leadership:
- Assemble and lead a cross-functional project team, fostering collaboration and accountability to ensure project success.
- Provide guidance and support to team members, empowering them to deliver their best work and contribute to the overall project objectives.
Monitoring Project Progress and Setting Deadlines:
- Establish clear project milestones, deadlines, and KPIs, and rigorously monitor progress against these.
- Implement effective project management methodologies to maintain project momentum and ensure timely delivery.
- Provide regular, detailed updates to senior management, escalating issues as necessary.
Stakeholder Management:
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels, ensuring open communication and alignment throughout the programme lifecycle.
- Actively solicit feedback and address concerns to ensure stakeholder satisfaction and support.
- Influence and negotiate with stakeholders to achieve project objectives.
Who you are
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business Administration, or related field; MBA preferred.
- Proven experience delivering large (£10m) capital expenditure projects, with a track record of on-time and on-budget delivery.
- Excellent understanding of financial investment metrics and demonstrated accountability for spend vs. business case.
- Strong budget management and cashflow reporting experience, with the ability to manage project finances effectively.
- Experience working with and leading projects across multiple teams and stakeholders, fostering collaboration and alignment.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to navigate ambiguity and adapt to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong organisational skills with a focus on planning and prioritisation, ensuring efficient project execution.
- Creative problem-solver with a proactive approach to issue resolution and a passion for driving profitable growth.
What’s in it for you
By joining Ocado Retail you’ll have the chance to experience life at the world’s largest online retailer, work with an amazing bunch of people who challenge what’s possible each day, and grow your skills and career in online retail.
If that’s not enough to tempt you, you’ll also get access to loads of great benefits to sweeten the deal. Here’s a taste of what we offer:
Health & Wellbeing: Private medical insurance with the option to add your family, Digital GP appointments, market-leading family policies, mental health support, discounted gym memberships, dental insurance, and more.
Spend & Save: Annual bonus scheme split between personal and business objectives, recognition with reward platform, up to 7% matched pension contributions, 15% Ocado discount, 20% M&S discount, free breakfast every day in the office, electric vehicle leasing scheme and free shuttle bus from Hatfield station to the office.
Never miss the moments that matter: Blended/Hybrid working, 26 days holiday plus 8 flexible bank holidays, options to buy an extra holiday, 2 weeks work from anywhere, and lifestyle break opportunities.
Our Hiring Process
Lucky for us, we get loads of great applications and we really appreciate that so many people put the time and effort in to apply. To recognise that, we treat all applications respectfully and fairly. So, if yours stands out, you’ll follow our standard hiring process – one of our Talent Partners will talk you through this in an initial call.
Everyone’s welcome
We’re an equal opportunities employer. That means that we make sure all potential colleagues are treated fairly and equally. If you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know on the application form.
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