Head of Store Operations

Are you an inspirational retail leader with the commercial ambition, operational expertise and people leadership skills to take a multi-site retail operation to the next level?

We are looking for an exceptional Head of Store Operations to lead the performance of our Food store estate and Central Operations function, driving commercial success, operational excellence and a high-performing culture across our business.

This is a key senior leadership opportunity for someone who thrives on delivering results, developing talented teams and creating an environment where colleagues are empowered to take ownership, deliver outstanding customer experiences and achieve their full potential.

About the role

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you will take overall responsibility for the performance of our Food store estate, ensuring we deliver strong sales and profitability alongside consistently high operational standards.

You will lead and inspire our Area Managers, Store Managers and Central Operations team, creating a strong trading and performance culture where accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement are at the heart of everything we do. You will be highly visible across our stores, building strong relationships with colleagues, understanding the challenges and opportunities within our businesses, recognising great performance and providing support and challenge where needed.

Key areas of responsibility will include:

- Commercial Performance: Drive sales, profitability and overall store performance, ensuring budgets and targets are achieved or exceeded.

- Operational Excellence: Set and maintain consistently high standards across customer experience, availability, merchandising, cleanliness and compliance.

- Leadership & Development: Build a strong leadership pipeline, identifying talent, developing future leaders and creating opportunities for internal progression.

- Central Operations: Lead the Central Operations function, ensuring business plans, communications and initiatives are practical, coordinated and delivered effectively in stores.

- People & Culture: Create an engaging, positive and high-performance culture where colleagues feel motivated, valued and accountable for delivering results.

- Cost & Productivity: Drive effective payroll management, waste reduction, stock-loss control and operational efficiency.

- Collaboration: Work closely with Commercial, Supply Chain, Marketing, People & Culture, Finance and Property teams to ensure business plans translate into successful operational delivery.