Strategy Lead – Group and John Lewis

Job description

About the role

We have a unique opportunity for two Strategy Leads to join our Strategy & Strategic Planning Team at the John Lewis Partnership. In this role, you will be a senior strategist supporting business leaders, including the Executive Team and their teams, in setting enterprise and line of business strategy, as well as strategically prioritised projects. In addition, you will support the Head of Strategy & Strategic Planning and the Finance & Strategy Directors for Group, Waitrose and John Lewis with thought leadership and team development.

We are hiring for two roles:

Strategy Lead - John Lewis: This role is a key strategy leadership role which interfaces with the John Lewis Management Board. Leading a small team of strategy managers, this role is responsible for strategy development across John Lewis. This role is a 12 month fixed term contract or secondment.

Strategy Lead - Group: This role is a key strategy leadership role which interfaces with Partnership stakeholders. Leading a small team of strategy managers, this role is responsible for Partnership / Enterprise level strategy, spanning the intersections of our lines of business and beyond. We expect this to be a permanent role.

Responsibilities, Skills and Experience

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Salary - £90,000 - £130,000.

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Contract type - Dependent on role; we expect one 12 month fixed term contract and one permanent.

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Working pattern/flexible working - The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business. Strategy Leads can expect to spend 2-3 days a week working in the office or other Partnership locations, with the remainder of time spent working from home. 

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Location - This role will be based at our Head Office in Pimlico, London, with occasional travel to other Partnership locations.

Key responsibilities

Reporting to the Head of Strategy and Strategic Planning, and matrix working day-to-day into the relevant Finance and Strategy Director, this role is a senior strategy role within the Strategy & Strategic Planning Team. You will be a strategic business partner, supporting business leaders, including the Executive Team and their teams, in setting enterprise and line of business strategy, as well as strategically prioritised projects. You will be responsible for identifying, analysing and evaluating the internal and external market conditions in which we trade, synthesising complex data and insight into clear choices and recommendations, while working collaboratively with senior business leaders to provide clarity, objectivity and analysis to enable the right decisions to be made quickly and confidently. 

This role is assigned to a business area (i.e. John Lewis, Waitrose or Group), bringing strategic thinking and analysis to critical business questions. Your work will ensure we stand apart from our competitors and will directly impact on the strategic choices the Partnership makes.

The role requires a strong strategist with highly developed senior stakeholder management skills, including an ability to communicate and influence with Executive level leaders. This requires the need to work at pace in a dynamic, fast paced environment, whilst also creating space to think strategically, navigate ambiguity and engage in complex problem solving.

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

For all roles:

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Previous significant experience and a proven track record in a senior strategy leadership role in a consultancy or in-house team in a relevant industry sector

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Significant evidence of demonstrating ability to analyse and evaluate strategic threats and opportunities, using both qualitative and quantitative data; including strong financial and commercial acumen

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Evidence of a strong strategic mindset and an ability to think big picture, strategically navigate ambiguity and problem solve with limited guidance

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Evidence of having successfully engaged with and influenced Executive level stakeholders in the development of strategy and strategic planning

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Proven influencing and communication skills and ability to build relationships at all levels and across functions to drive strategic alignment

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Excellent leadership skills, with an ability to build a highly engaged and motivated teams of strategy professionals 

For Strategy Lead - John Lewis

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Deep experience within general merchandise and omnichannel retailing - experience with department stores a bonus

For Strategy Lead - Group

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Deep understanding of competitive dynamics, consumer market conditions, economics, and the intersection of commercial strategy and JLP’s unique business model.

Desirable skills/experience you may have

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A mix of strategy consulting and corporate strategy experience with senior business leadership experience 

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A demonstrated ability to work in a cross-functional and matrix business environment

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Experience of line management of strategy professionals

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Knowledge of one or more of the following sectors: Grocery and/or General Merchandise

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.  

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