Customer Experience Manager

Sainsbury’s Group; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK retailer is seeking a Customer Experience Manager who will oversee the customer experience in stores. The role involves managing operations from checkout to back office while leading and coaching a team to deliver exceptional service. Candidates should have experience in fast-paced environments and a passion for customer satisfaction. Benefits include a discount scheme, annual bonuses, and various wellbeing support.

Benefits

10% off shopping after four weeks

Annual bonus scheme

Free food and hot drinks

Generous holiday entitlement

Pension matching 4-7.5%

Sainsbury’s share scheme

Wellbeing support

Cycle to Work scheme

Special offers on various memberships

Qualifications

• Track record of delivering exceptional customer experiences.
• Experience leading teams in a dynamic environment.
• Leadership experience in a high-volume, fast-paced setting.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the overall customer experience in the store.
• Manage front-end checkout operations.
• Handle people management, including performance and scheduling.

Skills

Customer obsession

Performance management

Leadership in operational settings

Job description

Join to apply for the Customer Experience Manager role at Sainsbury's

Leading in our stores

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 hands‑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

• Taking responsibility for the overall customer experience across the store from the checkout to the back of house, ensuring we deliver on our customer commitments.
• Managing the front‑end checkout operation, ensuring all customers are served in line with our expectations.
• Managing operations in the petrol station (if your shop has one).
• People management – managing performance and capability, conducting disciplinaries and ensuring scheduling and pay are accurate.
• At times you may assume overall responsibility for running the store, making sure all colleagues are given direction and support to deliver for the customer.

What makes a great customer experience manager

• Previous line management responsibilities in a fast‑paced, operational environment.
• Someone who is truly obsessed with customers and service, and coaches a team to do the same.
• Delivers KPIs or other performance indicators.
• Can manage disciplinaries, performance issues or other similar employee‑relations issues.
• Leads operations and is comfortable doing this alone in the absence of more senior management.

Essential Criteria

• A track record of delivering exceptional customer experiences, with evidence of coaching others to consistently raise the bar.
• Experience leading teams in a dynamic, customer‑facing environment – you’ve inspired others, driven high performance, and created a culture where colleagues thrive.
• Leadership experience in a high‑volume, fast‑paced operational setting – whether in retail, food service, or hospitality – where you’ve overseen daily operations, solved business problems, and kept teams focused on what matters most: delivering for customers.
• Proven success in delivering against a wide range of KPIs – from sales and stock availability to customer satisfaction and colleague engagement, you’ve made a measurable difference.
• Experience managing complex people matters, including performance, absence, and formal employee‑relations cases, with confidence and fairness.

Working for us has great rewards

Salary will be dependent upon your experience as well as the store size, complexity and location. Alongside this, we also offer a great range of benefits for our managers, including:

• Discount card – 10% off your shopping at Sainsbury’s, Argos, Tu and Habitat after four weeks, increasing to 15% on Fridays and Saturdays at Sainsbury’s and 15% off at Argos every payday.
• An annual bonus scheme based on our and your performance.
• Free food and hot drinks for colleagues in all stores.
• Generous holiday entitlement, maternity and paternity leave.
• Pension – we’ll match 4‑7.5% of your pension contributions.
• Sainsbury’s share scheme – build up an investment at discounted rates.
• Wellbeing support – access to emotional support, counselling, legal and financial advice.
• Colleague networks – link with like‑minded people to help fulfil your potential.
• Our Cycle to Work scheme – hire a new bike and cycling equipment while saving on tax and NI.
• Special offers on gym memberships, restaurants, holidays, retail vouchers and more.

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. To support this commitment, our colleagues may be entitled to a range of enhanced discretionary leave for families, as well as support for carers. We provide resources to help them understand and support their role and their team effectively. Our internal colleague networks seek to ensure true representation for everyone, helping us identify and remove barriers that our colleagues may face. We are proud to offer a range of development opportunities, including mentorship, training and career progression pathways. We also celebrate diversity through various initiatives and events, fostering a culture of inclusion and respect. If you would like to learn more about our commitment to inclusivity, please take a look here.

Should you require any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview stages, please let us know, and we will endeavour to support you.

Seniority level

Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

Full‑time

Job function

Other

Industries

Retail