Lead Food Manager

Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - GBP 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK supermarket chain is seeking a dedicated Lead Food Manager for its Greater London location. This role empowers a small team to ensure exceptional grocery operations and customer experiences. Ideal candidates should have a track record of leading teams in fast-paced environments and excel in managing people and performance. A strong focus on customer service is essential, along with the ability to handle sensitive team dynamics. Competitive salary and various employee benefits are offered, including discounts and bonuses.

Benefits

10% discount after four weeks, increases to 15%

Annual bonus scheme

Free food and hot drinks for colleagues

Generous holiday entitlement

Pension matching up to 7.5%

Wellbeing support

Colleague networks

Cycle to Work scheme

Special offers on gym memberships and more

Qualifications

• Experience leading large teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven success in delivering customer experiences.
• Ability to manage sensitive people matters.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of food managers in store operations.
• Execute trading events with the store leadership team.
• Accountable for store in the manager's absence.

Skills

Leadership in fast-paced environment

Managing large teams

Customer service focus

Job description

Low Hall Store, Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd 11 Walthamstow Avenue, London Greater London, E4 8ST

Salary: From £38,600
Location: Low Hall Store, London, E4 8ST
Contract type: Permanent
Business area: Retail
Requisition ID: 400047983

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. And 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
• Regularly 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 the passion and flair for great shop‑keeping and creating fantastic shopping experiences
• Be responsible for a large team of colleagues, ensuring they perform at their best, are on the shop floor when needed, and that all people matters – from celebrating success to managing difficult situations – are conducted properly

What makes a great Lead Food Manager:

• A passionate leader who is consistently ambitious for their customers and colleagues, growing their team to do the same
• Experience of managing managers in a fast‑paced, customer‑facing environment
• An operator who is comfortable managing alone in the absence of more senior management
• Driven to deliver high performance with a focus on efficiency and engagement
• Confident in the use of data and understanding / interpreting KPI’s or other performance indicators and transforming these into meaningful actions
• Champions inclusivity, putting it at the heart of what they do, and using this passion to build an inclusive team and working environment
• Comfortable in managing complex people matters such as disciplinaries, performance issues or other similar employee relations issues

Essential Criteria:

• Experience leading large teams in a fast‑paced, customer‑focused environment – developed leaders, built high‑performing teams, and created a culture of ownership and accountability
• A track record of delivering exceptional customer experiences across complex operations, with evidence of delivering these through your team
• Proven success in delivering and improving KPI’s – from sales and stock availability to customer satisfaction and colleague engagement – driving results that matter
• 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 – whether in retail, hospitality or food service – owning departmental performance and confidently leading the store in the absence of senior leadership
• Can evidence leading change – whether rolling out new ways of working, embedding new systems or shifting team mindsets, bringing people with you and making change stick

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% discount off on your shopping at Sainsbury’s, Argos, Tu and Habitat after four weeks; increases to 15% discount off at Sainsbury’s every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day
• An annual bonus scheme based on our and your performance
• Free food and hot drinks provided for colleagues in all our 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 gives you the opportunity to hire a new bike and cycling equipment, whilst 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 our colleagues 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, to help our colleagues grow and succeed. 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.