Retail Strategy & Design Specialist

ABOUT THE ROLE

This is a brilliant opportunity to step into a high impact strategic role, driving the evolution of our Waitrose retail ecosystem. You will be fundamental to how our physical shops and customer touchpoints adapt to meet the future, ensuring our operations remain relentlessly focused on excellence. As the Retail Strategy & Design Specialist, you will act as the true  engine room  of the team.

You will be responsible for transforming visionary strides into a clear, data backed roadmap. Rooted in adaptability and a continuous improvement mindset, you will use deep subject matter expertise to ensure that every strategic move is powered by organised data and a hands on commitment to quality. By balancing immediate operational gains with long-term ecosystem growth, you will help shape a retail environment that is both forward thinking and deeply practical.

Ultimately, you will serve as the vital bridge between high level ambition and measurable execution. In addition to your contractual pay, any time worked between 22:00 - 06:00 will attract Night Premium at a rate of £5.25 per hour. This will also apply to existing Partners who have enrolled onto Enhanced Hours Premium arrangements.

• Job Title:
  
  Retail Strategy & Design Specialist
• Contract Type:
  Permanent
• Hours of Work: 35 Hours Per Week (Full Time)
• Salary: £47,500 - £70,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience
• Location:
  
  Hybrid, 3 days at our Bracknell office and regular shop visits

• Manage the execution of key Retail Strategy initiatives, proactively driving cross functional alignment and mitigating risks across physical shops and Retail Product teams.
• Manage a clear Horizon 1–3 strategy for each retail-owned priority and capability requirements ensuring a balanced roadmap of immediate optimizations (H1), emerging opportunities (H2), and future-state innovations (H3).
• Translate market and competitor intelligence into clear, strategic implications, proposing actionable design mandates that directly inform the Retail Research and Design teams' priorities.
• Drive operational excellence for the Retail Research and Design functions, independently managing the planning and execution of strategic workshops, customer immersion sessions, and design sprints.
• Own the end-to-end Proof of Concept (PoC) lifecycle, defining the trial structure, managing in-store implementation, and ensuring robust, closed-loop feedback mechanisms are established and utilised.
• Design and implement robust measurement frameworks for all trials and PoC’s, leading the analysis of key metrics to rigorously validate strategic assumptions, inform investment decisions, and quantify return on investment (ROI) which can be considered by the business.
• Serve as the primary strategic interface for Retail Product teams, establishing and embedding design principles to ensure consistent and high-quality Customer/Partner journeys across all initiatives.
• Conduct proactive field immersion, utilising direct Partner feedback and trial insights to independently identify and escalate critical operational risks and high-value strategic opportunities.
• Actively map, engage and influence key stakeholders to align on key priorities and ways of working to enable successful strategic enablement

• Strategic Planning and Foresight
• Commercial & Financial Modelling
• Value Proposition Design
• Insight Synthesis
• Stakeholder & People Management

• Project & Change Management Experience
• Strategic foresight
• Product management & design

Closing Date:
July 31, 2026

Pay: £47,500.00 - £70,000.00 Annual

Contract Type:
Permanent

Hours of Work: 35 Hours Per Week (Full Time) - Hybrid, 3 days at our Bracknell office and regular shop visits

Job Level: Partnership Level 7

Where You'll Be Working:
Bracknell Campus, Doncastle Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8YA

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…