Finance Manager - Retail Labour Costs

Location

London Store Support Centre & Home – colleagues go into the office 1‑2 days per week on average.

Joining Sainsbury's as a Finance Manager for Retail Labour Costs offers a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in managing one of the largest and most complex cost lines in the P&L – retail labour, covering store colleague and management costs across the estate. As part of the Retail Costs Team, you will collaborate closely with senior leadership to provide deep analytical insights, financial control, and strategic guidance that drives performance and optimises workforce efficiency.

With a focus on transformation and continuous improvement, you will have the chance to lead a team, influence key business decisions, and contribute to shaping the financial success of the company while fostering a culture of curiosity, accountability, and high performance.

You will partner with the Director of Labour & Operating Models and Retail leadership teams to provide deep analytical insight, robust financial control, and commercial challenge to drive performance and optimise workforce efficiency. You will translate operational metrics into financial impacts and actionable recommendations, support P&L delivery, forecasting, financial modelling, and labour cost‑saving programmes. Additionally, you will lead a team of finance analysts, fostering a culture of curiosity, ownership, and accountability while effectively managing commercial relationships and influencing senior decision‑makers to achieve best‑in‑class business partnering and financial performance.

You are a professionally qualified accountant with a strong focus on driving excellent financial and commercial performance while maintaining robust financial control. You have extensive experience in business partnering and influencing senior decision‑makers, coupled with the ability to provide clear data‑driven insights and high‑impact analysis to support key transformation programmes and drive labour‑cost efficiency. Your proactive and forward‑thinking approach demonstrates resilience and adaptability in managing complex financial challenges and driving positive change within the organisation.

• Professionally qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with experience working within Retail, FMCG or a similar large fast‑paced organisation.
• Demonstrable experience of business partnering and influencing commercial and operational stakeholders, including presenting, challenging and communicating financial insights to senior leaders up to Director level.
• Demonstrable people management experience.
• Proven ability to identify risks, opportunities and performance improvement areas, using financial and commercial insight to challenge business performance and support decision‑making.
• Evidence of managing commercial relationships and balancing competing priorities, including making recommendations, appropriately challenging requests and delivering outcomes in a changing environment.
• Experience of maintaining robust financial controls and leading or supporting change initiatives, including managing associated risks, issues and stakeholder impacts.

You’ll receive an annual holiday allowance, with the option to buy up to an additional week of holiday, and private healthcare. Additional benefits include: a colleague discount of 10% (increasing to 15% at certain times) on Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat; a pension scheme and life cover; a performance‑related bonus of up to 20% of salary, depending on performance; season ticket loans;

an interest‑free car loan of up to £10k; a cycle‑to‑work scheme; health cash plans; salary advance; access to a wide range of retailer discounts; an Employee Assistance Programme; up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.