Strategy Lead – Group and John Lewis

Apply on JLP Jobs - the official careers website for John Lewis Partnership, John Lewis & Partners, and Waitrose & Partners.

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.

• Salary - £90,000 - £130,000.

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

• 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.

• 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:

• 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

• 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

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

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

• Proven…