Product Developer - General Merchandise in London

We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. Here, everything in our stores starts in Sainsbury’s Commercial. From product, proposition, packaging and price, to whether it meets our sustainability commitments or simply tastes great, our team is responsible for all food, non-food and Clothing items available in Sainsbury’s stores, online and on demand. It’s an incredibly fast-paced environment. People here are in it together and aren’t afraid to take risks. The knowledge and experience you gain here could set you up for career moves anywhere else in the business. So, if you’re passionate about your products and just as hungry to learn, you’ll fit in perfectly.

Joining Sainsbury's as a Product Developer in General Merchandise means being at the forefront of innovation and creativity, where you will play a crucial role in shaping and delivering exciting new products that resonate with our customers. GM at Sainsbury’s covers a diverse range of product areas from Seasonal gifting to Homewares and Stationery. As part of a collaborative team that values customer quality measures and embraces new trends, you will have the opportunity to lead projects, set design directions, and drive innovation excellence, all while receiving support and resources to enhance your skills and expertise. With a focus on continuous development and a passion for delivering excellence, you will be part of a dynamic environment that encourages creativity, communication, and cross‑functional collaboration to bring innovative products to life and make a real impact in the retail industry.

You will play a crucial role in shaping and delivering the Product Plan for your sub‑category areas, ensuring compliance with all Gated Process requirements and documentation. Your responsibilities will include being the custodian of taste and quality by setting customer quality measures for all products developed, utilising various insights to inform strategy and project objectives, and leading the creation and delivery of the Product Brief for new and improved products. You will keep abreast of trends in the market, manage the end‑to‑end design generation process, and ensure accuracy of customer‑facing product information. Additionally, you will collaborate with cross‑functional teams, suppliers, and business partners to drive innovation and increase customer exposure to new products and ranges.

As a Product Developer in General Merchandise for Sainsbury's, you are a dedicated professional with a strong background in product development within the retail or manufacturing industry, essential for driving innovation and delivering high‑quality products to meet customer expectations. With your commercial awareness, customer quality measures expertise, and proven track record in setting product direction through detailed briefs and processes, you possess the skills necessary to lead and manage projects effectively while interpreting and analysing data to make informed decisions. Your passion for new trends, effective communication, and strong drive to work collaboratively in cross‑functional teams showcase your commitment to delivering excellence and driving success in product development.

Essential Criteria

• Proven and current experience in non‑food product development within general merchandise categories within large complex retail organisation.
• Strong understanding of end‑to‑end product lifecycle management and knowledge of manufacturing processes, materials, and supplier management.
• Commercial analytical skills and experience, with the ability to balance creativity, customer insight, cost, quality, and margin to deliver commercially successful ranges.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to confidently engage, challenge, and influence senior stakeholders to gain alignment on product direction and commercial decisions.

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer, so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new‑whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits.

Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to get 10% off at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 weeks. This increases to 15% off at Sainsbury’s every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day. We’ve also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance‑related bonus of up to 10% of salary, depending on how we perform.

Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy additional holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme.

Moments that matter are also important to us as you might need them. We give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.