At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead transformation initiatives in Finance, ensuring effective reporting and governance.
- Company: Join Sainsbury's, a leading retailer committed to inclusivity and development.
- Benefits: Enjoy discounts, flexible working, private healthcare, and performance-related bonuses.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with opportunities for continuous learning and career growth.
- Why this job: Shape the future of Finance while driving impactful change in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in transformation or portfolio management with strong data and stakeholder skills.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 £ per year.
Location Hybrid – London or Manchester base, with approximately 2 days per week office‑based.
About the team
You’ll join the Finance Operations & Change team at the heart of Sainsbury’s Transformation agenda. Working across Finance, Business Planning and Technology, the team provides clear visibility of change activity, resource demand, and delivery progress. As part of a small, high‑impact team, you’ll help shape how transformation is delivered across Finance—driving consistency, improving connectivity, and supporting informed decision‑making.
More about the role
As Portfolio Manager, you will provide a single, joined‑up view of transformation activity impacting Finance. You’ll ensure consistent data capture, build reporting frameworks, and track programme performance, cost, and delivery milestones. A key part of the role is supporting governance—ensuring projects that are aligned, structured, and progressing effectively—while enabling leadership teams to prioritise with confidence. You will also connect Finance with the wider transformation community by facilitating engagement, supporting alignment sessions, and improving knowledge sharing. Through dependency mapping, resource alignment, and continuous improvement of tooling and processes, you’ll drive collaboration and support effective delivery. You’ll also champion a transformation mindset, enabling agile ways of working and continuous improvement across the organisation.
More about you
You are experienced in working in transformation or portfolio environments, bringing a strong focus on reporting, governance, and programme coordination. Confidence in working with complex data enables the development of your structured approaches and clear outputs that support effective decision‑making. A key strength you bring is creating visibility into transformation demand through consistent data capture and reporting, providing a clear view of change activity, resource requirements, and programme progress. Comfortable in working independently and with ambiguity, you drive activity across multiple stakeholders while building effective relationships. Your communication style adapts to different audiences, including senior stakeholders, ensuring alignment and clarity. You will have regular engagement with wider transformation communities that support collaboration, knowledge sharing, and aligned outcomes across portfolios. Your contribution to decision‑making is demonstrated through supporting the development of metrics, governance frameworks, and milestone tracking, ensuring programmes are structured and delivered effectively. You bring a collaborative mindset that underpins your approach, alongside role‑modeling agile ways of working and a commitment to continuous learning and improvement. You can balance analytical thinking with a pragmatic approach, ensuring delivery at pace while navigating complexity.
Essential criteria
- Proven delivery of transformation or portfolio support, evidenced through structuring, tracking, and reporting on complex programmes and change initiatives.
- Established Management Information and reporting frameworks, demonstrating measurable use of data and dashboards to monitor delivery progress and outcomes.
- Coordinated cross‑functional projects and resource plans, with clear evidence of mapping dependencies and supporting governance and milestone tracking.
- Influenced and aligned stakeholders across business functions, demonstrating tailored communication to drive collaboration and decision‑making.
- Applied structured problem‑solving approaches, evidencing the ability to work independently, navigate ambiguity, and progress competing priorities to completion.
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. Here are some of them:
- Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year.
- 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 20% 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 up to an additional week's holiday, and we provide private healthcare.
- We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, interest free car loan of up to £10k, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, salary 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 as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.
Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).
Strategic Transformation Portfolio Lead employer: 慨正橡扯
Sainsbury's is an exceptional employer that prioritises employee growth and well-being, offering a dynamic work culture where innovation and collaboration thrive. With a commitment to inclusivity and flexible working arrangements, employees enjoy a range of benefits including generous discounts, performance-related bonuses, and comprehensive health coverage. The opportunity to engage in meaningful transformation projects within a supportive team environment makes Sainsbury's a rewarding place to build a career.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Strategic Transformation Portfolio Lead
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the finance and transformation sectors on LinkedIn. Join relevant groups, attend webinars, and don’t be shy about asking for informational interviews. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings!
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by practising common questions related to transformation and portfolio management. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers. This will help you showcase your experience effectively and demonstrate your problem-solving skills.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your data skills! Be ready to discuss how you've used data to drive decision-making in past roles. Bring examples of reports or dashboards you've created that highlight your ability to track performance and support governance.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in being part of our team. Keep an eye on our careers page for new opportunities and updates!
We think you need these skills to ace Strategic Transformation Portfolio Lead
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in transformation and portfolio management. Use keywords from the job description to show that you understand what we're looking for.
Showcase Your Data Skills:Since this role involves a lot of data capture and reporting, don’t shy away from showcasing your analytical skills. Include examples of how you've used data to drive decision-making and improve processes in your previous roles.
Demonstrate Your Communication Style:We value clear communication, especially when it comes to engaging with senior stakeholders. Share examples of how you've adapted your communication style to different audiences to ensure alignment and clarity.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands and shows your enthusiasm for joining our team at Sainsbury's.
How to prepare for a job interview at 慨正橡扯
✨Know Your Transformation Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of transformation and portfolio management. Understand the key concepts, frameworks, and methodologies that are relevant to the role. Being able to discuss how you've applied these in past experiences will show you're not just familiar with the terms but can actually deliver results.
✨Data is Your Best Friend
Since this role involves a lot of data capture and reporting, be prepared to talk about your experience with Management Information systems. Bring examples of how you've used data to track programme performance and support decision-making. If you can demonstrate your analytical skills with real-life scenarios, you'll definitely impress.
✨Show Off Your Stakeholder Skills
This position requires influencing and aligning various stakeholders, so think of specific instances where you've successfully navigated complex relationships. Be ready to share how you tailored your communication style to different audiences, especially senior stakeholders, to drive collaboration and achieve aligned outcomes.
✨Embrace Agility and Continuous Improvement
The role champions agile ways of working, so come prepared to discuss how you've implemented agile practices in your previous roles. Share examples of how you've fostered a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability within teams, as this will resonate well with the interviewers looking for a collaborative mindset.
