At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead global retail strategy and planning, shaping investment decisions and priorities.
- Company: Join the LEGO Group, a dynamic and inclusive company committed to creativity.
- Benefits: Enjoy hybrid working, generous discounts, bonuses, and enhanced family care leave.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team that values creativity and innovation.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in retail development while inspiring future builders.
- Qualifications: Experience in retail strategy, finance, and strong communication skills required.
The predicted salary is between 90000 - 110000 £ per year.
Job Overview
Job Description Full time - Permanent London, UK (Can be converted into a 12-month Secondment opportunity for interested internal candidates)
As Director, Global Portfolio Strategy & Planning, reporting to the Vice President Global Retail Development, you will work at the centre of the global RD organisation, connecting strategy, commercial and financial insight, portfolio priorities and executive decision-making to enable efficient planning and delivery of the RD programs, aligned to strategy and prioritisation.
From local market footprint strategies and store investment decisions to globally scaled concepts, you will bring together insight, constructive challenge and structure to help Retail Development leaders make informed decisions and turn ambition into actionable priorities.
Sitting on the Global Retail Development Leadership Team, you will play a pivotal role in shaping what matters most across existing and new markets, new store formats, design evolution, real estate strategy and global rollouts.
You will create clarity across investment, cost, value, capacity, risk and opportunity, ensuring senior leaders are aligned on the decisions required and the implications of those choices.
This is a highly influential role for a commercially minded strategic leader who can move confidently between the numbers and the narrative, shaping the roadmap, challenging assumptions, connecting priorities and enabling the Global Retail Development organisation to make more informed, faster decisions.
We're pleased to share that we offer a hybrid working week arrangement called Best of Both, requiring 3 days in the office location and 2 days from home.
Relocation & visa assistance is offered for this position.
- Core Responsibilities
- Portfolio Strategy Leadership & Governance – Partner with the VP of Global Retail Development and the Global Retail Development Leadership Team to shape the function's strategic agenda, translate priorities into an integrated multi-year roadmap, and maintain clarity on the choices and trade-offs required to deliver it.
- Portfolio & Programme Prioritisation – Define and embed clear principles for prioritising RD portfolios and programmes, balancing value, strategic alignment, feasibility and delivery capacity to guide investment and resource decisions.
- Commercial & Retail Finance Leadership – Bring strong commercial and financial rigour to Retail Development decisions, with a clear understanding of store development economics, Cap Ex/Op Ex, cost drivers and investment returns.
Challenge assumptions, strengthen business cases, and enable informed decisions on where and how we invest.
- Investment Planning & Performance – Create a holistic view of the global RD investment portfolio, connecting store development costs, budgets, forecasts, benefits and value delivery.
Identify trends, risks and opportunities and provide the insight needed to optimise spend and improve return across markets and formats.
Lead yearly RD resource planning, in partnership with functional heads.
- Executive Communication & Decision Support – Turn complex strategic, operational and financial information into clear executive narratives, recommendations and decision materials for VPs and senior leaders.
Anticipate the questions that matter, surface implications early and drive alignment around key decisions.
Own the Quarterly RD Review with M&C Leaders, bringing together progress, priorities and key decisions to drive alignment and clear follow-up actions.
- Leadership Alignment & Cross-Functional Partnership – Connect global, regional and functional perspectives across Retail Development, Finance, Real Estate, Operations and commercial teams, ensuring priorities, dependencies and decisions are understood and aligned across the organisation.
- Strategic Governance & Delivery Oversight – Establish the right governance, cadence and visibility across the RD portfolio, ensuring strategic priorities translate into disciplined execution while maintaining clear oversight of progress, risk, investment and outcomes.
- Do you have what it takes
- Retail Development Strategy & Commercial Leadership – Significant experience in retail, real estate, store development or a closely related environment, with the ability to connect growth strategy, physical retail development and commercial performance.
- Strong Retail Finance Capability – Deep understanding of store development economics and investment decision-making, including Cap Ex/Op Ex, development costs, budgets, forecasts, business cases and return on investment.
Able to confidently challenge and interpret the financial assumptions behind major retail investments.
- Strategic Portfolio & Investment Management – Proven ability to assess competing priorities, evaluate investment trade-offs and create a clear portfolio view that enables senior leaders to make informed choices on resources, sequencing and value.
- Executive Communication & Strategic Storytelling – Exceptional ability to synthesise complex information into concise, compelling recommendations and executive-level materials, with the judgement to distinguish what senior leaders need to know, decide and act on.
- Senior Stakeholder Management & Influence – Demonstrated credibility operating with VPs, senior directors and cross-functional leadership teams, able to constructively challenge, build alignment and influence decisions without relying on formal authority.
- Global Leadership & Organisational Agility – Comfortable operating across geographies, functions and time zones in a fast-moving environment, balancing strategic thinking with enough proximity to the detail to understand implications, risks and delivery realities.
What’s in it for you?
- Family Care Leave - We offer enhanced paid leave options for those important times.
- Insurances – All colleagues are covered by our life and disability insurance which provides protection and peace of mind.
- Wellbeing - We want our people to feel well and thrive.
We offer resources and benefits to nurture physical and mental wellbeing along with opportunities to build community and inspire creativity.
- Colleague Discount – We know you'll love to build, so from day 1 you will qualify for our generous colleague discount.
- Bonus - We do our best work to succeed together. When goals are reached and if eligible, you'll be rewarded through our bonus scheme.
- Your workplace: Your workplace will be the office, store or factory specified in this advert.
- Hybrid
Working: Our hybrid work model, Best of Both offers you the option of flexibility to work from home up to two days per week.
Your People Leader will discuss the principles of the model, including how this option applies to your role and team.
Culture and Values
Children are our role models.
Their curiosity, creativity and imagination inspire everything we do.
We strive to create a diverse, dynamic and inclusive culture of play at the LEGO Group, where everyone feels safe, valued and they belong.
The LEGO Group is highly committed to equal employment opportunity and equal pay and seeks to encourage applicants from all backgrounds (eg. sex, gender identity or expression, race/ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, age and religion) to apply for roles in our team.
The LEGO Group is fully committed to Children’s Rights and Child Wellbeing across the globe.
Candidates offered positions with high engagement with children are required to take part in Child Safeguarding Background Screening, as a condition of the offer.
Thank you for sharing our global commitment to Children’s Rights.
Just imagine building your dream career. Then make it real. Join the LEGO® team today.
We are never still.
We will always be creating, inventing, and having fun.
Build your career brick by brick and play your part in continuing our mission to "inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow".
Director, Global Portfolio Strategy & Planning – Retail Development employer: 1034 LEGO Company Limited
At the LEGO Group, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant work culture that fosters creativity and collaboration. As the Global Director of Sustainable Logistics & Distribution, you'll not only lead impactful sustainability initiatives but also benefit from our comprehensive employee support, including enhanced family care leave, wellbeing resources, and a generous colleague discount. Join us in a dynamic environment where your contributions will help shape a sustainable future while enjoying opportunities for personal and professional growth.
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We think this is how you could land Director, Global Portfolio Strategy & Planning – Retail Development
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