Lead Solution Specialist - Power Platform & Automation in Manchester

Employer: Co-op Group

Location: Manchester city centre

Pay: £55,000 to £65,000 per year, plus excellent benefits

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Full time

Closing Date: 29/07/2026

About this job

In this role you'll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and our Manchester office as required for team days, meetings, and events. We’re open to applications from people who may require flexible working arrangements. There’ll be an opportunity to discuss your flexible working requirements during the interview process, and at offer stage.

We’re looking for a Lead Solution Specialist Power Platform & Automation to join our Digital Workplace team and help us shape the future of Power Platform services across our Co–op. In this role, you’ll provide technical leadership across the Power Platform ecosystem, ensuring the solutions we build are secure, scalable and aligned to business needs. Working closely with colleagues across technology and the wider business, you’ll combine hands–on expertise, solution design and strategic thinking to drive the successful delivery of digital solutions that create value across the organisation.

Why this role matters:

This is an exciting opportunity to influence how Co–op uses Power Platform and automation technologies to transform the way we work. You’ll play a leading role in defining the technical direction of the platform, guiding best practice and helping teams solve complex business challenges through simple, sustainable solutions. As a recognised subject matter expert, you’ll have the opportunity to shape strategy, mentor engineers and work on high–impact initiatives that support colleagues, improve services and accelerate digital innovation across Co–op.

What you’ll do:

• Provide technical leadership across Power Platform services, ensuring solutions are secure, scalable and aligned with business goals.
• Design solution architectures using Power Apps, Power Automate, Copilot Studio and related Microsoft technologies.
• Work with business and technical stakeholders to understand requirements and shape effective platform solutions.
• Define and promote standards, governance, best practices and guardrails to support sustainable platform adoption.
• Lead the design of integrations and APIs, ensuring solutions work effectively across cloud and hybrid environments.
• Provide hands–on support for complex development activities, architecture decisions and technical problem solving.
• Coach and mentor engineers, helping to develop technical capability across the team.
• Contribute to the strategic direction of Power Platform services, identifying opportunities to improve capabilities and deliver greater business value.

What you’ll bring:

• Proven hands–on experience across Microsoft Power Platform, including Power Apps, Power Automate, and Copilot Studio.
• Strong solution architecture and technical design skills, with experience delivering solutions in cloud and hybrid environments.
• Knowledge of API management, integration patterns and modern application design principles.
• Proven ability to translate complex business challenges into practical, supportable technical solutions.
• Experience working with both business and technical stakeholders to define requirements and influence outcomes.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts clearly to a range of audiences.
• Experience mentoring and coaching engineers, supporting technical decision‑making and capability development.

We know some people may hesitate to apply if they don’t meet every requirement. At Co–op, we’re committed to building diverse and inclusive teams, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we still encourage you to apply.

Benefits:

• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
• 30% discount on Co–op products and 10% off other brands
• Early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
• Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice – 24/7 colleague support service
• Training and support for your development and career progression
• Cycle–to–work scheme

We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work. We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.