At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead retail engagement for transformation projects, ensuring quality delivery and risk management.
- Company: Dynamic retail organisation focused on innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Hybrid working, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Join a diverse team committed to inclusion and continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in retail transformation while developing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: Experience in PMO or programme assurance, strong stakeholder management, and analytical skills.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 60000 £ per year.
Role Overview: As the primary point of accountability for ensuring retail engagement across the FY27 transformation portfolio, you will identify projects with retail impact, ensure that impact is understood, governed and managed, and work with project teams and retail stakeholders to manage risk, readiness and delivery quality on behalf of stores and the wider retail operation.
Retail Impact Identification & Triage: Maintain a live registry of all active and planned portfolio projects with a retail footprint, drawing from Planview, CCB submissions and New Demand / 3YP pipeline. Triage and classify retail impact by type (technology, process, colleague, customer, trading) and severity, escalating material risks to the Head of Portfolio and relevant Head of Retail. Work with the Enterprise PMO to embed retail impact as a mandatory assessment checkpoint in the CCB stage‑gate process.
Retail Readiness & Impact Assessment: Lead structured impact assessments for projects entering delivery or go‑live phases, coordinating input from Retail Operations, Store Experience and commercial teams. Define and track retail readiness criteria for each impacting project, ensuring deployment readiness is evidenced before significant change lands in stores. Challenge project teams where retail impact is insufficiently assessed or proposed timelines create unacceptable risk to store operations or trading performance.
Stakeholder Engagement & Communication: Serve as the primary interface between the Portfolio & Delivery PMO function and retail leadership, providing a consolidated view of upcoming change, dependencies and risk. Produce a regular Retail Change Calendar, giving retail stakeholders clear forward visibility of impacting projects, key dates and change volumes. Facilitate retail input into project SteerCos and relevant governance forums where retail impact is material.
Governance & Assurance: Own the Retail PMO risk log – tracking risks and issues arising from portfolio activity that could affect retail performance or colleague experience. Support the CCB processes by providing retail impact assessments for relevant submissions, ensuring that decision‑makers have adequate retail context before approvals are granted.
Continuous Improvement: Identify systemic patterns in how retail is impacted by portfolio activity and recommend structural improvements to planning, sequencing or governance processes. Contribute to the development of Enterprise PMO standards and tooling to embed retail impact thinking at the point of project initiation. Support the annual planning cycle by providing retail impact data and capacity insight to inform FY project prioritisation, sequencing and demand decisions ahead of the next financial year plan.
Required Skills & Experience: Proven PMO or programme assurance experience in a large, complex portfolio. Experience working with or within a retail operations, store experience or trading environment. Demonstrable experience of managing stakeholder relationships at senior level. Experience of governance frameworks including change control, investment governance or SteerCo management. Strong analytical and risk assessment skills, with ability to synthesise complex information for senior audiences. Clear, confident communication skills – written and verbal. Ability to challenge constructively and hold project teams to account without direct line authority. Comfortable operating across ambiguous, cross‑functional environments. Proficient in Microsoft Office suite, particularly PowerPoint and Excel. Experience with portfolio management tooling (e.g. Planview or equivalent) is desirable.
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion: We are committed to making inclusion and diversity part of everything we do, including how we strengthen our workforce. Every voice has a space at our table and we aim to give you a fair opportunity to show your talents during our application process. If you need any additional assistance with your application, we will do our best to help.
PMO Lead - Retail in City of Westminster employer: Currys PLC
As a PMO Lead in Retail at our Waterloo location, you will thrive in a dynamic and inclusive work culture that prioritises employee growth and development. We offer a hybrid working model, competitive benefits, and the opportunity to engage with senior stakeholders while driving impactful change across our retail operations. Join us to be part of a team that values your contributions and fosters continuous improvement in a supportive environment.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land PMO Lead - Retail in City of Westminster
✨Get Your Retail Game On
Start by getting to know the local retail scene. Make a list of stores that align with your vibe and visit them. You'll be surprised at how many job openings come from chatting with staff or managers in-store. Plus, showing that you have a genuine interest in their brand can make you stand out when applying for that full-time role!
✨Join Retail Networks and Forums
Tap into retail-specific communities and forums, whether online or in-person. Platforms like Retail Week or local retail meetups can provide invaluable insights and connections. You never know who might drop a tip about an upcoming job at companies like Currys PLC, so don’t miss out on building those relationships!
✨Be Ready for Busy Season Opportunities
Keep your eyes peeled for seasonal hiring windows, especially in the run-up to major shopping periods. Retailers often look for full-time staff to carry through busy times and may even keep you on after the season. Stay proactive by regularly checking in with your favourite retailers about their hiring plans.
✨Show Off Your Customer Service Skills
Retail’s all about customer interactions, so make sure you showcase any relevant experience in your conversations and interviews. Share specific examples of your customer service skills and how they’ve led to positive outcomes. This is your moment to shine when applying to roles at places like Currys PLC!
We think you need these skills to ace PMO Lead - Retail in City of Westminster
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Customer Service Skills:In retail, customer service is key! Make sure your CV highlights any experience where you've dealt with customers, whether it’s resolving issues or enhancing the shopping experience. Use concrete examples to demonstrate your problem-solving skills and ability to handle difficult situations with ease.
Tailor Your CV for Retail:When applying for a full-time role like this one at Currys PLC, customise your CV to reflect retail-specific buzzwords. Include any relevant skills such as inventory management or visual merchandising, and if you have experience with POS systems, shout about it! This will show you’re serious about joining the retail team.
Craft a Genuine Cover Letter:Don’t just repeat your CV in your cover letter! Use it as a chance to explain why you're excited about the opportunity at Currys PLC and how your values align with their brand. Mention specific aspects of the company that resonate with you and let your enthusiasm shine through!
Highlight Your Adaptability:In retail, things can get busy and unpredictable, so demonstrate how adaptable and flexible you are. Share examples of times you've had to adjust your approach on the fly or take on new responsibilities. This will show Currys PLC that you’re ready to jump in and contribute right away!
How to prepare for a job interview at Currys PLC
✨Show Off Your Customer Service Skills
Retail is all about providing an exceptional customer experience, so be ready to discuss your past customer service stories. We should have examples on hand of how we've handled difficult situations or gone above and beyond to meet a customer's needs. These anecdotes will bring your application to life!
✨Familiarity with Point of Sale Systems
Many retail roles require us to work with Point of Sale (POS) systems, so it's a good idea to brush up on any relevant software you’ve used before. If you’re familiar with systems like Shopify or Square, don’t forget to mention this during the interview. Highlighting technical proficiency can set us apart from other candidates!
✨Understand Product Knowledge
Be prepared to discuss the products that the store sells and how we can contribute to their sales. Showing enthusiasm for the products and a willingness to learn can impress interviewers. We should research popular items or trends in the industry before the interview, so we can speak confidently about them.
✨Be Ready for Role-Playing Scenarios
Many retail interviews include role-playing scenarios where we might have to deal with a difficult customer or upsell a product. Practising these scenarios with a friend or family member can help us feel more comfortable. The key here is to showcase our problem-solving skills and ability to remain calm under pressure!
