Team Manager - Food - Watford

As a Team Manager in Food, you’ll be responsible for leading a team on the shop floor to deliver exceptional availability, 5-star service, and commercial results. This is not a back-office role. It’s a frontline leadership position in one of the most competitive retailers in the UK. You’ll need to be commercially sharp, operationally resilient, and relentless in your standards. Whether you’re managing stock, coaching your team, or solving problems, you’ll move with purpose and lead by example. This is your chance to step into a high-impact role and help shape the future of M&S Food as we push the boundaries in our transformation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and coach a team to deliver consistently under pressure.
• Set the pace, build capability, and hold the line on standards.
• Work across departments to deliver a seamless customer experience.
• Drive commercial performance by understanding the numbers and translating them into action.
• Support the growth and profitability of the store through the implementation of the retail plan and delivery of KPI measures.
• Role model great customer service and ensure the delivery of a customer-focused service proposition.
• Recruit and develop great talent within the customer assistant team.
• Ensure colleagues understand and are motivated to deliver their part.
• Support the store to trade safely and legally, protecting customers, colleagues, and the M&S brand.
• Support the delivery of an inspirational, improved, and consistent visual customer journey instore.

Key Accountabilities:

• Drive profitability and sales through supporting the delivery of the Retail Plan and Store KPIs.
• Deliver great standards and service by setting clear expectations with store colleagues.
• Create a multiskilled team, coaching and training to fully utilise all tools available.
• Seek customer feedback and take action to deliver improvement.
• Use data and insight to improve customer instore experience and drive performance.
• Regularly review individual performance and manage underperformance where required.
• Deliver all line management activities in line with company process and policy.
• Build an active working partnership with BIG and support the development of BIG reps.
• Deliver operational excellence to maximise product availability and minimise stock loss.
• Maintain a safe and legal store environment.

Technical Skills/Experience:

• Ability to lead a team to deliver excellent customer service and KPIs.
• Good understanding of commercial, visual, operational, and people processes.
• Good working knowledge of VM principles and digital capability.
• Knowledge of legal requirements and people policies.
• Ability to have difficult conversations with effective resolutions.
• Good communicator and listener who inspires and shares knowledge.
• Ability to plan and review effectively.
• Demonstrates resilience and ability to deliver under pressure.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders.
• Demonstrates flexibility and adaptability to change.

Key Leadership Capabilities:

• Successfully embeds change for lasting commercial impact.
• Takes ownership and accountability for team success.
• Spends time coaching colleagues to accelerate performance.
• Recognises high performance and supports poor performers to improve.
• Uses customer feedback and market trends to guide team work.
• Ensures timely, clear, and open communication with colleagues.
• Proactively collaborates with colleagues across the business.

Key Relationships and Stakeholders:

• Customers
• Colleagues
• Store Leadership
• Regional Leadership
• BIG

Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers, and suppliers. Join us and make change happen. We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best.