At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a team to ensure food quality and availability in-store every day.
- Company: Join Sainsbury's, a leading grocery retailer focused on customer service and innovation.
- Benefits: Enjoy discounts, free food, generous holidays, pension matching, and wellbeing support.
- Why this job: Develop your leadership skills while making a real impact on customer experience.
- Qualifications: Experience in managing teams in fast-paced environments is essential.
- Other info: Clear career progression opportunities within Sainsbury's management structure.
The predicted salary is between 28800 - 43200 £ per year.
Food sets the standard for the rest of the store – getting it right means our customers choose to return again and again so it’s critical that grocery, fresh and produce are always available and looking their best. Your leadership will deliver throughout the day, every day. Reporting into our Lead Food Manager, your job is focused on operational in-store management, ensuring that your area is running smoothly, day in, day out.
There’s an emphasis on managing a medium to large instore team – assigning tasks and planning breaks, creating rotas, addressing performance issues both sensitively and effectively, and helping with recruitment. You’ll be a visible leader on the shop floor, a role model who drives training and creates a team where everyone feels welcome, and colleagues feel safe to challenge the way things are done.
What success looks like
There’s lots to achieve. Here’s how you’ll know you’re developing:
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You’re supporting the Lead Food Manager to deliver improved customer and retail outcomes in your area
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You’ll work closely with another Food Manager, sharing ideas and identifying ways to improve things, and provide a brilliant handover from each shift to the next
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You’re confident being direct with your team – you’re giving honest feedback, early and often
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You’ve learned how to help your team to put themselves in the customers’ shoes, taking genuine pride in how we deliver a better service
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You’re increasingly making decisions at pace and comfortable not knowing all the answers
About you
We’re open minded about your career trajectory. You’re probably already managing or supervising people in a similarly fast-paced setting and confident to deal with the many different challenges each day throws up – your team are depending on you!
You’ll need to share Sainsbury’s love of technology. We’re ahead of the curve here – we do as much as we can digitally – from stock management to rotas.
What matters most is you – you’re motivated to develop, dedicated to bringing out the best in others and, like all of us, passionate about customer service. After all, that’s what our stores are all about.
Where next?
The Sainsbury’s instore management structure is designed precisely to help people like you to progress, and where everyone has the support and the opportunity to deliver excellence. When joining us you will receive a clear induction and orientation alongside a training plan specific to your needs that you’ll build alongside your manager. They will support and coach you to deliver great performance, whilst having plenty of time to develop.
As a Food Manager you could move into a Lead Manager role in Food, In-store Customer Experience, Clothing or General Merchandise. Looking further ahead, it’s great preparation for a Store Management role or a leadership challenge across the Sainsbury’s family: Habitat, Tu, Argos, Sainsbury’s Bank and Nectar 360. Trust us – we know how to make the most of your potential.
Salary will be dependent upon your experience as well as the store size, complexity and location. Alongside this, we also offer a great range of benefits for our managers, including:
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Discount card – 10% discount off on your shopping at Sainsbury’s, Argos, Tu and Habitat after four weeks. This increases to 15% discount off at Sainsbury’s every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day.
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Free food and hot drinks provided for Colleagues in all our stores.
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Generous holiday entitlement, maternity and paternity leave.
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Pension – we’ll match 4-7% of your pension contributions.
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Sainsbury’s share scheme – build up an investment at discounted rates
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Wellbeing support – access to emotional support, counselling, legal and financial advice
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Colleague networks – link with like-minded people to help fulfil your potential.
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Our Cycle to Work scheme gives you the opportunity to hire a new bike and cycling equipment, whilst saving on tax and NI.
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Special offers on gym memberships, restaurants, holidays, retail vouchers and more.
Food Manager employer: Sainsbury’s Group
Contact Detail:
Sainsbury’s Group Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Food Manager
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarize yourself with the latest trends in grocery and fresh produce management. Understanding what customers are looking for can help you stand out as a candidate who is not only knowledgeable but also passionate about delivering excellent service.
✨Tip Number 2
Showcase your leadership skills by discussing specific examples of how you've successfully managed teams in fast-paced environments. Highlighting your ability to motivate and develop others will resonate well with us.
✨Tip Number 3
Be prepared to discuss your experience with technology in retail settings. Since we value digital solutions for stock management and rotas, demonstrating your comfort with tech will give you an edge.
✨Tip Number 4
Research our company culture and values, especially around customer service and teamwork. Being able to articulate how your personal values align with ours will show that you're a great fit for the Food Manager role.
We think you need these skills to ace Food Manager
Some tips for your application 🫡
Understand the Role: Make sure to thoroughly read the job description for the Food Manager position. Highlight key responsibilities and required skills, and think about how your experience aligns with these.
Tailor Your CV: Customize your CV to reflect your relevant experience in operational management and team leadership. Use specific examples that demonstrate your ability to manage a team effectively and improve customer service.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Write a cover letter that showcases your passion for customer service and your leadership style. Mention how you can contribute to the store's success and your enthusiasm for working with technology in a fast-paced environment.
Showcase Your Achievements: In both your CV and cover letter, include quantifiable achievements from your previous roles. For example, mention any improvements in team performance or customer satisfaction metrics that you have driven.
How to prepare for a job interview at Sainsbury’s Group
✨Show Your Leadership Skills
As a Food Manager, you'll be leading a team. Be prepared to discuss your leadership style and provide examples of how you've successfully managed teams in the past. Highlight your ability to assign tasks, create rotas, and address performance issues effectively.
✨Demonstrate Customer Focus
Emphasize your passion for customer service during the interview. Share specific instances where you put yourself in the customers' shoes and improved service delivery. This will show that you understand the importance of customer satisfaction in a retail environment.
✨Be Ready for Operational Questions
Expect questions about operational management in a fast-paced setting. Prepare to discuss how you would ensure that grocery, fresh, and produce sections are always well-stocked and visually appealing. Your ability to think on your feet and make quick decisions will be crucial.
✨Familiarize Yourself with Technology
Since Sainsbury's emphasizes the use of technology in store management, be ready to talk about your experience with digital tools for stock management and scheduling. Showing that you're tech-savvy will align with their forward-thinking approach.