Client Planning Director - Food

Salary: Competitive

Location: London Store Support Centre and Home, London, EC1M 6HA.

Contract type: Permanent.

Business area: Nectar 360 Ltd.

Closing date: 10 May 2026.

We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work‑life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. Everything our Nectar team does is powered and fuelled by data — and by great relationships with some of the UK’s favourite brands. The Nectar 360 team focuses on developing loyalty programmes, turning amazing data into something that makes a difference, traditional media and digital. It’s like an agency‑within‑a‑retailer, and retail media is crucial. The culture might not be what you expect either, because there’s no set‑up quite like this one. The team is a real priority because it’s connected to everything the business does and drives profitability. It’s where you can take risks, learn from them and be recognised.

About the team

At Nectar360, we’re building the UK’s most powerful insight and data‑led media services agency, creating valuable relationships between the UK’s favourite brands and their customers. Our Planning team underpins the whole business by taking data and turning it into actionable insight — shaping customer‑led recommendations that help clients grow and help Sainsbury’s unlock the full value of its omni‑channel media assets. If you’re energised by data‑driven marketing, customer behaviour and commercial problem‑solving, this is a chance to lead from the front in a team that sits at the heart of it all.

More about the role

Reporting into the Planning Director, you’ll lead a team of seven planners and play a key role in driving Nectar360’s ambition and commercial aspirations across the Food division. You’ll set the direction for transformative, data‑driven planning and in‑store monetisation strategy across Sainsbury’s — ensuring our work is insight‑led, commercially grounded, and built to deliver meaningful outcomes for clients and the wider business.

Day to day, you’ll build strong and collaborative ways of working with peers across Nectar360 leadership and the wider Sainsbury’s leadership teams (trading, grocery planning, marketing, propositions, digital etc.), to lead the commercialisation of omni‑channel assets, and positively develop the culture of both the Planning team and the broader business. You’ll identify supplier opportunities within the Sainsbury’s corporate customer plan, shaping them into multi‑brand retail media activations that maximise value across channels. You’ll also act as a senior voice for Nectar360 — influencing internal stakeholders, strengthening client commitment and investment in Sainsbury’s group media channels, and helping position Nectar360 as a leader in retail media and loyalty.

More about you

You’re a strategic thinker with a strong blend of data literacy, retail media knowledge, relationship‑building expertise and commercial drive. You’re comfortable working with big data and complex challenges — and you know how to turn insight into compelling stories that land with senior stakeholders and translate into clear recommendations and action.

As a leader, you create clarity and momentum. You’ll be confident setting direction, prioritising competing requests, and governing delivery so your team consistently produces high‑quality, insight‑led proposals that reflect best‑in‑class retail media expertise and align to Sainsbury’s and Nectar guidelines. You’ll bring a coaching leadership style — developing capability, setting clear goals, and building a motivating, supportive environment where people can do their best work. You’ll also be credible and engaging at senior levels, with the ability to represent Nectar360 in broader forums (including speaking at industry events and across the Sainsbury’s business).

Essential criteria

• Demonstrable experience of leading data‑driven planning strategy within retail media, loyalty, or customer data‑led marketing, with clear examples of commercial impact.
• Proven ability to translate complex datasets into insight‑led recommendations and client‑ready proposals (including clear data selection, rationale, and storytelling).
• Demonstrable experience of building and sustaining senior stakeholder relationships across clients and internal leadership teams, influencing decision‑making and investment.
• Demonstrable people leadership experience (directly leading a team), including coaching, goal setting, and performance management.
• Experience leading cross‑functional projects and matrix‑managing delivery across multiple teams to achieve client objectives and revenue targets.
• Strong analytical/insights skills working with big data and complex challenges; balancing client and business benefits.
• Extensive knowledge of how analytical techniques are used for retail media and loyalty campaigns.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills in order to respond to briefs and QC the team’s work effectively.
• Exceptional communication skills with clarity of expression and engaging, as well as flexible style.

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer, so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. There’s always the chance to try something new — whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile, and wherever possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits.

Starting with a colleague discount, you’ll be able to get 10% off at Sainsbury’s, Argos, TU and Habitat after four weeks. This increases to 15% off at Sainsbury’s every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day. We’ve also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You may also be eligible for a performance‑related target bonus of up to 20% of salary, depending on performance.

Your wellbeing is important to us. You’ll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can purchase additional holiday. We also offer season ticket loans, an interest‑free car loan up to £10k, cycle‑to‑work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance, access to a wide range of discounts from other retailers, and an Employee Assistance Programme. Private healthcare may also be available.

Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you, which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to four weeks’ pay for paternity leave.