Senior Data Strategist

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 by data and by strong relationships with some of the UK’s favourite brands. The Nectar360 team develops loyalty programmes, turning insight into something that makes a real difference, across both traditional and digital media. It’s like an agency within a retailer, and retail media is a crucial part of our future. The culture might not be what you expect either, because there’s no setup quite like this one. The team is a real priority, connected to almost everything the business does and playing a key role in driving profitability. It’s a place where you can take risks, learn from them, and be recognised.

At Nectar360, we bring together loyalty, data and marketing services to help brands better understand customers and connect with them in more relevant, effective ways. Our first‑party Nectar data helps unlock insight across the wider Sainsbury’s business and supplier base, spanning FMCG and General Merchandise clients. Sitting within one of the fastest‑growing and most dynamic areas of the business, the commercial team is responsible for combining, leveraging and commercialising data and media to shape compelling retail media and digital solutions across in‑store, onsite and off‑site channels, including ecommerce, the Digital Trading Platform and Pollen.

As Senior Data Strategist, you’ll play a key client‑facing role in turning customer and ecommerce data into strategic recommendations that support both client growth and wider category and corporate objectives. Reporting to the Client Planning Director (C5) – Food, you’ll contribute to client account and brand planning, using data as the foundation for insight‑led proposals and ensuring strategy, data selection and processes align with relevant data guidelines. You’ll act as the category expert for selected categories and key FMCG client accounts, working closely with clients and Trading contacts to understand commercial challenges and develop data‑driven solutions with cross‑functional teams including Analytics, Data & Insights, Client Service and Campaign Media Management. You’ll also identify proactive category growth opportunities, shape category‑centric media strategies with Trading teams, and lead major corporate events involving Nectar360, Sainsbury’s Marketing and Trading. Alongside this, you’ll help shape the future of data‑led planning by contributing to products and propositions such as the Digital Trading Platform and Ecommerce Media Platform, while acting as a custodian for how data is used across planning, strategy and customer‑targeted communications. This role is based at JJ Mack store support centre and home.

You’ll bring experience from a data, digital or communications planning environment where you have worked in a consultative way with stakeholders or clients. You’ll be comfortable using customer loyalty, market research and ecommerce data to inform decision‑making, ideally in a retail, FMCG or General Merchandise context. You’ll also be able to apply targeting, segmentation and profiling techniques to direct marketing activity, and translate complex data into clear, commercially relevant recommendations for a range of audiences. We’re looking for someone who can manage multiple priorities, lead projects involving wider business functions, and work effectively through ambiguity to guide stakeholders towards the right solution. You’ll need strong written, verbal and numerical communication skills, confidence presenting to senior stakeholders and clients, and the ability to build collaborative working relationships across internal teams and external partners. Experience coaching others, sharing best practice and helping shape ways of working around data‑led planning will also be valuable in this role.

Essential criteria

• Demonstrable experience of data, digital or communications planning in a consultative environment.
• Experience using customer loyalty, market research and ecommerce data to develop recommendations, proposals or marketing strategies.
• Ability to apply targeting, segmentation and profiling techniques to direct marketing or customer communication activity.
• Experience presenting recommendations or project outputs to senior stakeholders or clients.
• Proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel for analysis, planning or presentation of data‑led proposals.

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer, so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new – whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business – and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to get 10% off at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 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'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance‑related target bonus of up to 20% of salary (which may vary for Nectar360), depending on how we perform. Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy additional holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, interest free car loan of up to £10k, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well as access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an Employee Assistance Programme, you will also be eligible for private healthcare too. 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 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.