Customer Experience Manager

Leading in our stores

Our management teams don’t just run stores – they’re the driving force behind our business. With bold leadership, a passion for service and an eye for opportunity, they empower teams to raise the bar every single day for our customers. Whether it’s product availability, safety standards or delivering seamless daily operations, they’re hands‑on, sleeves‑rolled‑up changemakers. The impact? Work becomes more rewarding for our colleagues, and shopping becomes a next‑level experience for every customer who walks through our doors. This is how we bring our purpose to life, one powerful action at a time.

What you’ll be doing

• Taking responsibility for the overall customer experience across the store from the checkout to back‑of‑house, ensuring we deliver on our customer commitments
• Managing the front‑end checkout operation, ensuring all customers are served in line with our expectations
• Managing operations in our petrol station (if your shop has one)
• People management – managing performance and capability, conducting disciplinaries and ensuring scheduling and pay are accurate
• At times you may assume overall responsibility for running the store, making sure that all colleagues are given direction and support to deliver for the customer

What makes a great customer experience manager

• Previous line‑management responsibilities in a fast‑paced, operational environment
• Someone who is truly obsessed with customers and service, and coaches a team to do the same
• Delivering KPI’s or other performance indicators
• Managing disciplinaries, performance issues or other similar employee relations issues
• Leading operations and comfortable doing this alone in the absence of more senior management

Essential Criteria

• A track record of delivering exceptional customer experiences, with evidence of coaching others to consistently raise the bar
• Experience leading teams in a dynamic, customer‑facing environment – you’ve inspired others, driven high performance and created a culture where colleagues thrive
• Leadership experience in a high‑volume, fast‑paced operational setting – whether in retail, food service or hospitality – where you’ve overseen daily operations, solved business problems and kept teams focused on what matters most: delivering for customers
• Proven success in delivering against a wide range of KPIs – from sales and stock availability to customer satisfaction and colleague engagement, you’ve made a measurable difference
• Experience managing complex people matters, including performance, absence and formal employee relations cases, with confidence and fairness

Working for us has great rewards

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.

• Discount card – 10% discount off on your shopping at Sainsbury’s, Argos, Tu and Habitat after four weeks (increases to 15% on Sainsbury’s Fridays and Saturdays and 15% on Argos on pay day)
• An annual bonus scheme based on our, and your, performance
• Free food and hot drinks for colleagues in all stores
• Generous holiday entitlement, maternity and paternity leave
• Pension – we’ll match 4–7.5% of your pension contributions
• Sainsbury’s share scheme – build up an investment at discounted rates
• Wellbeing support – access to emotional support, counselling, legal and financial advice
• Colleague networks – link with like‑minded people to help fulfil your potential
• Cycle to Work scheme – hire a new bike and cycling equipment, while saving on tax and NI
• Special offers on gym memberships, restaurants, holidays, retail vouchers and more

An inclusive place to work and shop

We are dedicated to being a truly inclusive retailer, where every colleague can achieve their full potential and every customer feels welcome when they shop with us. To support this commitment, our colleagues may be entitled to a range of enhanced discretionary leave for families, as well as support for carers. We provide resources to help them understand and support their role and their team effectively. Our internal colleague networks ensure true representation for everyone, helping us identify and remove barriers that our colleagues may face. We pride ourselves on offering a range of development opportunities, including mentorship, training and career progression pathways, to help colleagues grow and succeed. We celebrate diversity through various initiatives and events, fostering a culture of inclusion and respect. If you would like to learn more about our commitment to inclusivity, please take a look here.

Should you require any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview stages, please let us know, and we will endeavour to support you.