Head of Operational Excellence & Content

Head of Operational Excellence & Content

Full-Time 80000 - 100000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
Sainsbury's

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the seller journey and enhance operational excellence in a fast-paced digital marketplace.
  • Company: Join Argos, a leading digital retailer shaping the future of shopping.
  • Benefits: Enjoy discounts, flexible working, private healthcare, and performance-related bonuses.
  • Other info: Dynamic environment with opportunities for growth and collaboration across teams.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on how millions shop while developing your career.
  • Qualifications: Proven leadership in marketplace operations and strong e-commerce experience required.

The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.

At Argos, we’re a digital-led UK retailer that keeps pushing boundaries to meet every generation with what they want, how and when they want it. As a market leader in general merchandise, serving millions of customers through our website, app, same-day delivery and Click & Collect services, we offer real opportunities to learn, grow and shape your career.

This Head of Operational Excellence & Content role sits right at the centre of that. You’ll own the full seller journey from contract signature through onboarding, product set up and first sale, while leading the teams that make it happen. Your work will directly shape seller confidence, customer trust, and the pace at which our Marketplace can grow. You’ll combine strategic ownership with a hands-on leadership style, setting clear direction while staying close to the detail to remove blockers and keep pace high.

You’ll own and continuously improve the end-to-end seller onboarding experience, ensuring sellers launch quickly, meet quality and compliance expectations, and deliver a strong customer experience from day one. You’ll also lead the content lifecycle, ensuring product data is accurate, high quality and ready to go live at scale. You’ll set clear performance measures including time to live, onboarding completion, seller quality metrics and content quality, using data to identify gaps, prioritise improvements and drive pace.

This is a hands-on role. You’ll work closely with your teams day to day, unblocking issues, solving problems and acting as the senior escalation point for more complex onboarding, integration or content challenges. You’ll build and scale the capability over time, starting with two direct reports and shaping the future team structure to support growth. Working closely with Commercial, Product, Tech, Legal, Finance, SEO, Marketing and Operations, you’ll influence priorities and help shape how Marketplace operates at scale.

You’re an experienced marketplace leader who understands how to build and scale operations in a fast-moving digital environment. You bring strong e-commerce experience, but importantly you’ve seen how marketplace models work in practice and know what great looks like. You’re a confident people leader who delivers through others. You build trust quickly, set clear expectations and develop managers to drive performance, with a strong focus on coaching and feedback.

You’re hands on and solutions focused, comfortable simplifying complexity, making pragmatic decisions and balancing speed with quality. You use data to drive decisions and bring a collaborative approach to working across Product, Technology and Commercial teams.

Essential Criteria

  • Proven senior leadership experience in a marketplace environment
  • Strong e-commerce and digital operations experience, with a clear understanding of marketplace models
  • Experience leading and developing managers, building high performing teams and driving accountability
  • Strong operational ownership, with experience improving end to end processes at scale
  • Data led mindset, using KPIs and insight to drive performance and continuous improvement
  • Strong cross functional leadership across Product, Technology and Commercial teams
  • Clear communication and confident decision making in fast moving environments

This role can be based from either our London or Coventry office.

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. Here are some of them:

  • Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year.
  • 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 bonus of up to 65% of salary, depending on how we perform (in cash and shares).
  • Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy up to an additional week of holiday, and we provide private healthcare.
  • We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, salary advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers.
  • You'll also receive a company car cash allowance unless you are going to travel 10,000 business miles in your role, then you'll be able to choose a car.
  • And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme.
  • 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.

Head of Operational Excellence & Content employer: Sainsbury's

At Argos, we pride ourselves on being a digital-led retailer that champions inclusivity and employee development. With a vibrant work culture that encourages innovation and collaboration, our employees enjoy a range of benefits including generous discounts, performance-related bonuses, and flexible working options. Located in either London or Coventry, this role offers the opportunity to lead a dynamic team while shaping the future of our Marketplace, making it an exciting place for career growth and meaningful impact.

Sainsbury's

Contact Details:

Sainsbury's Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Head of Operational Excellence & Content

Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your industry on LinkedIn or at events. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.

Tip Number 2

Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Know their products and services inside out, so you can show how you’d fit right in with their team.

Tip Number 3

Practice your pitch! Be ready to explain your experience and how it relates to the role. Keep it concise but impactful – you want to leave them wanting to know more about you.

Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to follow up after interviews! A quick thank-you email can keep you top of mind and shows your enthusiasm for the role. Plus, it’s just good manners!

We think you need these skills to ace Head of Operational Excellence & Content

Marketplace Experience
E-commerce Experience
Operational Excellence
End-to-End Process Improvement
Data-Driven Decision Making
Cross-Functional Leadership
Performance Management

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Head of Operational Excellence & Content role. Highlight your marketplace experience and how it aligns with Argos' goals. We want to see how you can bring your unique skills to the table!

Showcase Your Leadership Skills:As a people leader, it's crucial to demonstrate your ability to develop and manage teams. Share specific examples of how you've built high-performing teams and driven accountability in your previous roles. We love seeing real-life success stories!

Use Data to Your Advantage:Since this role is data-driven, make sure to include any relevant metrics or KPIs that showcase your impact in previous positions. We want to see how you've used data to drive performance and continuous improvement in your past experiences.

Apply Through Our Website:Don't forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you're keen on joining our team at Argos!

How to prepare for a job interview at Sainsbury's

Know Your Marketplace Inside Out

Before the interview, dive deep into understanding how marketplace models operate. Familiarise yourself with Argos' approach to seller onboarding and content management. This knowledge will help you demonstrate your expertise and show that you're genuinely interested in the role.

Showcase Your Leadership Style

Be prepared to discuss your leadership experiences and how you've developed high-performing teams in the past. Use specific examples to illustrate your hands-on approach and how you’ve successfully coached managers to drive performance.

Data-Driven Decision Making

Argos values a data-led mindset, so come ready to talk about how you've used KPIs and insights to improve processes. Share examples of how you've identified gaps and prioritised improvements in previous roles to enhance operational excellence.

Collaborative Spirit is Key

Highlight your experience working cross-functionally with teams like Product, Technology, and Commercial. Discuss how you've influenced priorities and shaped operations at scale, showcasing your ability to communicate effectively and make confident decisions in fast-paced environments.