At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and inspire a team to deliver exceptional customer service in a dynamic food hall environment.
- Company: Join a leading retailer committed to inclusivity and employee development.
- Benefits: Enjoy discounts, bonuses, generous leave, and wellbeing support.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by enhancing customer experiences and leading a passionate team.
- Qualifications: Experience in fast-paced environments with strong leadership and customer service skills.
- Other info: Opportunities for career growth and a supportive, inclusive workplace culture.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
What you’ll be doing:
- Role modelling and coaching for high standards and efficiency across the whole food hall.
- Managing compliance to processes whilst bringing the passion and flare for great shop keeping and customer service.
- Ensure every single one of our customers gets the food they want when they shop with us to help ensure we are the first choice for food.
- People management is a big part of the role, managing performance and capability, conducting disciplinaries and ensuring scheduling and pay are accurate.
- At times you will 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 food manager:
- Previous line management responsibilities in a fast-paced, operational environment.
- Provides brilliant customer service and coaches a team to do the same.
- Delivers KPIs or other performance indicators.
- Can manage disciplinaries, performance issues or other similar employee relations issues.
- Leads operations and is 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.
Qualifications:
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, including:
- 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.
- An annual bonus scheme based on our, and your, performance.
- Free food and hot drinks provided for Colleagues in all our 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.
- Our Cycle to Work scheme gives you the opportunity to hire a new bike and cycling equipment, whilst 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 our colleagues resources to help them understand and support their role and their team effectively. Our internal colleague networks seek to ensure true representation for everyone, helping us identify and remove barriers that our colleagues may face. We are proud to offer a range of development opportunities, including mentorship, training, and career progression pathways, to help our colleagues grow and succeed. We also 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.
Responsibilities:
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. And 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.
Food Manager in Pontypridd employer: Sainsbury's
Contact Detail:
Sainsbury's Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Food Manager in Pontypridd
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the food industry and let them know you're on the hunt for a Food Manager role. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by practising common questions related to leadership and customer service. Think about your past experiences and how they align with what we’re looking for in a Food Manager. Confidence is key!
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your passion for food and customer service during interviews. Share stories that highlight your ability to inspire teams and deliver exceptional experiences. We want to see that fire in you!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our team and making a difference in our stores.
We think you need these skills to ace Food Manager in Pontypridd
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Food: When you're writing your application, let your love for food and customer service shine through. We want to see how you can bring that passion to our food hall and inspire your team to do the same!
Highlight Your Leadership Experience: Make sure to showcase any previous line management roles you've had, especially in fast-paced environments. We’re looking for examples of how you’ve led teams and delivered results, so don’t hold back!
Be Specific About Your Achievements: Use concrete examples to demonstrate how you've met KPIs or improved customer satisfaction. Numbers speak volumes, so if you’ve got stats to back up your success, include them in your application!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands, and we can’t wait to see what you bring to the table!
How to prepare for a job interview at Sainsbury's
✨Know Your Stuff
Before the interview, make sure you understand the role of a Food Manager inside out. Familiarise yourself with the key responsibilities like coaching your team, managing compliance, and delivering exceptional customer service. This will help you speak confidently about how your experience aligns with what they’re looking for.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Be ready to share specific examples of how you've led teams in fast-paced environments. Talk about times when you’ve inspired others, tackled performance issues, or managed complex people matters. Highlighting these experiences will demonstrate that you can handle the challenges of the role.
✨Emphasise Customer Service Excellence
Since delivering brilliant customer service is crucial, prepare to discuss how you've created exceptional experiences for customers in the past. Share stories that illustrate your passion for service and how you’ve coached your team to raise the bar consistently.
✨Prepare for Scenario Questions
Expect questions that ask how you would handle specific situations, like managing a disciplinary issue or ensuring stock availability. Think through potential scenarios beforehand and outline your approach. This will show that you’re not only reactive but also proactive in your management style.