Food Manager

Sainsbury's; Northampton; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Sainsbury's is seeking a Food Manager to lead a fast-paced food hall operation. You will role-model high standards, coach teams and ensure outstanding customer service while enforcing store processes.

This role emphasizes people management, performance discussions, disciplinaries, and scheduling with fair pay. You may take overall responsibility for running the store and guiding colleagues to deliver for customers.

Qualifications

• Track record delivering exceptional customer experiences and coaching others.
• Experience leading teams in a dynamic, customer-facing environment.
• Leadership in high-volume, fast-paced operations (retail/food service).
• Proven success delivering KPIs across sales, stock and customer satisfaction.
• Experience managing complex people matters, including performance and absence.

Responsibilities

• Role modelling and coaching for high standards and efficiency across the whole food hall.
• Managing compliance to processes whilst bringing passion for great shop keeping and customer service.
• Ensure every customer 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, disciplinaries and ensuring scheduling and pay are accurate.
• At times you will assume overall responsibility for running the store, giving direction and support to deliver for the customer.

Skills

Leadership

Customer service

Coaching

People management

Discipline management

Job description

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 KPI's or other performance indicators.
• Can manage disciplinaries, performance issues or other similar employee relations issues.
• Leads 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.