Head of Supply Chain - Fresh

TN United Kingdom; London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the UK is seeking a Head of Supply Chain to shape and execute supply chain strategies that support ambitious growth objectives. This role involves managing a category team, optimizing supply chain systems, and fostering relationships with suppliers. The ideal candidate will have extensive supply chain experience and a customer-centric approach, driving performance improvements and leading transformational initiatives.

Benefits

Colleague discount

Pensions scheme

Life cover

Performance-related bonus

Annual holiday allowance

Private healthcare

Cycle to work scheme

Employee assistance programme

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in managing end-to-end supply chain operations.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement comprehensive supply chain strategies.
• Successful track record of leading significant transformative programmes.

Responsibilities

• Own the supply and demand for the overall category with a sales portfolio of up to C.£2bn.
• Set strategic category development objectives and joint activation plans.
• Lead long term supply planning alongside the cross functional leadership team.

Skills

Leadership

Data Analysis

Customer Focus

Job description

As a head of Supply Chain, you will play a key role in shaping and executing supply chain strategies that support the company’s ambitious growth objectives. You will manage and lead a category team to deliver market-leading supply and demand planning strategies, optimising both the bottom line and customer experience. You will lead the team through an operating model transition, embedding new ways of working and capabilities and setting the standard for excellence in the new landscape. You will be part of a broader Supply Chain leadership network, influencing and collaborating with Retail and Commercial leaders to deliver for the customer, win in the market and improve the bottom line, through delivery of enhancements to supply chain systems and core team operating model. This position requires a customer obsessed, proactive, data driven leader to optimise the supply chain, deliver quality outcomes, and foster strong relationships with suppliers while supporting a culture of continuous improvement and building future team capabilities.

What I am accountable for

• Overall category supply and demand: Own the supply and demand for the overall category with a sales portfolio of up to C.£2bn, delivering the customer outcomes whilst adhering to multi-million-pound cost budgets.
• End-to-End Category strategy: Set strategic category development objectives and joint activation plans with a 12-month+ horizon, aligning with the broader food mission and setting a standard of excellence across both supply chain and logistics operating models. Optimise the end-to-end journey of the category with a focus on cost efficiency, operational improvement, and business growth objectives.
• Strategic Supply Chain Leadership: Contribute to overall Supply Chain Strategy by leveraging external market trends, data insights and systems thinking and own category transformation programmes which optimise the bottom line.
• Transformation leadership: You will be accountable for embedding a new operational model, and capabilities. Your leadership will lead the team through this transition, demonstrating a new standard of excellence.
• Supplier strategy: Lead long term supply planning alongside the cross functional leadership team, with a time horizon beyond 1+ year and build meaningful supplier relationships to position us to excel in the market as the preferred partner.
• Strategic collaboration: Partner and influence senior leadership across Commercial and Retail, hold the tension between availability and P&L and execute the Category Business Plans and customer outcomes.
• Team Leadership and talent development: Direct, coach and lead your team ensuring that performance and development goals are met through data-drive KPIs. Identify and develop high-potential colleagues, set clear objectives, provide feedback, and foster a culture of continuous learning and accountability.
• Continuous improvement: Create stretched targets for your team, demonstrate performance edge leadership, net cost outputs and influence strategic transformation projects for 1 year+
• Customer obsession: Lead a culture of customer obsession, demonstrating a deep commitment to customer satisfaction across all KPIs.
• Executive Communication and leadership: Communicate up to and including Operating Board Director level on category issues and performance. Deputise for the Director of Supply Chain where required.
• Culture: Cultivate a positive organisational culture within the supply chain and broader business to align with strategic objectives and drive collaboration and accountability.

What I need to know

• Extensive supply chain experience: Extensive experience in managing end-to-end supply chain operations, including procurement, logistics, inventory management, and distribution.
• Strategic Leadership: Demonstrated ability to develop and implement comprehensive supply chain strategies that extend beyond immediate responsibilities, influencing the total supply chain strategy.
• Programme leadership: Successful track record of leading significant transformative programmes within categories, ensuring successful implementation and alignment with business goals.
• Senior Leadership Influence: Strong skills in influencing senior leadership within a category, effectively holding leaders to account
• Performance and D&I: Experience in driving performance capability improvements and championing diversity and inclusion initiatives within a supply chain team.

What I need to show

Leadership Performance Expectations

Obsessed with the customer

• Use data and insight to understand customer needs and solve customer problems
• Use our Purpose to support decision making everyday
• Role model living our customer commitments and guide teams to do the same

Obsessed with performance

• Know and be accountable for your part to play, delivering it brilliantly
• Align team goals and ruthlessly prioritise resources to deliver our Customer Commitments
• Assign clear accountabilities, hold people accountable (in your team and out) and act on performance both good and bad

Lead beyond boundaries

• Actively share and seek to understand the big picture, both internal and external
• Story tell our Next Level Sainsbury’s strategy to drive end-to-end thinking
• Build productive partnership inside and outside our organisation

Lead fearless teams

• Create the environment for diverse perspective and challenge, where we are always looking to raise the bar
• Grow everyone around you (up, down and across) through adult-to-adult feedback and coaching
• Know yourself (strengths, weaknesses and impact on others) and continuously develop

#LI-MS1

We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work/life balance. That’s waiting for you right here. Supply Chain and Logistics are the engine room for getting thousands of products from farms and factories, through the business and to our millions of customers every day. We plan around events from barbecue weekends to Sunday roasts, and who wants oven-ready cauliflower cheese to those who prefer to make it from scratch. Insight and data are everything. But so is judgement — if there’s an issue or ambiguity anywhere, we’re the first to spot it. There’s a big transformation going on. That calls for people who champion change, bring others with them, collaborate and communicate. Because those people can go a very long way.

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's 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.

Please see for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).

Please note that if you are NOT a passport holder of the country for the vacancy you might need a work permit. Check our Blog for more information.

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Created on 17/05/2025 by TN United Kingdom