Head of Trading

Co-op Digital; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent retail organization in Manchester is seeking a Head of Trading to drive strategic direction and customer-focused category strategies. The successful candidate will lead a high-performing team and be accountable for financial performance while collaborating across the business. This role offers a competitive salary of up to £120,000, excellent benefits, and a hybrid working environment.

Benefits

Annual bonus

28 days holiday plus bank holidays

Pension with up to 10% employer contributions

Private healthcare

Access to subsidised onsite gym

Coaching and training support

Stream app for early pay access

Qualifications

• Experience in trading retail propositions within a matrix organization.
• Ability to inspire, engage, and grow a team.
• Accountable for category performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic direction for your category.
• Build a customer-focused category strategy using insights.
• Empower your team for long-term planning.
• Collaborate across the food business.
• Coach and develop a high-performing team.
• Own the financial performance of your category.

Skills

Strong commercial background

Customer insight

Proven leadership skills

Financial acumen

Ability to simplify complex ideas

Job description

Head of Trading

Up to £120,000 plus great benefits including car (Work Level 4). Manchester City Centre, in this role you’ll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and the office at least two to three times a week (find out more about our hybrid working policy at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy).

We’re looking for a Head of Trading to join us to lead us in transforming our customer proposition across Co-op Food. With your strategic approach, you’ll help shape the future of convenience retail. If you’re customer-obsessed, and thrive in a collaborative, cross-functional environment, this could be your next big move.

Why this job matters

This role is all about driving step-change. You’ll be at the heart of our 3 to 5-year strategic plan, leading the evolution of our category strategy to meet the changing needs of our customers. From The Co-op Group to FRTS and Q-Commerce, you’ll be responsible for aligning our food business to deliver a proposition that’s not only relevant today but future-fit for tomorrow.

You’ll take shared ownership of our P&L (profit and loss) and four-year plan targets, making sure we’re not just meeting expectations but exceeding them. It’s a chance to make a real impact, shaping how millions of customers experience Co-op Food.

What you’ll do

• Lead the strategic direction for your category, translating our food strategy into clear priorities and outcomes
• Use customer insight and data to build a growth-focused, customer-first category strategy
• Empower your team to deliver long-term plans with clarity, confidence, and creativity
• Collaborate across the food business to align priorities and drive delivery
• Coach and develop a high-performing, inclusive team that works collectively and positively
• Own the financial performance of your category, reviewing range, pricing, promotions, and internal processes
• Champion cross-functional working, bringing together commercial, operational, and supplier teams to deliver the best for our customers

This role would suit people who have

• A strong commercial background with experience in trading retail propositions within a matrix style organisation
• A passion for customer insight and using data to shape strategy
• Proven leadership skills with the ability to inspire, engage, and grow a team
• A knack for simplifying complex ideas and communicating them clearly
• Financial acumen and the ability to be accountable for category performance

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• Private healthcare for you and your family
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
• Coaching and training to support your career development
• Stream app – giving you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn

Building a diverse environment

We’re actively building diverse teams and we welcome applications from everyone. If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs. We're also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we'll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job.

We'll ask whether you’d like to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme when you apply.

If we invite you to take part in the recruitment process for any of our jobs, we’ll ask you if you need any reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate.

You can find out more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process

You can find out more about the Disability Confident scheme at Disability Confident Scheme - Co-op Colleagues and more about our commitments to diversity and inclusion at Diversity and Inclusion

Please note that we may close applications for this role early.

As part of your application, you''ll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes up to 50 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.