Lead Food Manager

Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd; Staines-upon-Thames; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discount card

Annual bonus scheme

Free food & drinks

Generous holiday entitlement

Pension

Share scheme

Wellbeing support

Cycle to Work

Job summary

Sainsbury's Store in Staines is seeking a Lead Food Manager to head the grocery floor, supervising a team of food managers and driving store performance. Experience in managing managers and a passion for service are essential, as you mentor teams, monitor KPIs like sales and stock availability, and foster a culture of ownership.

You will run trading events with the store leadership team, ensure compliance and safety, and deliver outstanding customer experiences while coaching colleagues.

Qualifications

• Experience of leading managers in a fast-paced, customer-facing environment.
• Proven ability to deliver high performance with a focus on KPIs (sales, stock, customer satisfaction).
• Comfortable managing alone in the absence of senior leadership.
• Strong people-management and conflict-resolution skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of food managers to run the grocery shop floor.
• Coordinate trading events with store leadership to win holidays & promotions.
• Take accountability for the store in the absence of the store manager.
• Ensure compliance to processes and safety; drive great shop standards.
• Oversee a large team and address people matters with fairness and clarity.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Data analysis / KPI interpretation

Change management

Coaching

Customer focus

Job description

Salary: 36250
Location: Staines Store, Staines, TW18 3AP
Hours: Full time
Contract type: Permanent
Business area: Retail
Requisition ID: 400081047

Availability Window
Early shift: 06:00 - 16:00
Late shift: 14:00 - 23:00

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.

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead a small team of food managers to manage the grocery shop floor in one of our supermarkets
• Execute exciting trading events by working closely with the rest of the store leadership team whether it’s Christmas or Easter you’ll help ensure we win.
• Regularly taking full accountability for the store in the absence of a store manager, role modelling and coaching for high standards and efficiency across the food hall.
• Manage compliance to processes and safety whilst bringing the passion and flare for great shop keeping and creating fantastic shopping experiences.
• You’ll be responsible for a large team of colleagues, making sure they’re performing at their best, they’re there on the shop floor when we need them and that all people matters are conducted properly whether it’s celebrating someone’s success or managing difficult situations.

What makes a great Lead Food Manager:

• A passionate leader who is consistently ambitious for their customers and colleagues, every day, growing their team to do the same.
• Experience of managing managers, in a fast‑paced, customer‑facing environment.
• An operator who is comfortable managing alone in the absence of more senior management.
• Driven to deliver high performance with a focus on efficiency and engagement.
• Confident in the use of data and understanding / interpreting KPI’s or other performance indicators and transforming these into meaningful actions.
• Is a champion of inclusivity putting it at the heart of what they do, uses this passion to build an inclusive team and working environment.
• Comfortable in managing complex people matters such as: managing disciplinaries, performance issues or other similar employee relations issues.
• Experience leading large teams in a fast‑paced, customer‑focused environment — you’ve developed leaders, built high‑performing teams, and created a culture of ownership and accountability.
• A track record of delivering exceptional customer experiences across complex operations, with evidence of delivering these through your team.
• Proven success in delivering and improving KPIs — from sales and stock availability to customer satisfaction and colleague engagement, you’ve driven results that matter.
• Experience managing sensitive and complex people matters, including performance, absence, and formal employee relations cases, with confidence, fairness, and sound judgement.
• Leadership experience in an operational environment — whether in retail, hospitality, or food service — where you’ve owned departmental performance and confidently led the store in the absence of senior leadership.
• Can evidence leading change — whether rolling out new ways of working, embedding new systems, or shifting team mindsets, you’ve brought people with you and made change stick.

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.
• 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.