Senior Manager, Strategy & Planning

Costa Coffee; St Albans; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

SIP share ownership

Annual discretionary bonus

Pension up to 10%

Financial support fund

Costa discount 50%

Private medical cover

Job summary

Costa Coffee in the UK is hiring a Senior Manager, Strategy & Planning to own the end‑to‑end planning cadence (LRP to ABP), coordinate cross‑functional inputs, and deliver decision‑ready outputs to senior leadership.

You’ll maintain an 18–36 month portfolio dashboard, translate group strategy into time‑bound platform roadmaps, and surface risks early to shape the planning cycle. This hybrid role is based in St Albans.

Qualifications

• Proven experience running integrated / End to End planning cycles (LRP/ABP or equivalent) in a multi‑function organisation.
• Strong understanding of CPG / FMCG, retail or food service dynamics and their impact on planning.
• Skilled at designing or evolving planning processes, frameworks and playbooks; able to create new standards.

Responsibilities

• Own the integrated planning cadence from LRP to ABP end‑to‑end, coordinating cross‑functional inputs.
• Maintain live multi‑horizon portfolio visibility (18–36 months) as the single source of truth.
• Translate group strategy into sequenced, time‑bound platform roadmaps with clear ownership.
• Track assumptions and thresholds with Finance and Insights, flagging divergence early.
• Establish horizon‑to‑action pipeline by coordinating trend scanning with Insights and CMO.

Skills

Strategic planning

Commercial awareness

Process design

Analytical thinking

Senior stakeholder management

Tools

Advanced Excel

Portfolio tooling

Job description

At Costa Coffee, we’re on a mission to reimagine coffee experiences across the globe. From bustling cities to local communities, we’re creating meaningful coffee moments, powered by innovation and driven by purpose.

As a proud part of the Coca-Cola system and working hand in hand with our pioneering partners, we’re in over 50 countries and counting. Whether it's served in-store, from a machine, at home, or on the go, every cup is thoughtfully crafted by our passionate teams who put heart into every moment.

Our teams truly make a difference. Whether it's pioneering new tech for the perfect pour, launching award-winning campaigns, developing exciting new menu items, or supporting our people to grow – together, we stir up success.

This new role within Group Strategy is the operational engine of the Strategic Planning workstream, turning strategic choices into a connected planning rhythm and decision‑ready outputs. It owns multi‑horizon portfolio visibility, drives closed‑loop performance discipline, and systematises how external signals feed early‑stage innovation. Sitting at the centre of cross‑functional engagement, it partners with senior leaders across CMO, Supply Chain, Commercial, Finance and Insights to strengthen the organisation’s strategic execution muscle.

We value curiosity, inclusivity, and a problem‑solving mindset.

What you’ll do:

Being a Senior Manager, Strategy & Planning is about so much more than bringing our coffee to the world. It’s your chance to stir up real success - which means you will:

• Operate the integrated planning cadence. Run the LRP‑to‑ABP cycle end‑to‑end, coordinate cross‑functional inputs, and deliver consistent, decision‑ready outputs to senior leadership.
• Build multi‑horizon portfolio visibility. Maintain the live 18–36‑month portfolio dashboard as the single source of truth, surfacing risks and trade‑offs early.
• Translate Group strategy into platform roadmaps. Convert strategic choices into sequenced, time‑bound platform plans with clear ownership and long‑lead enabler triggers.
• Track strategic assumptions and breakpoints. Own the assumption register, define thresholds with Finance and Insights, and flag divergence early enough to act before performance shifts.
• Establish the horizon‑to‑action pipeline. Systematise trend‑scanning with Insights and CMO so external signals feed pre‑Gate 0 triage in time to shape the planning cycle..

Who you are:

It’s your unique ingredients we’re interested in:

• Strategic planning expertise. Proven experience running integrated / End to End planning cycles (LRP/ABP or equivalent) in a multi‑function organisation.
• Commercial and category awareness. Strong understanding of CPG / FMCG, retail or food service dynamics, with the ability to translate market context into planning implications.
• Process design capability. Skilled at designing or evolving planning processes, frameworks and playbooks; comfortable creating new standards from scratch.
• Analytical and communication strength. Advanced Excel and portfolio tooling capability, exceptional narrative writing and presentation skills, and the ability to surface risks and trade‑offs through structured analysis.
• Senior‑level credibility and collaboration. Articulate, detail‑driven and able to build durable cross‑functional partnerships, establishing trust quickly with VPs and senior leaders in a complex matrix environment..

So, why Costa?

We didn’t become a global coffee brand by sitting back. When you work here, you join a community that values passion, progression, and integrity—with some brilliant perks to sweeten the deal. We work in a hybrid environment, giving us the flexibility to balance life while still spending meaningful time together and building strong connections:

• Own a piece of Costa’s success by becoming a share owner in Coca-Cola with our Share Investment Plan (SIP)
• An annual discretionary bonus scheme, based on business results and individual contribution.
• A smart pension that saves you money on tax and national insurance, and matches your contributions up to 10%
• The Costa Financial Support Fund, supporting team members who find themselves in unexpected financial pressure
• 50% discount in all Costa-owned stores, and 25% off in other participating stores
• Private medical cover thanks to our Private Healthcare scheme
• And that’s not all. Explore even more of our perks here: https://bit.ly/costaperks

Location - Where you’ll work:

Right now, our Support Centre teams work flexibly, blending home working with in‑person time whenever it matters most – whether that’s a team moment, a creative session, or simply coming together to share ideas.

We’re excited to be moving into a new home for our brand in St Albans in January 2027 – an inspiring space from which our Support Centre teams will work three days a week to connect and collaborate in‑person to bring our bold ambition to life.

For any reasonable adjustments and general queries, please get in touch with [e-mail]