Strategy Lead

Co-op; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail organization based in Manchester is seeking a Strategy Lead to drive long-term strategic initiatives. You will partner with senior leaders to shape crucial strategy planning sessions and lead multidisciplinary teams in developing actionable strategies. This is a hybrid role offering competitive compensation and robust benefits designed for career development and community-focused values.

Benefits

Company car or £6,000 car allowance

Private healthcare

Annual bonus based on performance

28 days holiday plus bank holidays

Pension with up to 10% employer contributions

Subsidised onsite gym access

30% discount on Co-op products

Early access to earned pay

Virtual healthcare services

24/7 colleague support service

Training and development opportunities

Cycle-to-work scheme

Qualifications

• Experience leading complex strategic analysis and getting to the core issues quickly.
• Strength in turning strategy into practical plans with measurable outcomes.
• Confidence designing and facilitating strategic conversations.

Responsibilities

• Work with senior leaders to develop long-term vision and strategy.
• Lead teams to create options and clear strategic narratives.
• Design and run strategy sessions, guiding decisions and trade-offs.

Skills

Strategic analysis

Problem-solving

Relationship-building

Commercial understanding

Leadership

Job description

Strategy Lead

£90,000+ plus great benefits (Work Level 4) 12-month secondment/FTC Manchester city centre (hybrid)

We’re looking for a Strategy Lead to join our Strategy team in Manchester on a 12-month fixed-term contract. In this role, you’ll help to drive the long-term strategic direction of our Co-op. You’ll work closely alongside our operating board and leadership colleagues to develop strategies that’ll enable us to deliver our long-term visions and support our exciting growth plans. We’ll also look to you to partner our most senior leaders; designing and co-ordinating key strategy planning sessions, leading discovery teams, and driving new initiatives across the wider business.

What you’ll do

• Work alongside our most senior leaders across Co-op to prompt and support the development of our longer-term vision and strategy by shaping the strategic questions and setting the direction for major pieces of work
• Lead multi-disciplinary teams to develop options and recommendations, bringing together data, insight and external thinking into clear strategic narratives
• Design and run strategy sessions and senior workshops, using structured frameworks to guide choices, surface trade-offs and land decisions
• Provide strategic insight and narrative that supports decision-making and helps teams stay aligned to the strategy
• Challenge ways of working when needed, ensuring delivery stays focused, coherent and connected, and coach others to raise the quality of analysis

What you’ll bring

• Experience leading complex strategic analysis and getting to the core issues quickly
• Strength in turning strategy into practical plans, clear choices and measurable outcomes
• Strong problem-solving skills, able to frame issues, shape direction and create clarity for partners
• Deep commercial and business understanding, connecting insight to real operational and financial implications
• Confidence designing and facilitating strategic conversations that drive alignment and decisions
• Strong relationship-building skills, able to influence and challenge inclusively across all levels
• Experience coaching and developing others to improve their strategic craft and delivery discipline

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:

• A company car or £6,000 car allowance
• Private healthcare
• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
• 28 days holiday plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
• 30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands
• Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
• Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice
• 24/7 colleague support service
• Training and support for your development and career progression
• Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work. We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.