Supplier Communications Planner

Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd; City Of London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK supermarket chain is seeking a Supplier Communications Manager/Planner to join their Commercial Delivery team. This role involves planning and executing effective communications for suppliers, utilizing exceptional communication skills and various tools. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in crafting engaging messages, working with senior leadership, and managing multiple communication streams. Join a diverse team committed to enhancing supplier relationships and benefit from an excellent range of employee perks, including discounts and flexible working options.

Benefits

Colleague discount

Pensions scheme

Health cash plans

Qualifications

• Proven experience in planning and creating communication materials.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in tools for polished communication outputs.

Responsibilities

• Plan and control communications for suppliers.
• Write, design, and develop engaging content.
• Collaborate with teams for effective communication.

Skills

Communication skills

Content development

Organizational skills

Engagement with senior leaders

Proficiency in PowerPoint

Tools

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Salary: Competitive Plus Benefits

Location: London Store Support Centre, London, EC1M 6HA

Contract type: Secondment

Business area: Food Commercial

Closing date: 28 January 2026

Requisition ID: 400045855

We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. Here, everything in our Sainsbury’s stores starts out in Sainsbury’s Commercial. Whether it’s the product, proposition, packaging or price, or the fact that something tastes great, our team is responsible for all food, non- food and Clothing items available in Sainsbury’s stores, digitally and on demand. You’ll discover it’s incredibly fast‑paced. People here are in it together and not afraid to take risks. They’re enthusiastic too, and their amazing leadership team is right behind them. The knowledge and experience you gain here could set you up for career moves anywhere else in the business. So, if you’re passionate about your products and just as hungry to learn, you’ll fit in perfectly.

Joining our Commercial Delivery team at Sainsbury's means being part of a supportive and diverse group of professionals who take pride in making a lasting impression in the retail industry. As a Supplier Communications Manager/Planner, you will have the opportunity to utilise your exceptional communication skills to craft engaging messages and develop impactful communications that will enhance our relationships with suppliers. You will play a vital role in keeping our suppliers informed about our strategies, updates, and important announcements, ensuring clarity and alignment in our business strategy. With interesting projects such as legislation updates and corporate strategy communication, you will have the chance to make a meaningful impact and contribute to our overall success. Join us and become part of a team that values effective communication, collaboration, and making a difference in the retail landscape.

What you’ll do

Your primary responsibility will be to plan and control all central communications for suppliers, ensuring that they are well‑informed and updated on the latest developments within our business. You will be responsible for writing, designing, and developing impactful communications that engage and appeal to our supplier base, utilising tools such as the Together With supplier portal and direct call‑to‑action emails. Additionally, you will publish and oversee the content of the ‘Supplier Journal’ digital magazine, collaborating with different teams to source stories and content. Gathering feedback from suppliers, you will ensure that the communications provide value and meet their needs. In collaboration with the Supplier Relationship Manager, you will also assist in organising important supplier communication and engagement events. Your strong communication skills, ability to create engaging content, and proficiency with various communication tools will be crucial in delivering effective and well‑received communications to suppliers.

Who you are

You are a strategic and creative professional with a strong background in planning and creating engaging communication materials to enhance supplier relationships and drive commercial value. Your exceptional verbal and written communication skills, coupled with your ability to collaborate effectively with cross‑functional teams and senior leadership, enable you to deliver impactful and consistent messaging through various channels. With a focus on continuous improvement, stakeholder engagement, and attention to detail, you drive the execution of centralised communications plans and contribute to the overall success of supplier communications strategies within the organisation.

• Proven current experience planning and creating engaging communication materials, with the ability to write, design, and edit impactful content in a large complex organisation
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to develop clear, succinct messaging for varied supplier audiences.
• Proficiency with PowerPoint, Word and Excel, demonstrating ability in producing polished communication outputs
• Highly organised, able to plan and deliver against set milestones, managing multiple communication streams simultaneously.
• Proven skills and experience engaging and working confidently with senior with senior leaders to source content, align messaging, and ensure communications reflect strategic priorities.

Benefits

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer, so you’ll be welcomed wherever 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. Starting off with a colleague discount, you’ll be able to get 10% off at Sainsbury’s, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 weeks. This increases to 15% off at Sainsbury’s every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day. We’ve also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You may also be eligible for a performance‑related bonus of up to 10% of salary, depending on how we perform. Your wellbeing is important to us too – you’ll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy additional holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further, such as season ticket loans, cycle‑to‑work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance, access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers, and an employee assistance programme. Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you – that’s why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave. Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).