Team Manager - Food - Ipswich Area

Marks and Spencer plc (UK); Ipswich; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK retailer is seeking an experienced Team Manager to spearhead food operations in Ipswich. In this frontline leadership role, you will guide your team to deliver exceptional service and maintain high standards under pressure. Your responsibilities will include driving commercial performance, supporting team development, and ensuring a seamless customer experience. Ideal candidates will possess strong leadership skills, operational resilience, and an excellent understanding of retail processes. This is an exciting opportunity to play a crucial role in a transformative retail environment.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Team development programs

Diversity and inclusion initiatives

Qualifications

• Good understanding of commercial, visual, operational and people processes.
• Ability to create a positive team culture and role-model behaviours.
• Good digital capabilities and knowledge of relevant systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coach a team to consistently deliver under pressure.
• Drive commercial performance and maintain high standards.
• Support the store in executing the retail plan and KPI measures.

Skills

Leadership

Customer service

Coaching

Operational resilience

Commercial awareness

Job description

As a Team Manager in Food, you'll be responsible for leading a team on the shop floor to deliver exceptional availability, 5-star service, and commercial results. This is not a back-office role. It's a frontline leadership position in one of the most competitive retailers in the UK. You'll need to be commercially sharp, operationally resilient, and relentless in your standards. Whether you're managing stock, coaching your team, or solving problems, you'll move with purpose and lead by example. This is your chance to step into a high‑impact role and help shape the future of M&S Food as we push the boundaries in our transformation.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coach a team to deliver consistently under pressure; set the pace, build capability, and hold the line on standards.
• From sales and standards to availability and team performance, make things happen and take accountability when things don't go to plan.
• Work across departments to deliver a seamless customer experience; collaborate fast, fix problems early, and lead with pace and purpose.
• Drive commercial performance; understand the numbers, translate them into action, and help your team stay laser‑focused on what matters.
• Support the growth and profitability of the store through the implementation of the retail plan and delivery of KPI measures for your area of accountability.
• Role‑model great customer service and deliver a customer‑focused service proposition that delights our customers.
• Recruit and develop great talent and capability within the customer assistant team, supporting the succession requirements of the store and region.
• Ensure colleagues understand and are motivated to deliver their part.
• Support the store to trade safely and legally, protecting customers, colleagues, and the M&S brand.
• Deliver an inspirational, improved, and consistent visual customer journey in‑store that encourages customers to shop and buy more often, driving profitability and sales through the retail plan and store KPI's.
• Embed the business transformation plan and change initiatives across the area.
• Set clear expectations with store colleagues to deliver great standards and service.
• Create the right culture, role‑model new digital ways of working, and demonstrate leadership behaviours.
• Create a multi‑skilled team, coach and train them to fully utilise all tools available to serve and sell well.
• Deliver the brilliant basics through the team.
• Seek customer feedback and take action to deliver improvement.
• Use data and insight to improve the in‑store customer experience, the operation, and drive performance.
• Support the delivery of Plan A.
• Review individual performance through quality conversations, manage underperformance where required, and celebrate success.
• Recruit for the team, ensuring new starters receive a brilliant onboarding experience.
• Deliver all line‑management activities in line with company process and policy.
• Build an active working partnership with BIG, provide feedback, and support the development of BIG reps.
• Deliver operational excellence to maximise product availability, minimise stock and cash loss.
• Ensure processes and tasks are delivered in line with business expectations and operating standards, allocating resources accordingly.
• Maintain a safe and legal store environment.
• Support visual merchandising updates across all launches, events and campaigns; use a combination of channels and technology to communicate timely, clearly and openly with colleagues.
• Seek the best solution for M&S by proactively collaborating with colleagues from across the business.

Key Relationships and Stakeholders

• Customers
• Colleagues
• Store Leadership
• Regional Leadership
• BIG

Required Ability to Lead a Team

• Create the right culture, role‑model new digital ways of working and leadership behaviours.
• Have a good understanding and up‑to‑date knowledge of commercial, visual, operational and people processes and systems.
• Use all available data and MI to identify commercial, visual, cost‑saving & customer opportunities to increase profit.
• Possess a good working knowledge of visual merchandising principles.
• Maintain a good level of digital capability and understand and use all systems.
• Know the legal requirements across the area of accountability and the store.
• Know our people policies and manage performance within a team.
• Have the ability to have difficult conversations with effective resolutions with colleagues.
• Be a good communicator and listener who inspires, shares knowledge and best practices with others.
• Be able to plan and review across the week and the month.
• Demonstrate resilience and ability to deliver under pressure.
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders across the store and region.
• Show flexibility and adaptability to change, and lead teams through change with a growth mindset.

Key Leadership Capabilities

• Successfully embed change for lasting commercial impact and results.
• Address beliefs and mindsets around resistance to change and support colleagues in adapting.
• Take ownership and accountability for the success of the team.
• Spend time coaching colleagues to accelerate performance and personal growth.
• Recognise high performance and support poor performers to improve.
• Show colleagues why they matter to M&S and the impact of their work.
• Use customer feedback and market trends to guide the team's work.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We're disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We're transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together. If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know when completing your application.

This information will be used by our team so we can put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.