Team Manager - Food - Ipswich Area

M&S; Norwich; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK retailer is seeking a Team Manager in Food to drive exceptional customer service and commercial results. In this role, you will lead a shop floor team, ensuring high performance through effective coaching and support. Key responsibilities include managing sales and standards while collaborating across departments, all aimed at enhancing the customer experience. Ideal candidates should have strong leadership skills and a solid understanding of retail operations. Join us in shaping the future of the food sector.

Qualifications

• Experience leading teams to achieve KPIs in a retail environment.
• Ability to analyze data and identify performance opportunities.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coach the shop floor team to achieve exceptional service.
• Manage sales, standards, availability, and team performance.
• Drive commercial performance and improve the customer experience.

Skills

Leadership

Customer service

Data analysis

Communication

Coaching

Job description

Job Description

As a Team Manager in Food, you'll lead a shop floor team to deliver exceptional availability, 5‑star service and commercial results. This is a frontline leadership role in one of the UK’s most competitive retailers.

We need a commercially sharp, operationally resilient leader who moves with purpose and leads by example. We’re pushing the boundaries of retail transformation – can you help shape the future of M&S Food?

• Lead and coach the team to perform consistently under pressure – set the pace, build capability, and hold standards.
• Manage sales, standards, availability and team performance – own outcomes, and address challenges when plans falter.
• Collaborate across departments for a seamless customer experience – resolve problems early, leading with pace and purpose.
• Drive commercial performance – translate figures into action and keep the team laser‑focused on what matters.

Purpose

• Support store growth and profitability through the retail plan and KPI delivery.
• Model great customer service and a customer‑focussed proposition through the team.
• Recruit, develop talent and meet succession needs for the store and region.
• Motivate colleagues to deliver their part.
• Ensure safety, legal compliance and brand protection.
• Deliver an inspiring, consistent visual customer journey that encourages repeat shopping.

Key Accountabilities

• Drive profitability and sales, supporting the Retail Plan and Store KPIs.
• Embed business transformation plans and change initiatives.
• Maintain great standards and service through clear expectations.
• Create a digital‑savvy culture and role‑model leadership behaviours.
• Develop a multiskilled team, training them to use all available tools.
• Surface customer feedback and act on it.
• Use data and insight to improve the in‑store experience and operations.
• Support Plan A delivery.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and manage underperformance.
• Recruit and onboard new starters effectively.
• Complete line‑management duties per company policy.
• Partner with BIG for feedback and support of BIG reps.
• Maximise product availability, minimise stock and cash loss.
• Ensure processes and tasks align with business expectations.
• Maintain a safe and legal store environment.
• Support visual merchandising across launches, events and campaigns.

Technical Skills / Experience

• Lead a team to deliver outstanding customer service and KPI performance.
• Understand commercial, visual, operational and people processes and systems.
• Analyse data and MI to find commercial, visual, cost‑saving, and customer opportunities.
• Apply VM principles and digital capability across systems.
• Know legal requirements and people policies for performance management.
• Conduct difficult conversations and inspire improvement.
• Excellent communicator, listener, and knowledge sharer.
• Plan and review across weekly and monthly cycles.
• Perform under pressure with resilience.
• Build relationships with key stakeholders regionally and store‑wide.
• Adapt to change and lead teams with a growth mindset.

Key Leadership Capabilities

• Embed lasting change and commercial impact.
• Address resistance and support adaptation.
• Own team success and accountability.
• Coach colleagues for performance and growth.
• Recognise high performance and improve underperformance.
• Communicate value to M&S and motivate impact.
• Use customer feedback and market trends to guide work.
• Clarify business messages and ask for feedback.
• Use technology and collaboration to choose best solutions.

Key Relationships and Stakeholders

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

Everyone’s Welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail – disrupting, innovating and leading into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. Marks & Spencer aims to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work. We support each other and work together to win.

If you need support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know when completing your application. We will arrange steps to help you be at your best.