Team Manager Twilight

Waitrose & Partners; Harlow; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working options

Employee ownership benefits

Job summary

A major UK retail chain is seeking a Team Manager in Harlow. In this role, you'll lead a team to deliver outstanding customer service, maximize sales and profit, and maintain high standards of store operations. Ideal candidates will have experience in a fast-paced retail environment and strong people management skills. Join a company dedicated to employee ownership and a positive work environment, supporting flexible working arrangements.

Qualifications

• Experience of leading a team in a fast‑paced, customer‑focused environment.
• Passion for retail and understanding of the market.
• Resilience to support and manage change effectively.

Responsibilities

• Maximise sales and profit while minimising wastage.
• Ensure high levels of availability and merchandising.
• Manage team performance, including holidays and absences.

Skills

Leadership skills

People Management skills

Communication skills

Commercial acumen

Ability to influence

Job description

Team Manager Twilight – Waitrose & Partners

As a Team Manager in one of our Waitrose shops, you’ll influence and motivate your team and be a positive role model for delivering outstanding partner‑led customer service that is distinctively Waitrose and passionate about serving food lovers. Your strong leadership and team‑working skills will make the difference to your team and the impression our customers have about the Waitrose brand, keeping them returning again and again by earning their trust and loyalty for a lifetime while helping to maximise sales and profit.

Hourly Premiums (Effective 5th October 2025)

In addition to your contractual pay, any time worked between 18:00 – 22:00 will attract an Evening Premium at a rate of £3.50 per hour and any time worked between 22:00 – 06:00 will attract a Night Premium at a rate of £4.50 per hour. This will also apply to existing Partners who have enrolled onto Enhanced Hours Premium arrangements.

Key Responsibilities

• Using your commercial skills to maximise sales and profit while minimising wastage.
• Ensuring consistently high levels of availability and merchandising as well as delivering an efficient, legal, and secure store operation.
• Improving and maintaining customer satisfaction.
• Using your people skills to manage your team, from leading and inspiring to people‑related tasks like organising holidays and managing absences.
• Create a supportive culture of care, belonging, pace and productivity.
• Engage and lead partners in delivering and embedding change consistently and effectively within your shop.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Experience of leading a team in a fast‑paced, customer‑focused environment.
• People Management skills.
• Able to demonstrate an innate passion for and understanding of retail.
• Resilience to support and plan your team’s response to change.
• Ability to influence stakeholders.
• Advanced communication skills.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Experience of supporting with the Disciplinary and Grievance process.
• Regulatory Compliance Management.
• Personal Licence Holder.
• Food Hygiene Level 3.

About The Partnership

We’re the largest employee‑owned business in the UK and the home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us. We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify, never knowingly undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food‑lovers in Waitrose.

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and the rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong, embracing our differences, creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective.

Important Points to Note

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre‑employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third‑party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, so we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work‑life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.