Overview
Head of Transformation & Programmes – Store Launch –
Everyone is welcome at M&S. No exceptions. It’s your background, abilities and differences that make you, uniquely you. And when you’re part of M&S, that individuality has the potential to make waves.
Summary
We’re looking for a strategic Head of Strategic Transformation – Store Launch to define and embed how M&S delivers new and renewed stores at scale. You will create the frameworks, processes, and governance that ensure consistent, high‑quality execution across the estate, aligning teams and enabling a seamless customer and colleague experience while driving commercial performance.
To stay close to customers, our support teams are in the office three days a week as we believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected.
All the details
What You’ll Do
Your key accountabilities will include:
- Translate strategic direction into scalable operating models, embedding clear processes, governance, and best practice across all store launches and renewals.
- Define and evolve the end‑to‑end launch ecosystem, including methodologies, tools, and critical path planning, to enable consistent, high‑quality delivery.
- Lead cross‑functional alignment across Property, Retail, Trading, VM, Marketing, and external partners—ensuring clarity, accountability, and effective decision‑making.
- Embed a customer‑centric and data‑led approach, using insight and market trends to shape store formats, experiences, and operational execution.
- Drive programme governance and continuous improvement, managing risk, removing barriers, and ensuring delivery is on time, on budget, and commercially robust.
Who You Will Be
Your skills and experience will include:
- A strategic leader with extensive experience delivering large‑scale store, transformation, or operational programmes within retail environments.
- Highly influential, able to align senior stakeholders, simplify complexity, and translate strategy into clear, actionable outcomes.
- Commercially astute, with strong understanding of customer behaviour, retail trends, and the balance between brand, operations, and performance.
- A resilient and adaptable operator, comfortable working across multiple locations and navigating ambiguity in a fast‑paced environment.
- An inspiring communicator and collaborator, who builds high‑performing relationships, drives accountability, and champions continuous improvement.
What You Will Bring
- Strategic leadership with the ability to turn complex direction into clear, scalable delivery.
- Proven experience delivering large‑scale retail or store transformation programmes.
- Strong commercial acumen, using data and insight to drive decisions and performance.
- Deep understanding of store operations and how to embed effective, repeatable frameworks.
- Excellent organisation and problem‑solving skills, able to manage complexity and drive results at pace.
What’s in it for you?
Working at M&S means being part of something bigger – helping to deliver quality, value and service to millions of customers every day. We’re inclusive, fast-moving and always evolving, with a strong sense of purpose and a focus on doing the right thing.
Here are just a few of the benefits that make working here even more rewarding:
· 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third-party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you’ve completed your probation
· Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more
· Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours
· Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future
· Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one
· Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal
· Market-leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave
· 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services
· One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you
Everyone’s welcome
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. Join us and make change happen.
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 don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.
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IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
