Packaging Sourcing Lead

Team
Food
Store
London Support Office
Location
London, Greater London
Contract type
Permanent
Position type
Full Time
Salary
Competitive + Benefits
Closing date: 19th September 2025

How We Hire

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.

About the role

This section tells you all you need to know about the position and its responsibilities, outlining everything we hope to see in a successful candidate.

Summary
We’re reshaping our Food business to broaden its appeal, protecting the magic our customers love while modernising everything else. That means exceptional quality, high sourcing standards, and market-leading innovation remain at our core, while we transform our supply chains, improve our stores, and deliver better value.

We’re looking for motivated people ready to bring their whole self to work and thrive in a fast-paced, ambitious team. After all, this isn’t just food… this is M&S Food.
All the details

Lead the future of packaging at M&S Food. This role sits at the heart of our Lowering Costs Team, responsible for shaping and delivering the packaging sourcing strategy across the M&S Food Group. It’s not just about reducing packaging costs, it’s about unlocking efficiencies across the entire supply chain. You’ll pioneer new sourcing models and influence cross-functional decisions to deliver transformational change.

Why this role matters
This is a chance to lead one of the most complex and dynamic areas of retail sourcing. You’ll work across nine packaging industries, from plastics to paper, glass and steel, each with its own cost drivers and production processes. You’ll help scale a sourcing programme that’s already delivering results and growing in scope, ambition and impact. As a member of the Lowering Costs leadership team, you’ll contribute to a multi-million pound cost-saving target and help shape the future of the programme. You’ll also play a key role in enabling supply security, supporting sustainability innovation, and influencing decisions at every level of the business, from suppliers to senior stakeholders.

Due to high interest, this role may close earlier than advertised. We recommend applying as soon as possible.

What you’ll do

  • Lead the development and delivery of a cross-category packaging sourcing strategy, driving cost savings and increasing direct spend with suppliers while ensuring all activity aligns with M&S values and legal requirements
  • Collaborate across the M&S Food Group to guide packaging input into new and existing product development (NPD & EPD) and cost mitigation projects, supporting commercial goals and helping shape optimal packaging solutions
  • Manage strategic sourcing across all packaging formats, negotiating contracts and implementing supplier performance frameworks that deliver long-term value
  • Identify and partner with suppliers who support our sustainability ambitions, leading commercial negotiations to help deliver Plan A packaging targets
  • Provide commodity market insight and contribute to transformational initiatives that support the wider Food Commercial function and Lowering Costs strategy

Who you are

  • Experienced in packaging sourcing across a range of substrates, ideally with exposure to food or FMCG
  • Skilled in supplier management, upstream sourcing and cost modelling, with a good understanding of the UK and EU packaging landscape
  • A confident communicator and experienced negotiator, able to influence with confidence, build trust across teams, and foster collaboration even in environments with limited control
  • Resilient and proactive, with the ability to manage complexity and deliver under pressure
  • Commercially minded and collaborative, with a passion for sustainability and a drive to challenge the status quo

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.

#LI-DNI

A group of colleagues gathered around a table, smiling and discussing work with laptops open in a modern office setting.

Being an in-person business

We're at our best when we're close to customers, and for many of us at M&S, that means working in store every day.

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. It also means we can solve problems as soon as they arise, learn and grow as a team, build trust, and get closer to our colleagues.

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Hetal Buyer
Beth Own Brand Lead

What motivates me is getting to learn something new, and the best thing about buying is that you can go into any area, and you’ll become an expert in it. I started in food – ambient snacking and soft drinks – then moved into homecare, buying pet food and household products. Now I’ve been promoted to a Senior Buyer role within our Bakery team.

Hetal (She / Her) | Buyer Read full story

We want to succeed by earning and deserving the trust of consumers. We try to do the right thing for customers, whether it’s creating healthy everyday food or delivering the small moments of joy in their lives. People rely on M&S and that’s what makes it such a privilege to work here.

Beth (She / Her) | Own Brand Lead Read full story

Make Your Mark

Opportunities to be heard

Your voice matters here. You can share your ideas ‘Straight to Stuart’, our CEO, or get involved in our BIG (Business involvement Group). Our colleague networks are also great places to find support, listen to each other and encourage debate.

Experience the business

We’re passionate about our customers and colleagues. To get closer to our customers we work in our stores 7 days per year. That way we can see how operations run and look for ways to do better each day.

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Colleague Networks

We want you to feel supported, no matter what.

Cancer Network

Fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace culture, addressing stigma, providing guidance and raising awareness to empower and assist colleagues affected by cancer.

Family & Carers Network

A support network for parents and carers, offering a space for colleagues to share experiences, exchange ideas, and access useful resources.

Gender Equality Network

Addressing gender-related challenges, raising awareness, and driving action to ensure equal opportunities for all.

LGBTQ+ Network

Proactively representing LGBTQ+ issues and opportunities to deliver a truly inclusive place to work and shop for our colleagues and customers.

Forces Community Network

Supporting colleagues connected to the Armed Forces, aiding their transition to civilian life, and ensuring that they thrive in the workplace.

Culture and Heritage Network

Raising awareness of various religions and cultures through events and comms, to educate others and better represent our M&S colleagues and customers.

Health and Wellbeing Network

Providing a safe space for colleagues with all types of health conditions or disabilities and supporting with business initiatives to ensure our stores are truly accessible for our customers.

Menopause Network

Initiating and encouraging open conversations about menopause by offering support and sharing experiences.

Benefits

How to Apply

Here’s what to expect at each stage of the application process. This can change depending on the role you’ve applied to. If you need any reasonable adjustments made at any stage, let us know and we can help.

Send us your application

Fill in our short application form and hit submit.

Online assessment

We’ll invite you to take part in an online assessment. This could be before or after your interview.

In-person assessment centre

We’ll invite you to an in-person assessment centre for an interview. This process may differ depending on the role you’ve applied to.

Decision

After we’ve decided, we’ll be in touch. If you’ve been successful, we’ll officially invite you to join the team and let you know the next steps.

Packaging Sourcing Lead

Team
Food
Store
London Support Office
Location
London, Greater London
Contract type
Permanent
Position type
Full Time
Salary
Competitive + Benefits
Closing date: 19th September 2025
Reference: 96087