operational excellence lead v2

Team
Support Functions
Store
Salford Quays
Location
Salford, Greater Manchester
Salary
competitive
Closing date: 11th July 2025
Apply now

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.

All the details

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This is a unique opportunity to be involved in the transformation of our People Hub/Colleague Services function, leading end to end Operational Excellence.
Working collaboratively across teams (including Retail Leaders, Centers of Expertise, People Partners) you’ll play a critical part in our People Hub transformation and therefore the ideal candidate must have a drive and passion for people, change and delivery.
Key to the role will be setting the strategy for operational excellence and you’ll be leading a team to run innovation projects to deliver this strategy on a day-to-day basis, testing concepts, learning about what works and what doesn’t and iterating the solution. In addition, you’ll be exploring potential new opportunities in both process and technology meaning you can bring your best improvement ideas to life.

Meet the Team

support_thumbnail.jpg
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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Tom Employee Experience & Engagement Lead
Jodie Head of Finance

Our ‘Closer to Customers’ programme means we all get to work in a store for seven days every year. We see how our customers experience M&S and we can appreciate the challenges our colleagues face in store. It’s all part of a determination to listen, to understand and to change things for the better.

Tom (He / Him) | Employee Experience & Engagement Lead Read full story

It takes time to turn around a business as big as M&S: you can’t just instantly pivot from managed decline to sustainable growth. But we’ve done the hard yards, there really is a momentum now and it’s not just a few green shoots of recovery. We’re clear about our strategy, our growth is strong and we’re so confident about the future. It’s great to be part of this.

Jodie (She / Her) | Head of Finance Read full story

Make Your Mark

Opportunities to be heard

Your voice and your ideas matter here. Our 8 colleague networks are places to find support, listen to each other and encourage debate. You can pitch ideas ‘Straight to Stuart’, our CEO, or get involved in our BIG (Business involvement Group).

Experience the business

You’ll spend 7 days each year helping in store and getting closer to our customers. We also organise Insight Days, so you can learn more about specific business units, like Foods.

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Colleague Networks

We want you to feel supported, no matter what.

Family & Carers Network

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

Forces Community Network

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

Cancer Network

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

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.

LGBTQ+ Network

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

Gender Equality Network

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

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.

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

Depending on the role, you may be invited to take part in an online assessment.  Should you be invited to an online assessment your Talent Acquisition Partner will be more than happy to support you with any questions.

Interview

We'll invite you to join us for an interview. This could be remote or in person. Here, we'll ask you some role based technical questions and examine the behaviours we're looking for.

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.

operational excellence lead v2

Team
Support Functions
Store
Salford Quays
Location
Salford, Greater Manchester
Salary
competitive
Closing date: 11th July 2025
Reference: 95530
Apply now