Strategy Manager

Our Strategy & Strategic Planning team provides the clarity and commercial edge that allows our brands, John Lewis and Waitrose, to innovate and lead in an evolving retail market.
As a Strategy Manager, you will work with Director, Executive and Board-level leaders to solve the Partnership’s most critical business questions. You will navigate the internal and external market conditions in which we trade, synthesising data into clear choices that shape the next chapter of our brands. This is a role for a curious, analytical, and collaborative leader who wants to see their recommendations come to life within a unique, purpose-led organisation.

Salary: £70,000 – £100,000

Contract type: Permanent

Focus area: You will typically be assigned to a business area (John Lewis, Waitrose, or Group) for 6+ months at a time. The initial assignment for this role is expected to be for John Lewis.

Working pattern: Hybrid. Strategy Managers typically spend 2–3 days a week at our London Head Office or other Partnership locations, with the remainder of the time working from home.

Location: Head Office in Pimlico, London (with occasional travel to other Partnership sites).
 

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Business Partnering: Reporting to a Strategy Lead, you will support senior leaders with enterprise strategy and business planning, providing the analysis required to make critical decisions quickly and confidently.

• Market Conditions: Using your natural curiosity to understand market conditions, providing the clarity and objectivity required for senior leaders to make confident decisions.

• Strategic Choices: Synthesising complex data and insights into clear recommendations, identifying both risks and opportunities for the Partnership.

• Collaborative Leadership: Bringing strategic thinking and analysis to cross-functional teams, ensuring business planning processes are delivered effectively.

• Strategic Narrative: Working across the Partnership to ensure we stand apart from our competitors through a cohesive and compelling strategy.

Essential Skills/Experience You’ll Need

• Strategy Experience: Significant experience in strategy consulting or a dedicated corporate strategy role, advising Director, Executive, and Board-level leaders.

• Framing Decisions: Experience in framing conclusions and recommendations using strategy theory and business understanding to enable quick, sound decision-making.

• Commercial Acumen: A strong financial background with evidence of developing clear points of view on market trends and the competitive landscape.

• Stakeholder Influence: A proven ability to work collaboratively and influence stakeholders at all levels, particularly at the Director, Executive and Board level.

• Communication: Excellent written and verbal skills, with experience in writing reports and presentations that are used at the highest levels of senior leadership.

• Self-Starter Mentality: Experience in working independently and leading strategy projects. 
   

Desirable Skills/Experience You May Have

• Blended Experience: A mix of both strategy consulting and in-house corporate strategy experience.

• Retail Expertise: Significant experience in general merchandise and omnichannel retailing; experience with department stores is a bonus.

• Matrix Working: A demonstrated ability to work effectively in a cross-functional and matrix business environment.

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We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and 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 in its 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 and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

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, and therefore, 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.