Job Description

Range Optimisation Manager

£60,000 - £70,000 plus private healthcare, pension with up to 10% employer contributions and more great benefits (Work Level 5)

12-month fixed-term contract

Manchester city centre - in this role you’ll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and the office at least once per week (find out more about our hybrid working policy at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy).

We're looking for a Range Optimisation Manager to join our Customer team and help us deliver the right products, in the right stores, for our customers and member-owners. You'll lead and develop our Range Optimisation team, working with colleagues across Customer, Commercial and Operations to embed our approach to range optimisation and drive strong customer, commercial and operational outcomes.

Why this role matters

Range optimisation plays a key role in making sure our stores offer the products our customers want, where and when they need them. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a talented team while working across the business to influence decisions, bring people together around shared goals and help shape how we continue to evolve our ranging strategy.

What you’ll do

• Own our range guardrails and principles and our store clustering strategy, making sure these are delivered through range reviews
• Drive the change needed to embed our range optimisation approach, principles and guardrails
• Lead, coach and develop the Range Optimisation team, empowering them to deliver against our strategic objectives
• Liaise closely with our customer and commercial teams to help translate category strategies into optimised range assortments
• Support and input into projects, tests and trials to find new ways of making our ranges even better
• Use data and insights to optimise our tools and systems, helping us get the right ranges into the right stores
• Use sound commercial judgement to support decisions that deliver the best outcomes for our business, customers and member-owners
• Build strong relationships across the business, influencing stakeholders, navigating differing priorities and helping teams reach effective decisions

What you’ll bring

We’re committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:

• Experience leading, coaching or developing others, with the ability to bring people together to achieve shared goals
• The ability to build strong relationships and lead change across multiple stakeholder groups
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to challenge constructively and manage difficult conversations when needed
• Experience within category management, ranging, merchandising or a similar commercial retail environment
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to balance customer, operational and business priorities
• The ability to remove barriers, navigate complexity and help teams make effective decisions

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• Private healthcare
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
• 30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands
• Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
• Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice
• 24/7 colleague support service
• Training and support for your development and career progression
• Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion

Please note that we may close applications for this role early.

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes up to 50 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.