Job Description

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for 3 Senior Managers to join our Retail Media Marketing Activation team.

At the John Lewis Partnership we have created a successful Insights and Media offering and as the Retail Media industry continues to grow, we are continuously seeking to grow our offering to deliver more engaging experiences for customers, growth for JLP, and growth for clients.

The Marketing Activation Senior Manager roles are pivotal to the team and will lead the development and delivery of client campaigns across Fashion, Beauty, Tech, Home and Third Party. They will partner with our Retail Media Sales and Planning Senior team to ensure the end to end experience for our clients is seamless. They will have a comprehensive understanding of and a passion for marketing activation, making use of a variety of marketing best practices to meet objectives set. They’ll have strong commercial acumen, subject matter expertise, natural ability with insight and data and work well under-pressure.

They will lead a talented team of Marketing Activation Managers who work with clients, channel experts, our Retail Media Propositions team and commercial and marketing teams to deliver performance driving campaigns which deliver on client objectives across onsite, offsite and instore channels. We are looking for three strong team leaders who will lead, motivate, excite, stretch, empower and support their team’s development fostering a culture of being calm under pressure, being open to addressing challenges and ensuring that all team members play a role in contributing to the team culture. They will be competent at collaborating across matrix teams from marketing to commercial to store, have good client management in their DNA and will be committed to driving continuous process improvements.

As a growing function in an established business, we are looking for candidates who will lead confidently but who will embrace being hands on and who will bring positive energy to an already highly engaged and ambitious team.

The focus of the three roles is:

• RM Marketing Activation Senior Manager for Fashion & Beauty (12 month maternity cover)
• RM Marketing Activation Senior Manager for Tech, Home and Third Party (Permanent)
• RM Marketing Activation Senior Manager for JL Led Campaigns (Permanent)

Across all three roles, effective and efficient activation across a range of strategic and long tail clients will be at the heart of the role.

The RM Marketing Activation Senior Manager for JL Led Campaigns will be accountable for working closely with central marketing teams to create a range of seasonal opportunities within the John Lewis central marketing calendar.

• Expected salary up to - £70,000 depending on the experience you would bring to the role
• Start Date - 1st February 2027
• Contract type - 2 x Permanent and 1 x 12 month FTC (maternity cover)
• Working pattern/flexible working - The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs, whilst balancing the needs of the business. Within the Retail Media team, we believe in the power of connection, which is why our core office days are currently Wednesdays and Thursdays. (Please be aware, this may change in the future) We typically aim for around two days a week in the office to allow for collaboration and attendance of key meetings
• Location - This role is based at our London Head Office campus in Pimlico. Please note, any cost incurred as a result of travel to the office is the responsibility of the successful candidate. There is no travel allowance for this role.
• FYI - Please note that you will be asked to indicate your vacancy preferences as part of the application process.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the development and delivery of engaging, effective and efficient performance driving campaigns across a range of strategic and long tail clients
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with central marketing teams to deliver an annual calendar of John Lewis Central Marketing campaign opportunities to our clients which deliver mutual benefit to both our clients, the business and our customers (specific to JL LED Campaigns position)
• Proactively seek out opportunities to enhance how we service clients and improve processes to drive increased client satisfaction and team productivity
• Build meaningful and collaborative relationships with key stakeholders across the business using strong influencing skills to be an advocate for our Retail Media goals whilst seeking mutually beneficial opportunities to collaborate effectively across teams
• Lead, excite, motivate, stretch and support a highly motivated team to increase team motivation and satisfaction

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Proven experience of leading, supporting and empowering a high performing team
• Significant experience in marketing campaign delivery within a retail or retail media environment
• Relevant experience working with external suppliers or agencies to activate media
• Proven experience of effectively servicing brands/clients in a marketing environment Experience working with complex projects and influencing multiple Stakeholders at a senior level
• Evidence in strong written and verbal communication
• Experience in insight and analytics
• Experience of delivering to tight deadlines and to great quality

Desirable skills/experience you may have

• Further qualifications in marketing or business
• Demonstrates a keen interest in changing trends in the retail media external landscape

For internal use only:

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Closing Date:

November 15, 2026

Pay:

£55,500.00 - £88,500.00 Annual

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hours of Work:

35

Job Level:

Partnership Level 6

Where You'll Be Working:

London Central Office, 1 Drummond Gate, London, , SW1V 2QQ

ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP

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 also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants.

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.