Lead Technical Programme Manager – Retail Stores

About the role

Our objective is to ensure store colleagues are able to efficiently and confidently serve our customers ‘a little better every day. To achieve this, we strive to simplify store colleagues operations through the introduction of new technology.

This is a critical and hugely influential LTPM role, which will require Technology and Business Exec engagement across a wide variety of teams. These will include Store Colleague Experience, Data Science, Data & Analytics, Infrastructure, Channels Safety, Service, Shrinkage & Security, Property, as well as Procurement, Legal and Finance.

The ideal candidate will not only be technically proficient, but will also have exceptional leadership and soft skills. A willingness to learn and flex based on the demands of the programme are key to succeeding in this role.

In the initial Discovery and Planning phase, this role needs to coordinate four currently separate, but ultimately interdependent programmes (each with their own subset of initiatives, trials and in-flight projects), namely:-

• Safe and Secure Store - Connected Platform Strategy
• Computer Vision Strategy
• Video Platform Strategy
• Store Infrastructure Transformation

The primary goals of the Connected Strategies Programme, are to align the four programmes such that:-

1. the overarching Enterprise Architecture design and principles can be agreed  
2. the common Infrastructure components & technology considerations can be impact assessed and sized
3. the critical dependencies, risks and issues common to multiple areas are identified and made visible
4. individual resource requirements/challenges/blockers can be cumulatively ‘seen’ at a macro level     
5. an overall high level programme plan can be created. This needs to align, correctly sequence and make easily visible the cross functional programme dependencies, different transition states and show how individual programme delivery progress will cumulatively produce Connected Strategies Programme goals/outcomes.
6. there is sufficient Technology Leadership Team (TLT) input to, and oversight and ownership of, the strategic technology approaches, choices/trade-offs and final decision making.     

You will be responsible for organising and managing the delivery a newly approved and fully funded multi million pound, cross-functional Technology transformation programme.

This will include:-

• Bringing together, coordinating and energising virtual Technology teams to deliver programme goals
• Initiating and shaping programmes with substantial ambiguity, across multiple domains
• Setting up and managing the Natural Work Team (NWT) responsible for:-
  • agreeing the individual/team Product, Programme and Engineering roles and responsibilities, ways of working and programme management tools (e.g. Jira, Aha!, Slack)
  • defining the shape, structure, scope and outcomes/goals for the programme
  • deciding which one, or combination, of programme delivery methodologies will be used (e.g. agile, waterfall, iterative)
• Liaising and coordinating 3-4 TPMs, leading each of the individual programmes
• Securing Technology Leadership Team (TLT) sponsorship and sign-off for all key strategic architectural, solution design and implementation decisions / recommendations
• Leading technical design and architecture discussions across cross-functional teams
• Building and managing the plan, with clear transition states/phases, milestones and critical path
• Proactively identifying issues, risks and dependencies and working closely with Product and Engineering teams across the programme to resolve, mitigate, transparently track and make visible to the relevant teams, stakeholders
• Understanding the trade-offs and resulting impacts; making impacts visible to Product, Infrastructure or Engineering for the right decision to be made
• Preparing the agenda, pre-read and facilitating the quarterly Exec/Director Governance/Steering group
• Accurately forecasting and managing the programme capex and opex budgets

You will be responsible for

Deliverables (in initial Kick-Off / Discovery & Planning Phase)

• Kick-off and engagement .ppt, covering:-
  • vision, approach, Long Term Plan (LTP) roadmap etc.
  • clearly defined programme structure, including Steering Committee, Programme Board and Workstream, Natural Work Team (NWT) RACI and associated meeting cadence
  • engagement plan, covering Technology Executive/Leadership, across Enterprise Architecture, Infrastructure, Information Security, Finance, Product, Engineering & Programme
• A high-level plan showing the incremental outcomes that will be delivered each quarter
• Costed bill of materials with clear accountability to fund agreed with each project
• A plan to add the proposed infrastructure into the new Store bill of materials going forward

You will need

The ideal candidate must have demonstrated below key skills in their current and past roles:

• Have a proven record of accomplishment in delivering technology and/or infrastructure; having done so across multiple teams in multiple geographies
• Have experience of building credible relationships and influencing senior mgmt. and leadership teams
• Strong project, stakeholder and programme management skills
• Strong vendor management and influencing/negotiating skills
• Exceptional reporting skills for programme status and financial forecasting
• Excellent communication and influencing skills and adoptability to changes

About us

Our business was built over 100 years ago, with a simple mission, to be the champion for customers, helping them to enjoy a better quality of life and an easier way of living. Today that mission remains unchanged.

Customers want great products at great value, which they can buy easily. Tesco aims to deliver this in the right way for them. That's why 'Serving shoppers a little better every day' is our core purpose. As a business, serving customers is at the heart of everything we do. In the UK, Tesco serves some 66 shoppers every second, so it is our goal to ensure every one of those customers experiences just a little better service on each visit.

Everything we do is motivated by our desire for the best tools and technology to help deliver our mission. We are innovating and transforming our Technology to become the world’s leading retailer.

We need people who share our obsession to deliver for our customers and colleagues. Ambitious, passionate and confident people who are willing to take the initiative and drive us forwards. In return, we offer excitement, a great team, an excellent benefit package and significant career development opportunities.

If that sounds exciting, then we would love to hear from you.

The position is based in Welwyn Garden City, with occasional travel to store and our London office in Farringdon.