Lead Innovation Manager - 12 month FTC

What’s in it for you

We’re all about the little helps. That’s why we make sure our Tesco colleague benefits package takes care of you – both in and out of work. Click Here to find out more!

• Annual bonus scheme of up to 20% of base salary
• Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays)
• Private medical insurance
• 26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (12 months service required at the qualifying date) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 6 weeks fully paid paternity leave
• Free 24/7 virtual GP service, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and your family, free access to a range of experts to support your mental wellbeing

The above information is a shortened summary, refer to our policies for full details 

About the role

In this role, you will identify, oversee, and recommend changes to approaches, methods, products, and processes to enhance competitiveness and improve organisational efficiency. You will lead and develop a team of Innovation Managers, providing direction and oversight as they own, identify, and define the future state of automation solutions across online. Working closely with key stakeholders, you will ensure innovation initiatives are aligned to business priorities and deliver measurable value

You will be responsible for

• Developing, coaching, and leading a high‑performing team, identifying talent and creating opportunities for individuals to perform at their best
• Optimising resource allocation to ensure effective use of people, budget, and technology in achieving business objectives
• Championing the role of technology and automation within future strategies to maintain and enhance competitiveness
• Ensuring ideas and concepts are clearly defined from the outset, remaining focused, on track, and within scope throughout delivery
• Collaborating with subject matter experts, motivating them to apply their expertise effectively to deliver successful projects
• Taking ownership of processes and systems, ensuring they are effective and efficient, proactively identifying issues and implementing the best solutions
• Managing interdependencies and resolving potential conflicts, working collaboratively to deliver agreed objectives for the benefit of customers, colleagues, and the planet
• Managing risks and issues through the establishment and operation of clear governance frameworks
• Monitoring delivery progress and providing regular updates to stakeholders, including senior business leaders, on milestones and outcomes
• Adopting a flexible approach, managing multiple projects and programmes across different channels and business areas
• Building and maintaining long‑term capacity plans and scenario models covering volume growth, channel mix, service propositions, and cost
• Developing robust end‑to‑end business cases to support online transformation and automation investment decisions
• Ensuring processes are scalable, efficient, and fit for high‑volume operations

You will need

• A strong commitment to fostering a continuous improvement and innovation‑led culture
• Proven capability in strategic planning and execution, translating vision into actionable outcomes
• Well‑developed critical thinking skills with the ability to solve complex problems
• High attention to detail, ensuring accuracy and quality across plans, processes, and delivery
• Financial awareness, with the ability to assess cost, value, and return on investment
• Strong prioritisation skills, balancing competing demands and focusing on what delivers the greatest impact
• Line management experience, including performance management and team development
• Experience developing long‑term transformation strategies, including scenario planning and future‑state design
• A solid understanding of automation, mechanisation, or technology‑enabled fulfilment solutions
• Experience managing a team of project managers across multiple geographies
• A background in automation or fulfilment operations.

About us

You might know us as a supermarket, technology company or even for our award-winning mobile network. Truth is, we’re all of those things, and much more. Our colleagues work with one goal in mind, helping to make every day a little better for our customers, colleagues and communities all over the world. No two customers are the same, neither are our colleagues.

At Tesco, we champion a balance that lets you thrive both in and out of work. Spend 60% of your week collaborating with colleagues at our office locations or local sites and the rest remotely. Whether you're just kicking off your career, juggling passions, or navigating big life events, we're here to support you. We always welcome a conversation about flexible working, so talk to us throughout your application about how we can support.

We're proud to be an accredited Disability Confident Leader, where everyone’s welcome. That’s why we commit to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you need support with your application, click here for more information. And if you're interested in joining our team but don't tick every box, don't let that hold you back from applying.