Programme Manager

at  Ocado Retail

ABOUT US

Our mission is to deliver joy in every shop, through unbeatable choice, unrivalled service and reassuringly good value.
We’re Ocado Retail, a market-leading, joint venture between Ocado Group and M&S and the world’s largest dedicated online supermarket ocado.com. Not only is Ocado.com the only place to shop a full range of M&S food online, it’s also the home to the widest online supermarket range in the UK and champion of small, independent brands. We’re also the brains behind Zoom by Ocado, our same-day grocery delivery service.

ABOUT THE TEAM AND THE ROLE

The Network Development team is really well positioned to make a really significant and positive impact on the growth of the business. If you are excited by being given the responsibility and autonomy to deliver large investment projects that are critical to driving customer growth and increasing efficiency in how we serve over 1 million customers then this is a fantastic opportunity to do just that.
We are looking for an Investment Project Manager to play a critical role in driving the next stage of growth for our business. This role is instrumental in delivering sales and profitability growth through successful execution of large-scale and complex investments. We are seeking a passionate and experienced individual who thrives on delivering projects end-to-end, from concept to on-time and on-budget delivery.
The Investment Project Manager will be responsible for ensuring strong return on capital from our capital investments. The role requires someone with proven experience of having full ownership of end-to-end delivery of a business case, as well as strong leadership skills to influence in a matrix structure and collaborate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Develop the project from concept to business case:

• Lead the development of project ideas and business cases, leveraging your strong analytical skills to create trusted and reliable investment appraisals.
• Work closely with the Finance team to build business cases from first principles, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and financial investment metrics.
• Engage with stakeholders across Finance, Operations, Property, Ocado Technology and Logistics to bring people on the journey and align on objectives

Team leadership:

• Assemble and lead a cross-functional project team, fostering collaboration and accountability to ensure project success.
• Provide guidance and support to team members, empowering them to deliver their best work and contribute to the overall project objectives.

Monitor Project Progress and Set Deadlines:

• Establish clear project milestones and deadlines, regularly monitoring progress and addressing any deviations from the plan.
• Implement effective project management techniques to keep the project on track and ensure timely delivery.
• Present regular updates to senior management and escalate when necessary to gain steers or support

Solve Issues That Arise:

• Proactively identify and address issues or challenges that arise during project execution, utilising your creative problem-solving skills to find alternative courses of action.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to mitigate risks and overcome obstacles, ensuring project continuity and success.

Manage Spend:

• Take ownership of project budget management and cash flow reporting, ensuring expenditures align with approved business cases and financial targets.
• Implement robust controls to monitor spend and identify opportunities for cost optimisation without compromising project quality or objectives.

Stakeholder management:

• Foster strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels, ensuring open communication and alignment of expectations throughout the project lifecycle.
• Solicit feedback and address concerns in a timely manner to maintain stakeholder satisfaction and support.

Post Implementation Review:

• Conduct thorough evaluations of project performance, analysing key metrics and outcomes to assess the effectiveness of investments.
• Identify lessons learned and opportunities for improvement, incorporating feedback into future project planning and execution.