Overview Of The Role:

• The Food Trading Manager plays a critical role in maximizing trading opportunities within the MENA region by collaborating with key stakeholders across stores and the Support Centre. The role requires a champion of retail within the Food Business Unit (BU), focusing on developing store teams to effectively trade food halls, ensuring exceptional store experiences and executing transformation projects with precision and alignment to organizational objectives.

What You Will Do:

Trading Strategy and Execution

• Develop a robust Trading Calendar and Trading Guidelines to set a clear cadence for trading the food hall.
• Lead and develop SRD capabilities to enhance trading effectiveness.
• Coach and develop retail teams to ensure right first-time implementation and resolve trading issues.
• Plan and execute food transformation projects aligning with people, product, and process plans.
• Manage multiple live projects with varying timelines, addressing issues and adjusting plans to meet objectives.
• Exploit Market Intelligence (MI) to inform and improve strategic and tactical decision making.

Retail Standards and Visual Execution

• Deliver exceptional visual standards for store product launches both on the sales floor and backstage.
• Ensure stores meet best-in-class expectations through effective communication and coaching.
• Champion retail in the Food Business Unit ensuring a customer focus.
• Engage and guide Regional and Store Managers through transformation projects from concept to post-implementation review.
• Ensure stores have clear trading guidelines and effective trading MI to deliver excellent merchandising standards.

Skills

Required Skills To Be Successful:

• Strong planning and organizational skills with adaptability to business changes.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to engage across all organizational levels.
• Resilience and the ability to remain calm under pressure and ambiguity.
• Robust skills in commercial acumen, strategy development, and operational execution.

What Qualifies You For The Role:

• Established leadership and store experience.
• Technical knowledge of M&S Foods principles and merchandising standards.
• Solid commercial acumen and decision-making skills to interpret and create commercial actions.
• Ability to coach and influence store teams and senior stakeholders with confidence and clarity.