Job Description

Team:

Data & Insights

Ref.:

VN1143

Type:

Permanent

Location:

Hatfield

Senior Forecasting Analyst

Contract type:

Permanent

Location:

Hatfield (Hybrid working - 3 days in the office)

Working hours per week:

40 hours

Level:

Senior

Application Closing Date:

Friday 5th December 2025

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 Forecasting team works closely with our Planning, Finance and Marketing departments to accurately predict customer demand and maximise network capacity utilisation. The Forecasting team is responsible for:


Short-term forecasting and capacity utilisation Medium-term scenario forecasting to explore alternative strategies for meeting growth targets. Long-term strategic guidance - forecasting long-term customer demand to help build our long-term network, marketing and acquisition strategy

What you'll do

Take responsibility for delivering particular workstreams within the team. Develop a good working partnership with colleagues across Revenue Management, Finance, Operations and Ocado Logistics. Help prioritisation of work within the team through good Project Management. Look for and develop tools to automate decision making, reports to enable self-serve and support projects that drive business improvement. Assist development of our forecasting accuracy KPIs, identify the source of inaccuracies and implement improvements to the forecasting processes to remove bias and reduce error. Work with the Data Science team to evolve our forecasting toolkit Manage junior members of the team. Contribute to the development of best practices and support sharing them among the wider Insight team.

Example projects

Develop a method to quantify the impact of poor slot availability on customer orders, Forecast the shape of the week over the next 12 weeks, Develop a tool to estimate growth over the next 10 years.

Who you are

Essential:
Strong experience as an analyst Experience in presenting analytics-driven output to wide-ranging audiences Proven experience in data mining using SQL Ability to drive projects forward and deliver to plan Exceptional stakeholder management skills The ability to communicate and influence at all levels Excellent Google Suite / Excel skills Numerate or Technical Degree (2:1 and above) Mathematics A Level (or equivalent) Grade A or above Ability to prioritise and balance immediate work against longer-term priorities Knowledge of forecasting methods.

Preferred:
Experience in a retail, e-commerce or FMCG consumer-facing business Experience with data visualisation software such as Tableau Familiarity with Google's wider data ecosystem (e.g. Google Cloud Storage, AutoML) Experience of R or Python Willingness to learn and innovate and take advantage of new technologies.

What's in it for you

By joining Ocado Retail, you'll have the chance to experience life at the world's largest online retailer, work with an amazing bunch of people who challenge what's possible each day, and grow your skills and career in online retail.


If that's not enough to tempt you, you'll also get access to loads of great benefits to sweeten the deal. Here's a taste of what we offer:

Health & Wellbeing: Private medical insurance with option to add your family, Digital GP appointments, market-leading family policies, mental health support, discounted gym memberships, dental insurance, and more.

Spend & Save: Annual bonus scheme split between personal and business objectives, recognition with reward platform, up to 7% matched pension contributions, 15% Ocado discount, 20% M&S discount, free breakfast every day in the office, electric vehicle leasing scheme, and free shuttle bus from Hatfield station to the office.

Never miss the moments that matter: Hybrid working, 26 days holiday plus 8 flexible bank holidays, options to buy extra holiday, 2 weeks work from anywhere, and lifestyle break opportunities.

Our Hiring Process

Lucky for us, we receive a high volume of applications and genuinely appreciate the time and effort invested by every candidate. To ensure a fair and thorough process, every application is reviewed by a member of our team. If your skills and experience are a strong match, a Talent Partner will contact you to discuss the role and guide you through the next steps of our hiring process.

Your Application and AI

In the spirit of innovation, we welcome you to use AI tools in your application, just as we use them in our own business at Ocado Retail. However, as you leverage this technology, please don't lose sight of the most important element: your unique self. Your experiences, passions, and personality are what truly set you apart. Ensure that your application still authentically conveys who you are and why you're a great fit for us.

Everyone's welcome

We're an equal opportunities employer, which means that we make sure all potential colleagues are treated fairly and equally. We want to ensure everyone has a fair chance to apply; if you need this job description in an alternative format (e.g., larger print, different document type, etc.), please reach out to us at careers@ocadoretail.com and we'll be happy to assist you, and if you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know on the application form.