Job Description

Strategic Partner Manager | Hatfield | Hybrid (2 days office)
Ocado Group is an equal opportunities employer and as such makes every effort to ensure that all potential employees are treated fairly and equally, regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, age, or disability or union membership status.
About Us
Ocado Group is a technology-led, global, software and robotics platform business, with a strong retail heritage. Ocado has been at the forefront of innovation in the online grocery industry since it was founded in 2000. Its retail business, Ocado.com, is one of the world's largest online-only supermarkets with over 2,2bn annual revenue and over 795,000 active customers.
Ocado Solutions is responsible for our corporate international partnerships, offering the proprietary Ocado Smart Platform (OSP) as a service to retailers around the world. OSP comprises access to Ocado's physical automation, allowing highly efficient preparation of orders, together with the full end-to-end software applications required to operate a world class online grocery business, bringing the best possible operational economics, consumer experience and service to our partners. Since 2017 we have signed agreements to provide our unique e-commerce solution to a number of the world's largest grocers, including the following retailers in the Europe Region: Groupe Casino (France), ICA Gruppen (Sweden), Auchan Retail (Alcampo (Spain), Auchan (Poland)), Bon Preu (Spain), Morrisons (UK), and Ocado Retail (UK).
About the role
We are looking for a strategic and commercially driven leader with e-commerce experience to join our European Partnership team. In this role, you will own the strategy to drive online growth for our partners, ensuring commercial success, operational efficiency and international scalability.
This role is based in Hatfield, UK and will require travel to the Partner's offices on a periodic basis.
What you will be doing
Your main mission will be to manage and develop relationships, realise new commercial opportunities and help our partner grow its online business. The Strategic Partner Manager is assigned to a specific partner and the role's responsibilities include:

• Developing, updating and owning partnership strategy that aligns with the partner's e-commerce goals, focusing on identifying and maximising opportunities for market share growth and operational optimisation

• In respect of partner growth in particular:

• Leveraging data to provide regular reporting to internal and external stakeholders that highlights key trends and opportunities to improve growth

• Delivering actionable recommendations partners can implement within their organizations to support growth

• Becoming an expert on the relevant OSP features that can support growth, and ensuring your partners are fully utilising these features to drive their goals

• Delivering against agreed partnership goals, including building a strong internal collaboration network and securing appropriate support to meet those partnership goals

• Ensure that Operations are supporting Growth and that teams are aligned with the same objectives and KPIs

• Primary interface between Ocado and the partner for all relationship matters, including escalations

• Responsible for partner satisfaction and profitability across Ocado's delivery of the Ocado Smart Platform
• Pursuing opportunities to develop the partner relationship further, from creative idea generation, business case development, commercial negotiation and overseeing implementation

We'd love to talk to you if you have...
Required

• 5+ years of proven track record in one or several of the following fields:

• Developing and executing online growth strategies within a direct to consumer business with complex logistics (grocery ecommerce experience a big plus).

• Retail and/or strategy management consulting experience, with projects focusing on growth and/or logistics.

• Hypergrowth start-ups or scale-ups

• Familiarity and passion for data-driven marketing, consumer insight, and ecommerce

• Familiarity with or experience with measuring and optimising key growth metrics including user growth, conversion, LTV

• Comfortable utilising data to gain a clear understanding of the customer journey, identify and implement improvements, and measure performance

• BA/BSc degree in a business management or technical field or equivalent practical experience desirable. MBA from a Top University will be a big plus.

• A highly analytical skill set, able to use data to drive insights and recommendations for partners

• Ability to create strategy with imperfect information to deliver business goals

• Highly commercial, able to identify biggest wins for our partners to focus on to improve growth and profitability

• Strong communication and presentation skills, comfortable presenting to and influencing external partners and senior audiences, particularly within an international context

• Natural relationship builder, able to build effective and trusted relationships with partners

• Self-starting, able to identify and pursue areas of opportunity in a new environment

• A passion for grocery retail and an understanding of the key marketing and commercial levers to drive growth. Up to date on the industry, digital platforms, and changes as they roll out

• Understanding of operations in E-comm businesses that sell physical goods, as well as E-comm financial statements/P&Ls

• Strong demonstration of commercial acumen, cross functional team leadership, relationship building and influencing internally and externally through oral and written communication skills

• Commercial empathy - the ability to understand a different commercial perspective to foresee challenges that may be raised by our partner and challenging internally and externally where appropriate

• Professional and/or student international experience will be a plus
• Excellent data analysis, deep understanding of financial statements/P&Ls.

• Strong demonstration of commercial acumen, cross functional team leadership, relationship building and influencing internally and externally through oral and written communication skills

• Languages: Native/fluent in English is essential. Other European languages desirable (French, Spanish, Polish or Swedish in particular)

What we offer you...
Our employee benefits are designed for you, we care about people and we've ensured we have a wealth of benefits that focus on your well-being. We regularly review our benefits to ensure we are supporting our employees appropriately. Currently, we offer technically stretching work, a competitive salary and;

• 30 days 'working from anywhere in the world' policy
• Wellbeing support through dedicated apps and an Employee Assistance Programme
• 25 days annual leave, rising to 27 days after 5 years service (plus optional holiday purchase)
• Pension scheme (various options available including employer contribution matching up to 7%)
• Generous Private Medical Insurance (within the first month of joining!)
• Income Protection (can be up to 50% of salary for 3 years) and Life Assurance (3 x annual salary)
• 22 weeks paid maternity/primary parent leave and 6 weeks paid paternity leave (once relevant service requirements complete)
• Train Ticket loan (interest-free)
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Free shuttle bus to and from Hatfield Train Station to the Hatfield offices
• Free shuttle bus to and from Welwyn Garden City Train Station to the Welwyn Garden City offices
• Opportunity to participate in Sharesave and Buy as You Earn share schemes
• 15% discount on Ocado.com and free delivery for all employees (within the first month of joining!

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