Trading Manager - Fresh Produce

Contract type: Permanent

Location: Hatfield (Hybrid working - 3 days in the office)

Working hours per week: 40 hours

Level: Trading Manager

Reports to: Head of Category

Application Closing Date: Monday 17th August

About us

Our mission is to deliver joy in every shop, through unbeatable choice, unrivalled service, and reassuringly good value. We’re also on a mission to empower our business with smart technology; we've recently launched our AI Academy, providing a tailored AI learning journey for every colleague.

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 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

This role will lead the Buying team for the Fresh Produce business, a large, fast-moving, and perishable category that sits at the heart of the Ocado customer proposition and requires relentless commercial focus to deliver at pace.

You will report into the Head of Category in our Fresh & Chilled Team and have the responsibility to lead and coach a team of circa 8 Buyers, working with dotted line support across our commercial support teams, and will work closely with Supply Chain, Merchandising, Finance, and Customer stakeholders as you build and mobilise your plans.

What you’ll do

Commercial Accountability:

• Source and buy great quality ranges for our customers while maintaining full responsibility for managing your department's P&L.

• Quickly adapt to an online mindset to identify untapped growth and use rich data to constantly raise the bar in our customer proposition.

• Deliver both category and business goals in tandem through strategic execution.

Strategy, Range & Innovation

• Develop your own category strategy to support the overall business objectives. Utilise a high level of strategic thinking to land the basics of your business plan while leading significant change projects.

• Focus on customer centricity as a fundamental driver, ensuring choice remains a key differentiator for Ocado.

People Management & Performance

• Proactively lead your team to maximise performance, sales, profitability, and market share.

• Foster a coaching mindset to develop team members and drive collective success.

Negotiation & Supplier Excellence

• Work collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure the successful delivery of business initiatives and commercial plans.

• Continuously seek opportunities to raise the bar for teams, stakeholders, and customers alike.

Who you are

• Significant retail buying experience and commercial leadership are essential, with a proven track record of delivering breakthrough results.

• Exceptional negotiation expertise and supplier management skills, with the ability to build high-value networks and strategic relationships at pace.

• Proven leadership and mentoring capability, demonstrating the emotional and strategic intelligence required to develop yourself and your team.

• A dedicated ambassador of Ocado Values, leading with energy and intelligence to act as a brilliant stakeholder for both suppliers and internal teams.

• Positive resilience and adaptability when navigating ambiguity, ensuring constant iteration toward long-term strategic goals.

• Proven project management capability required to devise and deliver large-scale initiatives that raise the bar on commercial operating models and trading tactics.

• A genuine passion for your category, keeping ahead of market trends to nurture the Ocado range while remaining confident in making optimisation decisions.

• Expertise in complex data analysis (Excel, Google Sheets, Tableau), with the ability to balance analytical insights and AI tools with professional judgment.

Training and Development

Joining our Buying team provides access to our Commercial Academy, a comprehensive development program structured around three pillars: Buyer Induction, Specific Skills (Buying & Selling), and General Skills. You'll gain access to external, advanced training such as Negotiation, as well as courses on Understanding Suppliers and Optimising JBPs. This whole program is designed to deliver a foundational and advanced skillset across essential commercial competencies.

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. You'll also be part of our AI Academy, a dedicated learning journey designed to empower every colleague with the smart technology skills of the future.

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.