You’ll play a key role in leading the Argos Operational Change Programme, making a tangible impact by providing oversight and delivery leadership for all change large and small that touches Argos Operations — from stores through the logistics network and across our planning teams.
Reporting into our Head of Operational Change Programmes, the role works closely with the Argos Portfolio and Strategy team to ensure operational change is clearly understood, prioritised, governed and translated into practical delivery across the operation.
You will lead the periodic governance cycle, creating clarity on progress against operational objectives and key results (OKRS) including Cost Saving Targets.
The role connects operational teams with Strategy, Finance, Commercial, Marketing, Procurement, Tech and People Change colleagues to surface trade-offs, manage risks, drive decisions and ensure pipeline opportunities flow through into credible plans.
As a visible champion of operational change, the role will build advocacy, strengthen leadership accountability and mature the way Argos plans, tracks and embeds change.
This opportunity is for a fixed term contract (12 months).
Hybrid between home and London, Coventry or Manchester (with some travel UK-wide)
What I am accountable for
• Lead the Operational Change Programme, providing oversight and delivery leadership for change across Retail, Logistics (local fulfilment, distribution operations, Large Item), planning and central operations.
• Design and run the Operations change governance cycle, including programme forums, working groups and escalation routes that enable decisions, manage risks and maintain momentum.
• Track, monitor and report progress against Operations cost-saving targets, objectives and key results, ensuring the latest position is clear for the Operational Leadership Team and Argos Board as required.
• Work closely with Finance colleagues to maintain a clear latest view of the financial position, understand movements in the plan and translate insight into clear leadership messaging.
• Ensure high-quality status reporting across all Operations change initiatives, from small continuous improvement activity through to larger strategic programmes handed over for operational execution.
• Build strong relationships across operational teams and wider business functions, including Strategy, Procurement, Commercial, Marketing, Tech and People Change, to align priorities and surface trade-offs.
• Review pipeline opportunities, ensure they are assessed, prioritised and ratified through the right forums, and support their flow into future financial and operational plans.
• Develop and mature the Operations project management lifecycle, introducing lightweight documentation, change impact assessment and governance standards that support period on period progress in maturity.
• Design fit-for-purpose project templates, reporting structures and training to build confidence, consistency and adoption across change leads and project teams.
• Own the approach to project management tooling, including options assessment, selection, requirements definition, development and embedding of the chosen solution.
• Build the FY28 roadmap and plan, ensuring pipeline activity, resourcing needs, dependencies and technology requirements are clear early enough to support delivery.
• Develop the Strategy-to-Operations handover process so strategic programmes entering Operations have clear ownership, requirements, delivery plans and success measures.
What I need to know
• Strong understanding of operational change across retail, logistics, fulfilment, distribution and planning environments.
• Knowledge of project, programme and portfolio management principles, with the judgement to apply governance proportionately in a low-maturity environment.
• Skilled in programme governance, risk, dependency, issue and change impact management.
• Commercially and financially aware, with the ability to link programme movement to cost-saving targets, operational performance and leadership decision-making.
• Ability to distil complex operational, financial and delivery information into clear messages for senior leaders and board-level updates.
What I need to show
• Experience leading change governance, working groups and senior forums that drive decisions, accountability and risk mitigation.
• Confidence engaging and influencing senior operational leaders and cross-functional teams across Retail, Logistics, Planning, Strategy, Finance, Commercial, Marketing, Procurement, Tech and People Change.
• Strong reporting and storytelling capability, with experience turning performance, financial and delivery movements into concise leadership messages.
• Ability to build structure where maturity is low, introducing practical ways of working that are easy to adopt and improve over time.
• Experience developing project documentation, reporting templates, change impact assessments and lifecycle guidance that support project teams.
• Ability to manage multiple initiatives concurrently, from continuous improvement activity through to strategic programmes handed over for operational delivery.
• Strong organisation, prioritisation and attention to detail in a fast-paced change environment.
• A proactive mindset with the confidence to take ownership, follow through on actions and hold others to account constructively.
• Commitment to continuous improvement, adoption and embedding change in a way that works for operational teams.
• Customer and colleague curiosity, with a drive to improve operational outcomes and the experience of those impacted by change.
