Question
Full time
5-10

Food Manager

1/14/2026

The Food Manager will coach and model high standards in the food hall while ensuring compliance with processes. They will manage performance, conduct disciplinaries, and oversee store operations to support customer satisfaction.

Working Hours

40 hours/week

Company Size

10,001+ employees

Language

English

Visa Sponsorship

No

About The Company
Over 150 years old and still going strong, we’re the UK’s second-biggest retailer. Every day, the nation shops with us because they know they’ll get affordable, good food and excellent service. We focus on great value and convenient shopping across our family of brands, from Argos, Nectar and Habitat to Sainsbury’s Bank, Smart Charge and Tu. What’s next for Sainsbury’s? We've put food back at the heart of our business and we’re taking Sainsbury’s to the next level. We’re investing in technology and people and we’re thinking bigger about how we attract and connect with our customers, while doing everything we can to create a more resilient UK food system.
About the Role

What you’ll be doing:

  • Role modelling and coaching for high standards and efficiency across the whole food hall.
  • Managing compliance to processes whilst bringing the passion and flare for great shop keeping and customer service.
  • Ensure every single one of our customers gets the food they want when they shop with us to help ensure we are the first choice for food.
  • People management is a big part of the role, managing performance and capability, conducting disciplinaries and ensuring scheduling and pay are accurate. 
  • At times you will assume overall responsibility for running the store, making sure that all colleagues are given direction and support to deliver for the customer.

What makes a great food manager:

  • Previous line management responsibilities in a fast-paced, operational environment.
  • Provides brilliant customer service and coaches a team to do the same.
  • Delivers KPI's or other performance indicators.
  • Can manage disciplinaries, performance issues or other similar employee relations issues.
  • Leads operations and comfortable doing this alone in the absence of more senior management.

Essential Criteria:

  • A track record of delivering exceptional customer experiences, with evidence of coaching others to consistently raise the bar.
  • Experience leading teams in a dynamic, customer-facing environment — you’ve inspired others, driven high performance, and created a culture where colleagues thrive.
  • Leadership experience in a high-volume, fast-paced operational setting — whether in retail, food service, or hospitality — where you’ve overseen daily operations, solved business problems, and kept teams focused on what matters most: delivering for customers.
  • Proven success in delivering against a wide range of KPIs — from sales and stock availability to customer satisfaction and colleague engagement, you’ve made a measurable difference.
  • Experience managing complex people matters, including performance, absence, and formal employee relations cases, with confidence and fairness.
Key Skills
Customer ServicePeople ManagementPerformance ManagementCoachingOperational LeadershipKPI DeliveryDisciplinary ManagementProblem SolvingTeam InspirationHigh Performance CultureDynamic EnvironmentFood ServiceRetailHospitalityComplianceShop Keeping
Categories
Management & LeadershipCustomer Service & SupportFood & BeverageRetailHospitality
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