Senior Events Strategy Manager

Senior Events Strategy Manager
£50,000 to £65,000 plus great benefits (Work Level 5) 
Manchester City Centre, in this role you’ll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and coming into the office at least twice a week (find out more about our hybrid working policy at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy ).  

We're looking for a Senior Events Strategy Manager to lead our Seasonal Planning team and shape the future of seasonal events across Co-op Food.

This is a strategic leadership role responsible for developing and delivering our long-term seasonal vision, ensuring our events drive commercial growth, deliver for customers and remain competitive in an evolving retail landscape. You'll lead a team of Seasonal Planners while working closely with teams across Commercial, Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations, Wholesale and Quick Commerce.

Why this job matters

Seasonal events give us some of our best opportunities to connect with customers and grow our business. You'll lead the thinking behind those events, using insight, collaboration and new ideas to help shape plans that make a real difference for our customers and colleagues. By bringing together teams, insights and innovation, you'll make sure our seasonal plans drive sustainable growth and position Co-op ahead of market trends.

What you’ll do

•    Lead, coach and develop the Seasonal Planning team, creating a high-performing and collaborative culture
•    Develop and deliver a multi-year seasonal events strategy that drives growth across the Co-op Food business
•    Own and continually evolve the seasonal planning framework, ensuring it remains aligned to customer, commercial and business priorities
•    Translate seasonal opportunities into commercially viable plans, balancing customer outcomes, financial performance and operational realities
•    Use data, insight and event performance to shape future strategies and identify new growth opportunities
•    Bring together Retail, Quick Commerce, Wholesale and Franchise teams to develop and deliver an integrated seasonal strategy that maximises customer and commercial outcomes
•    Build strong relationships with internal leadership, teams and external suppliers to support innovation and influence future plans
•    Present seasonal strategies and event plans to senior leaders, suppliers, and external partners securing engagement and alignment behind a shared vision

What you’ll bring

We’re committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:

•    Significant experience in Seasonal Planning, Trade Planning, Category Planning or a similar strategic role within Retail or FMCG
•    Proven experience developing and delivering commercial or category strategies that drive growth and improve customer outcomes
•    Experience leading, coaching or mentoring colleagues, with the ability to influence and engage internal colleagues at all levels
•    Strong commercial and analytical capability, using data and insight to inform decisions and balance customer and financial outcomes
•    An understanding of UK and international retail trends and the ability to bring new thinking into seasonal planning

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

•    An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
•    28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays 
•    A pension with up to 10% employer contributions 
•    Private healthcare
•    Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ) 
•    30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands 
•    Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it 
•    Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice 
•    24/7 colleague support service 
•    Training and support for your development and career progression
•    Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion

Please note that we may close applications for this role early.

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes up to 50 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.