Head of Food - MENA | Marks & Spencer | Retail

Job description / Role

Job Requisition ID: 167397

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions: automotive, financial services, real estate, retail, and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group's entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organization to continue to grow and expand, responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration, and integrity, Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day.

Overview of the Role: The job holder delivers a strategic model to ensure a profitable stand-alone model and acts as the technical and operational expert for food and hospitality business across 7 markets (UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, KSA).

What You Will Do:

Business Planning

• Reporting directly to the GM - M&S, this position has full P&L responsibility to plan and manage new business development opportunities in order to support M&S 5-year business growth plan working in collaboration with the business leaders in MENA.
• Transforms M&S food business in line with new Retail Food Strategy.
• Defines & develops local sourcing supplier network to create a profitable model that drives scale and efficiency.
• Works with suppliers to ensure M&S technical standards are adhered to.
• Liaises and establishes influence on M&S UK to deliver AFG M&S Food business plan.
• Liaises with the Global BPOs for Planning, Marketing, and Operations in order to understand and monitor customer consumption habits, profiles, demands, and leads Buying teams to plan and manage the range and catalogue.
• Drives product improvement to enhance performance, especially in the hospitality business.
• Defines and communicates the food strategic growth plan and sales plan for the 7 markets under responsibility.
• Prepares food business launches into new markets.
• Prepares and executes the sustainable stand-alone food model for MENA by considering market relevance and product restrictions.
• Manages, in conjunction with Store Development & Property teams, all milestone plans connected with Food Stores modernization programs and new Food store openings to ensure all costs are well managed within plan.
• Directs and leads the Food Buying Team to ensure the buying strategy can maximize sales through the procurement of an appropriate customer-focused, well-priced range and catalogue.
• Utilizes artificial intelligence and data analytics to drive future performance and reduce costs.

Commercial

• Delivers the vision and strategy of M&S Food from an International Retail perspective.
• Prepares and leads the commercial food agenda, ensuring it is followed in all markets by all Buying and Sales teams.
• Establishes routines with the Food and Operations teams to ensure collaboration and standardization across all markets.
• Liaises with Retail Digital MD to derive digital innovation and growth for the food business.
• Exploits all opportunities to drive food sales in a customer-focused, cost-effective, and efficient way.
• Drives consistent and measurable standards of customer service across all MENA M&S Food stores & Food halls.
• Establishes solid visual merchandising capable of delivering inspirational, easy-to-shop Food halls & Food stores reflecting the corporate brand.
• Promotes the M&S brand values and ensures company policies and procedures are followed, including behavior set out in the M&S code of ethics, and ensures the business complies with all relevant legislation, regulation, and good corporate governance practices.

Financial

• Accountable for Food P&L across MENA.
• Establishes a structure by monitoring costs and ensuring profitability.
• Establishes new practices for cost controlling by preparing and presenting cost-benefit analyses to increase profitability.
• Develops a value-added corporate model to engage and influence the principal to chase the sustainable model.

Corporate and Brand

• Ensures M&S Brand integrity at all markets, levels, and touchpoints.
• Promotes Brand and Corporate Values throughout the organization and depending functions within Al-Futtaim.
• Interacts and liaises with Principal Executives from M&S UK to establish and maintain a good working relationship and partnership.

Business Growth / New Markets & Channels

• Explores and researches opportunities for food business growth, including new formats (which may include new food formats), new territories, and new channels (including the development and execution of digital channels).
• Projects and roadmaps development plan and confirms site selection and sign-off for new stores against this plan.
• Ensures successful format and market entry in line with legislation and requirements of the brand.

What You Will Need:

• 16+ years of experience, with 5 years at senior management level. A results-driven personality who values teamwork as an integral part of achieving great results.
• Proven experience in food trading, with a strong understanding of market dynamics and regulatory requirements.
• Hands-on experience in food innovation and development, including product ideation, formulation, and launch.
• Expertise in food sourcing and supply chain management, ensuring quality, cost efficiency, and timely delivery.
• Experience in working with brand principals, ensuring compliance with their product specifications, quality standards, and brand guidelines.
• Experience in a multi-channel and multi-geography retail environment.
• Experience in managing and driving cross-functional teams with a workforce in excess of 1300 people.
• Delivery of financial budgets and key performance indicators for all markets.
• Understanding of customer research and the ability to amend the range/service to reflect customer requirements and feedback.
• Deep expertise and passion for the food retail business.
• Understanding and application of global and regional macroeconomic indicators.

We're here to provide excellent service, but a little help from you can ensure a five-star candidate experience from start to finish.

Before You Click "Apply": Please read the job description carefully to ensure you can confidently demonstrate why this opportunity is right for you and take the time to put together a well-crafted and personalized CV to further boost your visibility. Our global Talent Acquisition team members are all assigned to specific businesses to ensure that we make the best matches between talent and opportunities. We not only consider the requisite compatibility of skills and behaviors but also how candidates align with our Values of Respect, Integrity, Collaboration, and Excellence.

As part of our candidate experience promise, we also want to make ourselves available to you throughout the application process. We make every effort to review and respond to every application.

About the Company

Established in the 1930's, the Al-Futtaim Group initially operated as a trading enterprise. Rapid development throughout the 1940's and 50's saw it establish itself regionally as an integrated commercial, industrial and services organisation, positioning itself one of the leading business houses in the lower Gulf region. Today, it operates collectively over 40 companies bearing the Al-Futtaim name, dominates many market segments in the UAE, and has expanded its sphere of operation to include Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Egypt.

The Group comprises a diverse range of strategically positioned operating subsidiaries and associate companies, structured to give the Al-Futtaim Group the flexibility and versatility to keep ahead of local competition while keeping pace with the ever-evolving global business scenario. The Groups continued investment in world-class systems technology is clear evidence of its commitment to maintain leading edge performance and service delivery.

The success of the Al-Futtaim Group can be attributed to a business approach that combines the ability to change with the traditional values of integrity, service and social responsibility that define its core business philosophy. This, linked with the Groups belief in decentralisation, gives the heads of the operating companies a high degree of functional autonomy and authority, providing the Group with essential flexibility, and individual employees a clearly defined work culture and sense of responsibility.