Principal Delivery Lead - Digital

Job Introduction

Selfridges has always been much more than a shop. We’re a social space where everyone is welcome and feels a sense of belonging, a creative playground where culture and commerce collide, and an experimental hub where you can discover the most innovative and sustainable ideas in retail. We’re here to help make the world brighter. And you can be an important part of this. We’ll talk more about the role below, but before we get to that, let’s share with you the good stuff…  

Rewards and benefits 

Life at Selfridges is dynamic, exciting, and always evolving. As well as working with some of the most cutting-edge, iconic and boundary-pushing brands, designers and creatives, we also offer our team members opportunities to help make a positive difference through our network of communities, both within and outside Selfridges. Here are just a few of our rewards and benefits that help make our team experience that bit more extraordinary. 

• Flexible working options to benefit you, your family and your wellbeing that can include part-time, flexi-time, job sharing or hybrid working

• Generous annual leave that increases with length of service 

• Up to five paid volunteering days – from beach cleans to co-ordinating food and clothing donations 

• Family leave that suits your set up including Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Surrogacy and Shared Parental leave policies 

• Defined pension contribution scheme  

• Generous bonus and/or commission scheme  

• Enviable team member discount including sale previews and double discount days 

• Exclusive local discounts on a range of restaurants, bars, beauticians and entertainment 

• Subsidised gym memberships  

• Annual travel pass and cycle-to-work schemes  

• A sustainable car salary sacrifice scheme 

• Several internal communities to get involved in from our Diversity Board and Green Warriors who are leading the charge on D,E&I and sustainability, to the Wellbeings who are always thinking of new ways to champion healthy minds, bodies and routines for our team members 

• Workplace Options, our confidential team member assistance programme for when life gets tricky or you need a little guidance 

• Access to a wide range of training programmes to help your career development 

Read on to find out how you can play your part in Reinventing Retail… 

Role Responsibility

This role will sit in our Technology function partnering closely with our Product organisation in a matrix environment. A key part of this role is to help develop our Agile Delivery mindset and approach to delivery. One that facilitates regular, repeatable and reliable change across the digital platforms, in line with the Product Roadmaps. This role will be responsible for delivery of outcomes across multiple engineering squads across; Content, Discovery, Innovation, Checkout & Payments. The applicant we want will also be an active Mentor, Coaching and inspiration to grow our teams and people through technology delivery. The role will also be responsible for fostering high quality partnerships with our key technology and engineering partners e.g. Salesforce, Mindera, Red Badger ++

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

• A proven track record of driving outstanding technology products and platforms in the context of a large-scale famous Retail organisation
• Previous experience delivering and working with highly skilled engineering squads, and a competent understanding of the application of Agile, Devops and Engineering principles
• Passion for technology, and knowledge of the high-level architecture, Digital & Customer platforms and engineering techniques required to drive a modern digital customer experience
• Track record of delivering multi-million-pound Technology initiatives in a retail (ideally luxury) environment
• Outstanding communication and influencing skills, with the ability to manage, engage and collaborate with a wide range of complex stakeholders, building a shared and compelling vision
• Confident management of £5m+ budgetary responsibility and close control using appropriate rigour
• An excellent leader of people who improves capability, builds a diverse and inclusive team and exhibits an engaging and adaptable style that connects with people at all levels
• Experience of using data to encourage innovation and track benefits
• A passion for retail, heritage brands and a desire to learn deeply about our customer needs
• Proven experience of delivering high quality, customer focussed services in a complex and changing environment, providing effective scrutiny and demonstrating a practical approach to problem solving
• Experience of being part of a Digital and / or IT Leadership Team, helping define strategy and seeing that through to delivery
• Relevant qualifications or equivalent in experience: e.g. CSM, PSM
• A good appreciation of Microservices and SAAS platforms

A bit about the Technology Team

Within the Selfridges Technology Team, we are on a journey to becoming an industry leading digital organisation, with a product-led mindset. We’ve already done a lot of growing starting with the build of our in-house capabilities, Engineering & DevOps but still have much to achieve and do as part of our journey. This role is ideal for someone who is looking for the opportunity to help the team grow and learn as we define and evolve the future of how we deliver Technology enabled change here at Selfridges. Our intention is not to adopt a cookie cutter approach, a “Spotify Model”, it is to establish the “Selfridges Way” of delivering, with a bespoke blend of Agile and Lean practices at the centre of this – fit for us

KEY ACCOUNTABILIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

· Partner with Product to influence the business to define initiatives and/or products with clear outcomes, agreeing the right delivery approach, drawing together business, architecture, and engineering to ensure the right outcomes are achieved

· Responsible for ensuring squads are appropriately resourced, funded, managed and day to day blockers removed

· Responsible for ensuring the squads prioritise work to deliver value quickly and meet business outcomes as opposed to outputs, being clear about the benefits to our customers

· Ownership of the Delivery plan across multiple squads enabling alignment Shape and deliver strategically important backlogs of work

· Help to manage integration of third parties into our teams as appropriate, depending on the level and nature of partnership desired

· Work closely with Product/Business Analysts to ensure all projects have the required delivery assets and user story backlogs at the appropriate stages of the delivery lifecycle

· Acts as the focal point for delivery standards driving consistency and quality into squads utilising multiple delivery methodologies

·  Accountable for managing risks and dependencies across squads but also across multiple domains

The Ideal Candidate

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Leadership. Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments. Role models excellent behaviours and leads through both success and failure with a high focus on outcomes.
• Judgement. Ability to make informed decisions based upon analysis, experience, and judgment.
• Stakeholder Management & Communication. Comfortable challenging the status quo respectfully, providing advice to improve delivery. Ability to manage and engage multiple stakeholders providing the right updates and insight at the right points.
• Collaboration. Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives. Builds strong relationships and trust quickly at all levels of the organisation.
• Problem Solving. Able to foresees and resolves potential bottlenecks, delays and barriers to delivery. Seeks solutions to problems.
• Business Insight. Applies knowledge of the business and the marketplace to advance the organisation's goals. Demonstrates clear understanding of how own activities relate to critical business drivers and customer outcomes.
• Action Oriented. Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm. Takes timely action on important or difficult issues. Identifies and pursues new opportunities that benefit the organization.

About the Company

Everyone is welcome 

Selfridges is a place where we want everyone to feel a sense of belonging. We embrace every self and are committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive working culture. We are leading with purpose to not only increase the visibility and recognition of under-represented talent within our organisation, but the wider industry too. Here at Selfridges, everyone is welcome – irrespective of race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, age or disability, we stand by equal opportunities for all.   

Our awards cabinet  

We’re not ones to brag, but since you asked...Selfridges has won the award for The World’s Best Department Store an unprecedented four times at the IGDS awards, with an additional award for the Best Sustainability Campaign. We were also recognised as a ‘Best 25 Big Company to Work For 2020’ as awarded by The Sunday Times. 

Selfridges