Lead Cost Manager

We're looking for a commercially focused Lead Cost Manager to drive cost optimisation, business change, and transformation initiatives across Customer Services. You will lead the delivery of programmes that improve efficiency, simplify processes, and deliver measurable financial and operational benefits.

Working across the business, you'll combine strong project management, change leadership, and stakeholder engagement skills to ensure cost-saving opportunities are successfully identified, implemented, and embedded into day-to-day operations.

To stay close to our customers and colleagues, our support teams are in the office for at least three days a week as we believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected.

What You'll Do

• Lead end-to-end cost optimisation, change, and transformation initiatives, ensuring delivery against agreed financial and operational objectives.
• Develop and implement structured change plans that drive adoption and embed sustainable improvements across the function.
• Manage programme governance, risks, issues, dependencies, and benefits realisation to ensure successful delivery.
• Use data, insight, customer feedback, and operational metrics to identify opportunities, prioritise activity, and measure impact.
• Build strong relationships across the business, aligning stakeholders behind delivery plans and ensuring clear communication throughout the change lifecycle.

Who You Will Be

• A commercially minded project and change professional with experience delivering complex transformation programmes.
• A confident communicator who can translate complex challenges into clear recommendations and actionable plans.
• Highly organised and outcome-focused, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• A collaborative stakeholder manager who can influence across functions and levels of seniority.
• A proactive problem solver who thrives on identifying efficiencies and delivering measurable improvements.

What You Will Bring

• Proven experience leading cost reduction, process improvement, or transformation initiatives from concept through to implementation.
• Strong project and delivery management skills, including planning, governance, budgeting, and benefits tracking.
• Experience applying change management methodologies, including stakeholder engagement, impact assessment, and adoption planning.
• Strong analytical capability, with the ability to use data and insight to drive decision making and business performance.
• Expertise in managing risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies while delivering multiple initiatives at pace.
• Store leadership and colleague communities.
• A broad range of stakeholders supporting business transformation and operational projects.

What’s in it for you

Being a part of M&S is exactly that – playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We’re an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever‑evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing exceptional quality, value and service to every customer, whenever, wherever and however they want to shop with us.

Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special…

• 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third‑party brands for you and a member of your household.
• Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days.
• Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.
• A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
• A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.
• Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.
• Industry‑leading parental, adoption and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.
• Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues, including our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist for you and your family.
• A charity volunteer day to support a cause you're passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.

  Everyone’s welcome

• We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.
• We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.
• If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.