About the role

• Salary: Up to £24,000. Please note from 1st April 2026, the salary range for this role will be £26,500

• Contract type: This position is a Fixed Term contract for an Industrial Placement (typically 12 months).

• Proposed Start Date : July 2026 

• Working pattern/flexible working: The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business. The Commercial team aims for at least 3 days a week in the office to connect and on a more ad-hoc basis to attend key meetings. There is also an expectation to travel to other locations, such as Waitrose Shops, as required

• Location:  Bracknell Head Office

Key responsibilities

You'll have a number of key accountabilities during your Industrial Placement in Commercial Optimisation, these will include;

• Provide Effective Support and Coordination: To deliver effective and efficient support for the department assigned to, focusing on coordination and broader team assistance during each rotation.

• Conduct Data Analysis and Generate Insights: To evaluate and analyse data, using skills like analytical thinking and data manipulation (e.g. Excel/Google Sheets), to turn numerical insights into credible, actionable plans that inform decision-making.

• Own and Deliver Project-Based Work: To lead and take ownership of assigned project-based work within each rotation, ensuring all activity and deliverables are completed to a high standard, on time, and with accuracy and attention to detail.

• Maintain Commercial Awareness Through Market Observation: Conduct regular visits to Waitrose shops and key competitors, documenting observations and sharing insights with the relevant Commercial Optimisation teams to support strategic decision-making, ensuring we bring to life what the Customer sees.

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• As part of your degree, be able to take a year out in industry commencing July 2026

Please Note:

• Interviews will take place from in March 2026.

• The placement will start July 2026

• We will only accept one application for any of the Partnership Industrial Placement schemes. If you apply for more than one scheme, we will take the first application we receive. You will then receive an email notifying you of the withdrawal of any subsequent applications.

• Please print off the job description now, as you will be unable to view it once the vacancy has closed.

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About The Partnership

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.