Halfords

About us

Halfords is on a journey - building the future of motoring and cycling and looking for people who want to help shape what comes next. We’re a place for co‑creators: people who want to make a real impact, take ownership and be part of something that’s still evolving.

As the UK’s leading retailer of motoring and cycling products, we’re supported by one of the country’s largest independent vehicle servicing, maintenance and repair networks through Halfords Autocentres. This breadth gives us a strong, stable foundation - and the freedom to keep innovating and growing.

That means real variety for our colleagues, along with the opportunity to learn, stretch and develop as the business moves forward. Whatever your role, you’ll be part of a team focused on delivering exceptional service - using your expertise to solve problems, guide customers and help keep the nation moving with confidence.

About the role

The Operations Process & Policy SME plays a key role in ensuring new and evolving processes, policies and propositions are successfully embedded across Retail, HAC or Group Services. Working closely with the Operations Change Manager, you'll map end-to-end customer and colleague journeys, identify gaps and opportunities for improvement, and help develop robust implementation plans that enable consistent, right-first-time execution across the business.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end design and mapping of colleague and customer journeys for all new and evolving propositions, processes, and policies.
• Drive operational readiness by managing change processes, documentation, governance and progress reporting, ensuring stakeholders have clear visibility of delivery milestones and status updates.
• Identify and close operational gaps across capability, skills, processes, KPIs, customer data capture, systems, tools and selling models to ensure successful proposition launches.
• Shape and deliver operational solutions, defining the tools, systems and process changes required to support new propositions and policy developments ahead of go-live.
• Partner with Deployment and Capability teams to assess labour model impacts, identify Standard Minute Value (SMV) requirements and ensure operational feasibility.
• Collaborate with Training and Development teams to create effective learning and communication plans, ensuring colleagues are equipped to deliver new propositions, processes and policies confidently from day one.
• Build strong cross-functional relationships, engaging stakeholders across customer-facing teams, Technology, Profit Protection, GNFR and other key business areas to support successful delivery.
• Analyse incident trends and operational feedback, identifying opportunities for process improvement and driving corrective change requirements.
• Deliver high-quality operational handovers to Operational Implementation teams, enabling consistent execution and adoption across stores and customer touchpoints.
• Champion continuous improvement, always seeking ways to simplify processes and enhance both colleague and customer experiences.
• Role model Halfords' Values and Leadership Behaviours, creating a culture of collaboration, accountability and excellence.

About you

• Experience working within Retail ideally at management level.
• Expert knowledge of Retail propositions, processes and policies, with a strong understanding of how business change impacts colleagues, customers and operational performance.
• Proven ability to assess the operational implications of new initiatives, identifying risks, dependencies and opportunities before launch.
• A proactive problem solver who can not only identify operational challenges but also develop practical, effective solutions to address them.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across multiple teams and functions.
• Highly organised with excellent attention to detail, capable of managing multiple priorities and delivering results in a fast-paced environment.
• Confident communicator, able to translate complex operational requirements into clear and actionable plans.
• Passionate about continuous improvement and committed to delivering exceptional colleague and customer experiences.

Reward & benefits

• A fair and competitive salary evaluated against market data, annual discretionary bonus scheme, pension, life assurance, and enhanced family leave.
• Commitment and dedication to your ongoing personal and professional development. We help you to own and grow your potential so you can be at your best in your current role and to support your future career aspirations.
• You will have access to a wealth of employee discounts across the Halfords suite of products and services.
• Wellbeing and inclusion are at the heart of our colleague experience. We offer resources and ongoing support to enhance your wellbeing at work and active Colleague Networks supporting inclusion initiatives across Halfords.

Not sure you meet all the criteria? We'd encourage you to take the wheel and apply anyway! At Halfords we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for our colleagues. We're an equal opportunities employer and proud to welcome applications from all backgrounds and embrace diversity within our one Halfords Family.

This role will require travel to our Redditch Support Centre two days per week and may also involve travel to stores and other locations as required.