Retail Projects Lead
Job description and person specification
Title: Retail Projects Lead
Department: Commercial Retail
Reports to: Senior Commercial Project Manager
Are you looking to make an impact within the airport sector and work collaboratively with LLA’s retail partners, delivering best-in-class retail design propositions?
Do you have a passion for design that would motivate passengers to engage with Commercial space in a dynamic aviation environment?
Can you foster relationships with a wide range of strategic partners that deliver the best outcomes for both parties?
Are your Project Management skills honed to keep projects on track?
Do you have curiosity in abundance?
LLA’s Commercial Retail team are responsible for defining the airport’s retail proposition, selecting Brands through robust tender processes, and managing the store changeover processes in line with contract terms. Within this function, our Project Team plays the key role in ensuring that Projects are delivered on time and in line with LLA’s exacting design standards.
Our retail landscape continues to evolve, with on average 10-15 openings and closures per annum, with the objective of elevating our passenger airport experience to new levels. This role will involve a blend of time in our corporate office and terminal, with a focus on ensuring that all key LLA stakeholders are aware of project impacts, whether on our guests or LLA colleagues.
Job purpose summary:
To support this ever-ambitious Retail strategy, we are seeking someone who has a passion for retail design and delivering consistently outstanding results. Previous airport experience is not essential – this role is all about forging meaningful relationships both internally and with our concession partners, guiding and influencing their design and fit-out process, as well as undertaking small capital projects for the Commercial Function.
Key responsibilities and accountabilities:
Working for the Senior Commercial Project Manager, you will be responsible for managing and governing the process of our concessionaires’ projects, guiding them through our design and fit-out principles and stage-gates, and ensuring their works meet the LLA standards before trade.
Forge positive relationships with our concessionaire partners to guide and influence their retail designs and fit-out standards.
Working alongside our incumbent consultants, ensure timely sign-off of technical design submissions.
Fully understanding the concessionaires’ own processes to ensure a seamless integration of both parties’ requirements, ensuring commencement of fit-outs meets target dates.
Work in tandem with our internal H&S teams to ensure a continuous improvement narrative of H&S practice, ensuring our concessionaires fully understand their own CDM obligations.
For any LLA-funded small works projects, scope and manage end results with minimal impact to our terminal operations.
Flagging any risks to the income of the project's progress.
Seeing opportunities to add value to concessionaire design, and/or terminal experience.
Deputise for the Senior Commercial Project Manager when necessary.
Assist the Senior Commercial Project Manager with business case development and CAPEX/OPEX Management.
Contribute to delivering a great guest experience by performing your role with accuracy and efficiency. Recognising that every task, whether guest-facing or behind the scenes, contributes to supporting the company’s overall LLA Way Strategy and service standards.
Proactively and positively promote the LLA Way initiatives and projects with all employees and the wider airport community.
Knowledge, skills & experience required:
Excellent relationship-building skills and third-party stakeholder management skills.
Experience in infrastructure projects in a live multi-let Retail environment is desirable (airport/rail terminal, mixed-use developments, shopping centres).
A curiosity to forensically challenge design decisions and outcomes.
A passion that can inspire partners to elevate their own design ambitions.
An approach that demonstrates clear communication and ownership.
Good understanding of Health Safety (CDM regulations) & Environmental issues associated with the Construction industry.
The ability to positively challenge design and seek the root cause of any identified problems.
This job description is intended to give an appreciation of the role and the range of duties and responsibilities to be undertaken. It does not attempt to detail every activity. Specific task and objectives will be agreed on an on-going basis. The post holder will be required at all times to perform any other reasonable tasks, as requested by the Line Manager in order to meet the operational needs of the business.
For any further information, please contact the Human Resources department [email protected] London Luton Airport Operations Ltd collects your personal information when you submit your application. For more details about the personal information LLA collects, how we collect it, why we need it, what we do with it, how long we keep it and what your rights are, please see our privacy notice at https://www.london-luton.co.uk/privacy-notice.
LLA is committed to fostering, promoting and preserving a culture of diversity, equality and inclusion, as we carry out our mission. We will always be respectful and seek to learn from those different from ourselves. We strive to be an equal opportunities employer and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee has a negative experience for being who they are. We welcome all applications!
To apply:
If you wish to apply for this role, please send your CV that summarises your knowledge, skills, and experience within the context of the Retail Projects Lead job description to [email protected], using the reference RPL1211 in the subject line. In the body of the email, please make sure to include the following:
Current and expected salary
Notice period/availability to start
Right to work in the UK / sponsorship requirements
Whether you are happy to travel to Luton three days a week