Technology Research Manager - Tesco Labs

About The Tesco Labs Team

Tesco Labs is Tesco Technology’s research and development team. Based in the Welwyn Garden City the team was conceived to shine light on future opportunities and challenges for Tesco. Labs is a trusted source on emerging technology and is focused on prototyping and testing new ideas in technology areas that could significantly impact customers and the business in the future. More information about the team can be found on our website: www.tescolabs.com.

We’re looking for a 'go to’  research professional with a passion for understanding future consumer needs and technology trends and advances. While specific responsibilities will be dependent upon the changing needs of the Tesco business, the following provides an overview of the role’s key responsibilities and measures:

Research

• Identify future technology trends and their intersection with business challenges in order to highlight and prioritise future areas of work
• Research into specific technologies; produce papers, summaries and / or masterclasses to share learning and stimulate debate
• Help the product teams stretch their thinking by continuously providing them with stimulous about what is happening in the space they are working in
• Regularly hold trend / new tech debrief sessions and lead discussion and ideation about what this might mean for Tesco
• Excite everyone about innovation and lead by example. Foster collaboration across teams and departments, and bring people and ideas together
• Engage with and influence stakeholders at all levels and generate enthusiasm and excitement around innovation to gain buy in and support for the work we do. 
• Maintain a great set of internal contacts and keep a pulse on the business strategy

• This role will best suit an individual who enjoys working as part of a team, is well organised, pragmatic and a lateral thinker with an inquisitive mind who is motivated to make change for the better and, most importantly, puts our customers first.

Key Skills and Experience

You’ll need to have demonstrated experience of:

• A relevant qualification and demonstrable experience in a research role
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills – a real storyteller
• Strategic thinking
• A deep understanding of technology and how things work
• A passion for innovation and a desire to impact the future of retail

Personal

• Deeply curious, tenacious, creative and open mindset
• Flexibility, ability to plan and organise – a self-starter 
• Able to build solid working relationships with peers and senior leadership
• Confident and engaging storyteller when presenting to all levels of seniority within the organisation
• Someone who likes to have fun while they work

About Tesco

Our vision here at Tesco is to become every customer's favourite way to shop online, whether they are at home, out shopping, on the move, anywhere in the world.

We want our customers to be inspired and whatever they are looking for, we’re finding bigger and better ways to provide it.

Everything is underpinned by our continuous drive for the best tools and technology to deliver our vision. We’re driving innovation and transforming our Technology to become the world’s leading e-commerce business.

We need people who share our ambition to deliver for our customers; Passionate and confident people willing to take the initiative and drive us forwards. In return we offer excitement, a great team, an excellent benefit package, and significant career development opportunities.

Joining us means playing a part in defining; building and launching an ambitious roadmap of digital products that could affect the lives of millions of people over the years to come.

If that sounds exciting then we'd love to hear from you.

The position will be based at our Campus in Welwyn Garden City.