Senior Project Manager

Established in 1981 with a single store in the Northwest of England, the JD Group is a leading omni-channel retailer of Sports Fashion, Outdoors and Gyms with our colleagues working in stores across several retail fascias in many markets around the world.

JD Sports Fashion Plc was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1996 and has been a FTSE100 publicly quoted company since 2019 and continues to grow in the UK and internationally.

We want to be the leading global omnichannel retailer in the sports and outdoor industry. To be a part of this successful company and help us to achieve this you will have the desire to ingrain our strategic goals of being a people-led, innovative and customer-focused organisation which provides operational excellence whilst identifying new areas of growth as part of our day to day objectives.

Senior Project Manager – Supply Chain Transformation

Reports To: Programme Manager

Line Management Responsibility: No

Role Overview

As a Senior Project Manager within the Group Transformation team, you will lead the delivery of complex, strategic supply chain and operational transformation initiatives across the JD Group.

You will be responsible for the end-to-end delivery of high-priority projects that enhance operational efficiency, improve service levels, increase supply chain resilience, and support the delivery of the JD Group strategy.

Working closely with Supply Chain leadership, Distribution Centres, Logistics teams, Technology, Finance, Commercial functions, and external partners, you will ensure projects are delivered to agreed time, cost, quality, and business benefit targets.

You will lead major supply chain initiatives independently or as part of a wider programme team, bringing strong project management expertise alongside a deep understanding of supply chain operations, processes, systems, and performance drivers.

Quality, agility, and continuous improvement will be at the heart of everything you do, ensuring transformation initiatives deliver measurable operational benefits whilst maintaining excellent customer and colleague experiences.

Responsibilities

Project Delivery & Governance

Lead and manage supply chain transformation projects, ensuring intended business outcomes are achieved and delivered on time, within budget, and to agreed quality standards.

Define and document clear project objectives, scope, deliverables, success criteria, and measurable operational benefits.

Establish and maintain effective governance structures that support decision-making, risk management, and benefit realisation.

Ensure projects align with broader supply chain and business strategies, including network growth, operational efficiency, customer service, and cost optimisation objectives.

Actively assure project delivery through robust planning, controls, and adherence to established project management best practices.

Maintain high-quality project documentation in accordance with PMO standards and governance requirements.

Produce clear and timely project status reports, steering committee updates, and executive communications.

Supply Chain Transformation

Lead initiatives across supply chain and wider business functions.

Work closely with operational leadership teams to deliver defined business outcomes.

Ensure business readiness and successful adoption of new processes, systems, and ways of working across supply chain functions.

Support the delivery of strategic supply chain initiatives, including systems implementations and operational change programmes.

Stakeholder & Supplier Management

Build strong relationships with stakeholders across Supply Chain, Logistics, Commercial, Technology, Finance, People and Operations functions.

Develop and execute stakeholder engagement plans to ensure effective communication and alignment throughout project delivery.

Work collaboratively with third-party logistics providers (3PLs), software vendors, systems integrators, consultants, and delivery partners.

Manage supplier performance, deliverables, dependencies, and contractual commitments to ensure successful project outcomes.

Facilitate workshops, governance forums, and decision-making sessions with senior stakeholders.

Planning, Risk & Commercial Management

Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, dependencies, RAID logs, resource plans, and milestone tracking.

Identify and secure the resources required to successfully deliver project objectives.

Proactively identify risks and issues that could impact operational continuity, implementation timelines, customer service, or business outcomes.

Develop mitigation strategies and contingency plans to minimise delivery risks.

Manage project budgets, benefits tracking, forecasts, and financial reporting.

Ensure all project changes are assessed, approved, and controlled through formal governance processes.

Track and report operational and business benefits against agreed targets.

Continuous Improvement & Leadership

Conduct post-implementation reviews to ensure benefits are realised and lessons learned are captured and shared.

Promote continuous improvement and Lean principles across project delivery and supply chain operations.

Identify opportunities to improve delivery methodologies, governance, and project effectiveness.

Coach, mentor, and support Project Managers across the transformation community.

Contribute to the development of project management standards, tools, and best practices.

Skills & Experience

Professional Experience

8+ years of project management experience, with significant exposure to supply chain, logistics, fulfilment, warehousing, or operational transformation environments.

Proven track record delivering large-scale supply chain transformation programmes and operational change initiatives.

Experience managing projects involving warehouse operations, logistics networks, inventory management, fulfilment, planning, procurement, or supply chain technology platforms.

Strong experience working with operational leaders, third-party logistics providers, technology vendors, and senior executives.

Experience within retail, e-commerce, distribution, FMCG, manufacturing, or logistics environments is highly desirable.

Supply Chain Expertise

Strong understanding of end-to-end supply chain operations and processes.

Knowledge of warehouse management, inventory control, transportation, fulfilment, demand planning, and logistics operations.

Understanding of supply chain KPIs

Project & Programme Management

Expertise in Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid delivery methodologies.

Proficiency in project management tools including Microsoft Project, JIRA, and related applications.

Strong planning, budgeting, resource management, governance, and risk management capabilities.

Supply Chain Technology

Experience delivering or supporting projects involving:

Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)

ERP platforms

Automation and robotics technologies

Data and reporting platforms

Inventory management systems

Leadership & Communication

Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills.

Strong executive presentation and communication capabilities.

Ability to lead cross-functional teams within complex operational environments.

Demonstrated success in driving organisational change and business adoption.

Continuous Improvement

Process optimisation and operational improvement expertise.

Lean, Six Sigma, and value-stream mapping experience.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven approach to decision-making.

Preferred Certifications

PMP (Project Management Professional)

PRINCE2 Practitioner

PgMP (Program Management Professional)

PMI-ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner)

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt

We know our colleagues work tirelessly to make JD Sports the success it is today and in turn, we offer them some amazing benefits including staff Discount On JD Group and other brands within the organisation and personal development opportunities to learn and develop at work.

Thank you for your time

#JD