Innovation Graduate Programme 2025

Job summary

At Musgrave, we support thousands of retail and foodservice family businesses. Every day we feed one in three people in Ireland through 18 market-leading food and beverage brands that include SuperValu, Centra, Daybreak, Mace, and Musgrave MarketPlace. Our values and purpose challenge and inspire us to do the right thing, with a focus on practising good, fair, and honest business, a commitment to profit with purpose, and working relentlessly to innovate and lead the way in our market.
Our retail brands are market leaders, driven by passionate independent retail partners and committed teams in our business. This role immerses grads in the retail environment of our company owned and operated stores and will also provide experience of working with our Sales teams who support our retail partners.
Retail operations is at the heart of delivering a seamless and customer focused shopping experience by executing excellent standards in every process from ordering to gap analysis to sales analysis. Continuous Improvement (CI) is critical to our ability to enhance the shopping experience and subsequently drive sales.
This role will encompass experiences of working in our store operations, focusing on the day-to-day operations of managing a store. Working in a store under the direction of the Store Manager / Assistant Manager, you will perform day to day store operational tasks e.g. Ordering of stock, growing sales, managing waste, shrink and markdown, enhancing margin, operating internal systems, etc. The purpose of this element of the role will be to understand how to perform all the operational tasks required to run a profitable supermarket.
You will also gain experience working with our sales teams. Our sales teams play a pivotal role with our retail partners, working with them to deliver our brands to the highest expected standards. You will learn how we ensure Musgrave assets and consumables are managed in a satisfactory way in store and provide operational support for our sales teams, both on-site and remotely.
The scope of the Retail Operations Graduate role comprises a two-year experiential development programme. To support your commercial development and business knowledge, you will work with different teams across our network over the course of the Programme. The Programme will provide you with wide experience across our retail brands and delivering projects for different market requirements.

Key Activities
• Working in a Store under the direction of the Store Manager / Assistant Manager performing day to day store operational tasks e.g. Ordering of stock, growing sales, managing waste, shrink and markdown, enhancing margin, operating the GOLD system and using this to drive scan margin in the store.
• Working with the Sales team to train and support Retailers in executing our Brand plan to the highest standard.
• Working in conjunction with Regional Managers to continue to develop the Brand and drive profitable sales.
• The role involves working closely with Retailers and Sales teams in several areas such as:

o New store openings and revamping stores, working with the relevant cross functional team to ensure that the projects are delivered on time and within budget.
o Underperforming stores identified as having specific operational needs, ensuring a plan is in place, is being worked to and the impact of same is being measured.
o Delivering & embedding retail excellence as a way of working, developing and sharing best practice procedures amongst the stores

• Develop strong cross-functional working relationships with key stakeholders including trading, marketing, operations, and finance promoting a strong customer-focused offer at all times.
• Support project development and rollout.
• Administrative activities linked to project management, etc.
• Participation in the Musgrave Graduate Development Programme
Essential Qualification
• Honours Degree (Level 8) in any discipline

Essential Skills and Knowledge
• Desire to work in a commercially focused role in the food and beverage retail/wholesale industry
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to use data to inform decision making
• Strong influencing skills and the ability to manage challenging discussions for win/win outcomes
• Microsoft Office experience
• Ability to deliver to aggressive targets and timelines
• Prioritisation skills to manage workload and competing demand

Salary

Starting salary is €31,000 and increases to €33,000 after 12 months subject to performance. Your salary when moving into a role on completion of the Programme will be commensurate with the market and experience.

5% Programme completion bonus

Additional benefits include:
• WorkSmart@Musgrave – hybrid working
• 23 days holidays
• Market Leading Pension Scheme
• Subsidised Cafeteria
• Be Well Work Well: our health and wellbeing programme including online yoga and HIIT classes
• Employee Assistance Programme: Free, independent and confidential advice on mental health, wellbeing, financial or legal issues
• Employee discount in Musgrave MarketPlace
• Award-Winning Development (gradireland Graduate Employer of the Year in 2019 and 2021, Best Training and Development Programme – Business/ Management in 2020 and 2022)
• Online learning and development courses
• Individual coaching
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Bike to Work scheme
• Free parking
• Digital Doctor
• Home office equipment
• Employee Resource Groups

Location

We enjoy a flexible hybrid way of working which allows us to focus on our outcomes and contributions. Work Smart @Musgrave is our hybrid approach which gives us the option to alternate our time between connecting and collaborating in the office and working remotely. Working this way allows us to enjoy the best of the remote working experience while also giving us the opportunity to connect in person and work together onsite. Across Musgrave, our roles allow for different levels of flexibility.

In-store rotations will require you to work fully onsite in the store and working hours will align with store shifts. Store rotations may take place across the Republic of Ireland

Rotations with the Sales team will be hybrid and will require travel to stores, in addition to travelling to the Sales Head Office in Cork

Number of positions 1
Start date details 25th August 2025