Head of New Space - Ireland

We are seeking an accomplished and commercially minded Head of New Space to lead the end-to-end delivery of our ambitious expansion programme across Ireland. Focused on the development of both large format supermarkets and high-footfall convenience stores, this role will oversee the identification, acquisition, and delivery of new retail locations nationwide.

You will play a central role in securing strategic sites, managing all phases of the development lifecycle, and leading a high-performing internal team and network of external consultants, legal advisors, and property agents.

You will be responsible for:

Strategic Expansion & Pipeline Delivery

Own the new store growth strategy for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Develop and maintain a robust new space pipeline aligned with business objectives.
Lead the team to source, appraise, and secure strategic freehold and leasehold sites in high-potential locations.
Lead negotiations with landowners, agents, developers, and local authorities.

Team Leadership

Build and lead a high-performance team including:
Site Acquisition Managers / Executives
Pre-Construction & Planning Managers
Construction Project Managers

Create a culture of accountability, pace, and continuous improvement across the team.

Planning, Development & Delivery Oversight

Oversee all stages of the development lifecycle: due diligence, planning, legal, pre-construction, and build.
Manage relationships with design teams, contractors, planners, and external project managers.
Ensure planning permissions are secured in a timely, cost-efficient manner in collaboration with planning consultants and local authorities.

External Network & Stakeholder Engagement

Appoint and manage a network of legal advisors, property agents, architects, engineers, and specialist consultants.
Maintain strong relationships with statutory bodies, including local councils, An Bord Pleanála, utility providers, and transport agencies.
Act as the key point of contact for all senior internal stakeholders, including Retail Operations, Commercial, and Finance teams.

Governance, Commercials & Reporting

Build robust business cases and investment proposals for new store openings.
Monitor pipeline performance against key KPIs (cost, time, ROI, and delivery risk).
Maintain a deep understanding of the Irish retail property market, zoning regulations, and planning legislation.
Ensure compliance with all relevant statutory and regulatory requirements (e.g., Building Control, Part V, Fire Safety, Accessibility).

Key Requirements:

Experience:

8–10+ years of relevant experience in retail property development, site acquisition, or capital projects within Ireland.
Demonstrated success in leading large-scale, multi-site expansion programmes in the grocery, retail, or mixed-use sectors.
Strong understanding of the Irish planning process and legal frameworks, including experience working with local authorities and An Bord Pleanála.
Experience managing internal teams and external consultant networks across acquisition, legal, planning, and construction.

Skills & Attributes:

Strong commercial acumen and budget management skills.
Excellent negotiation, influencing, and stakeholder engagement skills.
People-first leadership style with the ability to drive performance and build culture.
Strategic mindset with the ability to manage complexity and drive results under pressure.
High level of professionalism, integrity, and discretion.

You will need:

Degree in Real Estate, Planning, Construction, Surveying, or a related field.
Chartered status (e.g. SCSI, RICS, or equivalent) desirable but not essential.
Full clean Irish or EU driving licence and willingness to travel across ROI and NI.

What's in it for you:

We offer excellent benefits that help make Tesco a great place to work. These include but aren’t limited to:

Competitive Salary
Life Assurance
Pension Scheme*
Bonus Scheme*
Our Virtual GP service provides free and confidential access to an online GP through video GP consultations, and online prescription service for colleagues. The service is also available to families of colleagues who live at the same address for a reduced cost.
24/7 access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and family members for in the moment emotional support along with free access to a range of wellbeing services supporting you under our new Wellbeing First approach of Body, Mind and Life.
Colleague Clubcard offering 10% discount across stores and online, with 15% discount weekends once a month (Friday to Sunday), and 20% off twice a year. There is also 20% off F&F clothing, all year long, these various discounts can be extended to a family member with a 2nd Clubcard available.*
Annual leave starting at 23 days
Save As You Earn Scheme*

*Entry requirements and rules of the scheme apply

About us:

Our vision at Tesco is to become every customer's favourite way to shop, whether they are at home or out on the move. Our core purpose is 'Serving our customers, communities and planet a little better every day'. Serving means more than a transactional relationship with our customers. It means acting as a responsible and sustainable business for all stakeholders, for the communities we are part of and for the planet.

We are proud to have an inclusive culture at Tesco where everyone truly feels able to be themselves. At Tesco, we not only celebrate diversity, but recognise the value and opportunity it brings. We're committed to creating a workplace where differences are valued, and make sure that all colleagues are given the same opportunities. We're a big business with diverse working patterns and many business areas which means that we can find something that works for you. Everyone is welcome at Tesco.

We have recently announced that we will be moving towards a more blended working week – combining office and remote working. Our offices will continue to be where we connect, collaborate and innovate. Please talk to us to about how this can work for you.

NOTE: Should you be successful in your application, your offer will be subject to and conditional upon you providing your bank account details on your agreed start date.

We're proud to have been accredited Disability Confident Leader and we're committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. For further information on the accessibility support we can offer, please visit https://www.tesco-careers.com/accessibility