My squiggly career pathway to becoming a Regional Operations Manager

Jean, Regional Operations Manager, shares her squiggly career journey over the last eight years at Co-op.

I joined Co-op eight years ago and have had a real squiggly career – ultimately leading me to my role now as Regional Operations Manager.

How it started

When I first joined the business as an Area Manager in Liverpool, I was eager to expand my knowledge and gain experience in different roles. That curiosity led me to apply for a Trade Improvement role, which gave me a deeper understanding of how the business operates - how we buy, move, and sell products. It gave me a valuable insight into the mechanics behind store operations and set me up for my future roles.

Nine months later, I came across an opportunity in Risk and Resilience, a field I knew little about. I was fortunate enough to get the role, where I created a brand-new Resilience and Response team, supporting colleagues during major incidents. It was incredibly rewarding, and I loved this role – knowing that, in times of crisis, we were making a real difference for our colleagues and stores.

Unlocking my passion for people

After 18 months in that role, I knew I’d unlocked a passion for leading people and was ready for another challenge. After unsuccessfully applying for a role managing a bigger team and taking powerful learnings from that experience, I ended up in the Trade Team. Over the next few years, my role evolved into Operational Excellence, allowing me to lead a team focusing on stores operating model, security model and payroll. This allowed me to expand my impact across multiple teams, particularly through challenging times like when the Covid pandemic hit.

Fast forward a few years to where we are now, another restructure in food led me to the Regional Operations Manager role – a job I genuinely love. A really important support for me during my entire career journey I’ve shared here has been working with a coach who gave me honest feedback and held me accountable exactly when I needed to be.

Don’t be afraid of a sideways step

For anyone considering an internal move, my biggest advice is simple: go for it and don’t be afraid of making what might feel like a sideways step. Spending a few years making squiggly moves have been instrumental in shaping my career – it’s helped me see the bigger picture, understand different areas of the business, and ultimately put me in a stronger position for future steps.

Jean Marie Hughes

Regional Operations Manager.