Space Planning Manager

Whats The Role
Global Space Planning (GSP) is a center of excellence for space planning, category analytics and operational excellence solutions for the Mobility and Convenience business at Shell. A team of space planners, data scientists and BI analysts support company owned retail stores across the Americas, Europe, Central Europe, Africa and Asia, with plans to expand both market coverage and capabilities.
GSP plays a critical role in supporting Convenience Retail teams with best-in-class planograms and shop layouts, supporting category teams with assortment, space and inventory optimisation, and in giving Shell more operational control at our sites by measuring execution of 4Ps (Product, Price, Promotion, Placement). The objective is to deliver growth and substantial financial valuewhile managing the complexities of daily operations and continuous change.
The Space Planning manager role is pivotal in achieving Shells CMD commitment of 810% CAGR in Food & Beverages by 2030, working closely with Category, Format and National Sales managers across Mobility markets. It combines strategic leadership, advanced analytics, and innovation to transform retail space planning into a competitive advantage.
A key focus for this role is to develop and roll out data driven planograms and shop layouts that are fit for purpose and integrate advanced analytics and data science into space planning processes. This role offers accountability and ownership within an exciting and growing area of the business. The culture is dynamic, customer focused, and can-do attitude are critical. The person will lead cross-functional collaboration across GSP and local teams, oversee enterprise-wide system implementations, and champion data-driven decision-making to optimize space productivity, improve customer experience and drive significant business impact.
What Youll Be Doing

• Commercial outcomes: Deliver incremental margin and drive ROI on space investments and ensure measurable financial outcomes.
• Strategic Leadership & Governance: Execute space planning strategy, ensuring alignment with Convenience Retails commercial goals. Establish governance frameworks to drive consistency and accountability across markets.
• Enterprise Program Management: Oversee space planning programs, including system rollouts, process standardization, and integration of range review cycles. Ensure timely delivery and measurable impact on Convenience Retail performance. Develop global space planning standards while enabling local customization for cultural preferences.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Partner with Category, Formats, IT, and Operations to influence strategic decisions and adoption of space planning programs. This role is expected to drive change with Category, Format and National Sales Managers across the globe.
• Capability Building & Change Leadership: Act as the subject matter expert, enabling space planning and market teams through training, change management, and continuous improvement initiatives. Foster a high-performance culture focused on innovation and operational excellence.
• Advanced Data Analytics & Insights: Leverage advanced analytics to assess space productivity, customer behaviour, and margin contribution. Translate insights into actionable strategies that drive commercial outcomes.
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Stay ahead of industry trends, emerging technologies, and evolving consumer expectations. Continuously refine tools, processes, and methodologies to enhance Shells competitive edge.
• Lead High-Performing Teams: Build, mentor, and inspire a diverse team of space planners, data scientists and analysts. Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, and excellence, ensuring team members are empowered to deliver innovative solutions and exceed performance expectations. Create a talent pipeline for future space planning leaders.
• Project Management: Manage multiple projects either in development or execution phase simultaneously across existing or new capabilities and markets.
• Customer Service Mindset & Quality: Champion a customer-centric approach in all analytics and space planning initiatives. Ensure that solutions are designed with the end-user in mind, delivering high-quality, actionable insights that drive value for internal stakeholders and ultimately enhance the customer experience at Shell retail sites.
• Relationships and cross-cultural awareness. Build and maintain relationship and effectively interface with different cultures and adapt to the local requirements.
• 
  Technology: Ensure seamless integration of space planning tools (Nielsen Spacemen, Store Space, Planogram compliance, etc.) with Shells enterprise systems to enable last mile value delivery
  

What You Bring

• Experience: 15+ years in Retail, space planning, category management and operations management, with a proven track record in project management, capability development, and enterprise scale deployment.
• Technical Expertise: Deep knowledge of space planning platforms (e.g., Nielsen Spaceman, Store Space, JDA, Relex, SymphonyAI).
• Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead and develop high-performing, cross-functional teams in an enterprise environment.
• Communication: Outstanding communication and stakeholder management skills, adept at navigating complex organizational structures and driving consensus.
• Strategic Acumen: Strong commercial mindset with a track record of linking space planning initiatives to margin growth and business performance.
• Future Planning & Strategic Vision: Proven experience in anticipating business needs and developing forward-looking strategies to ensure competitive advantage in space planning and analytics.
• Problem-Solving Capability: Strategic thinker with future vision, problem-solving capability, and ability to drive change in complex environments.
  

What We Offer
You bring your skills and experience to Shell and in return you work with talented, committed people on one of the most important challenges facing our planet. Youll have the opportunity to develop the skills you need to grow in an environment where we value honesty, integrity, and respect for one another. Youll be able to balance your priorities as you become the best version of yourself.

• Progress as a person as we work on the energy transition together.
• Continuously grow the transferable skills you need to get ahead.
• Work at the forefront of technology, trends, and practices.
• Collaborate with experienced colleagues with unique expertise.

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  Get Hired
• Achieve your balance in a values-led culture that encourages you to be the best version of yourself.
• Join an organisation working to become one of the most diverse and inclusive in the world. We strongly encourage applicants of all genders, ages, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, sexual orientation, and life experiences to apply.
• Grow as you progress through diverse career opportunities in national and
• international teams.
• Gain access to a wide range of training and development programmes.
  

An Inclusive & Progressive Place to Work

• To power progress together, we need to attract and develop the brightest minds and make sure every voice is heard. Here are just some of the ways were nurturing an inclusive environment one where you can express your ideas, extend your skills, and reach your potential.
• Were creating a space where people with disabilities can excel through transparent recruitment process, workplace adjustments and ongoing support in their roles. Feel free to let us know about your circumstances when you apply, and well take it from there.
• Were closing the gender gap whether thats through action on equal pay or by enabling more women to reach senior roles in engineering and technology.
• Were striving to be a pioneer of an inclusive and diverse workplace, promoting equality for employees regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
  

Shell in India
Shell is a diversified energy company in India with 13,000 employees, and presence in Integrated Gas, Downstream, Power, Renewable and Upstream. Additionally, we have deep capabilities in R&D, digitalisation, and business operations.
Our global strategy, Powering Progress, is designed to generate value for our shareholders, customers, and the wider society, and focuses on creating more value with less emissions. The strategy supports our purpose of providing more and cleaner energy solutions, with the aim of profitably transforming Shell into a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050. As India moves towards its target of net-zero emissions by 2070, Shell India aims to play a leading role in securing vital energy for today, while investing in, and helping to build, the energy system of the future through strategic investments in the country.
Our Lubricants business serves over 50,000 consumers through a strong network of over 200 distributors, and operates an end-to-end value chain that spans conceptualization, development, and production at a world-class blending plant at Taloja. Through our 350-plus retail stations, we offer an integrated mobility experience including fuels, cafes, and convenience stores, with a prominent network of EV recharging facilities.
Shell owns and operates a LNG re-gasification terminal at Hazira, Surat, with a capacity of 5 MTPA and a LNG truck-loading unit that plays a crucial role in helping meet Indias growing demand for gas across sectors. In 2022, Shell acquired Sprng Energy in a $1.55 billion deal to build an integrated energy transition business in the country. Sprng is a leading renewable energy company in India which develops and manages solar, wind, and hybrid power generation facilities and infrastructure.
Our three capability centres across Bangalore and Chennai serve as a technology and innovation powerhouse for Shell globally, working as a delivery engine for core technical, digital, and finance processes: pioneering digital innovation and cutting-edge technologies across the energy sector. We also have strong academic partnerships and collaborations with leading universities and technology institutes to accelerate decarbonization efforts within the energy sector.
We are committed to positively contributing to the communities in which we operate through programmes on STEM Education, Skilling, and Livelihood across India. We nurture and invest in startups developing initiatives focused on accelerating energy innovation through programs such as Shell E4 and Shell Eco-marathon. We also have strategic investments in new energy companies such as Husk Power, d.light, Orb Energy, and Cleantech Solar.