Head of Optical

Competitive Salary plus benefits

“Find your role”

As part of the Asda Healthcare team, you’ll be joining a high performing and vastly experienced group of medical and business professionals, with overall line management of the Central Optical team and direct line management of 10 colleagues. The team place a high importance on values and collaboration, with the aim of progressing Asda Opticians to perform the very best it can.

Whilst primarily overseeing the Healthcare and Optics division, you’ll have plenty of interaction and collaboration opportunities with wider Asda teams including Training, Retail, People, Legal, Tech and more.

As Head of Optical, you’ll be accountable for the design and delivery of all commercial, compliance and central operations elements of our Optical offer and be the responsible officer of the business to the regulator, GOC. The role is accountable for the sales & gross profit delivery, strategy for our offer, compliance, clinical governance, risk management and ensuring a safe & effective operating model in our stores. Along with this, you will deliver a safe, legal, profitable department which delivers great service & offerings to our customers.

The role will also present the opportunity for horizon scanning and managing information related to market trends, standards and regulations for Health and Wellness, changes to the NHS contracts, impacting commercial arrangements and regulatory requirements.

The Head of Optical will be responsible for ensuring that Optical Systems meet the needs of the business for now and the future, ensuring that all communication with stores is strategically aligned and impactful.​ This will also include ensuring appropriate training exists for all Optical roles providing training and development opportunities to strengthen and improve their knowledge, skills and competencies to ultimately ensure Asda Opticians is well placed to complete in the market by supporting the development of new commercial and service opportunities. 

“Let's find out about you”

• You will possess detailed knowledge and understanding of the regulatory & NHS frameworks for Optical in all 4 nations, including an in depth understating of NHS requirements relating to different commissioning & contracts, GOC Standards of Practice & legislation relating to providing optical services.​
• Ability to work in a complex team environment and to collaborate with both external and internal professionals and other stakeholders.​
• You’ll have the ability to develop external relationships and alliances strengthening the company’s reputation in the Optical Community, leading outreach meetings, ensuring that the company’s positions, policies, procedures and reports are communicated in a persuasive, accurate and understandable way and that sensitive data is protected.​
• Ability to be both strategic and agile when making decisions.​
• Proven ability to represent Asda at external bodies.​

When applying to any of our Optical positions, you must be registered with the General Optical Council (GOC) for the relevant professional role type you have applied for. Along with this, you’ll be required to have evidence of Right To Work in the UK.

Everything you'll love

To ensure we balance moments where we know we need to collaborate together and the need for flexibility, Asda has a hybrid way of working with a minimum 3 days a week in one of our Home Offices. Over and above this, each area of Asda may have additional requirements which may require spending more days in the office, visiting suppliers, stores or depots.

You will also get an excellent benefits package including:

• Discretionary company bonus

• Company pension up 1.5 times colleagues' contribution (Max 15%)

• Company Car allowance of £8000

• 15% colleague discount in store and online

• Free access to wellbeing services such as Stream, 24/7 virtual GP, counselling, health and dental cash plans and a 24/7 employee assistance helpline, alongside discounts across a range of services and activities, from airport parking, enhanced to theme parks and cinemas.

• Asda Allies Inclusion Networks – helping colleagues to make sure everybody is included and that our differences are recognised and celebrated

• Excellent parental leave policies, including maternity & adoption leave, paternity leave, shared parental leave, neonatal care leave, and support for those doing fertility treatments.

We want all colleagues to be able to bring their best and true selves to work, every day. Simply put, we want our colleagues to be Proud to be Asda and proud to be themselves