Investigations Strategy Initiatives Lead

About this role

• Focus on program delivery, data insights and reporting
• Program and extensive stakeholder engagement paramount
• Attractive salary package + benefits + TOT

We are Woolworths Group

We are Woolworths Group. 200,000+ bright minds, passionate hearts and unique perspectives connected by a shared Purpose – ‘to create better experiences together for a better tomorrow.’ It’s that Purpose that fuels our ambition to explore new ideas, make brave commitments and innovate better ways to meet the food and everyday needs of more than 24 million customers every week.

If you’re excited to turn today’s blue sky thinking into a better tomorrow for future generations, you’ll find yourself supported and enriched in a dynamic, inclusive and empowering workplace that reflects the diverse communities we serve. With a culture of genuine care, a flexible approach to work and opportunities across the group to grow your career and make a meaningful impact, the possibilities for what we can achieve together are endless.

What you’ll do

The Woolworths Retail National Investigations Team protects our people, our products, and our brand. Our broad operational remit spans end-to-end internal and external investigations, incident management, physical asset protection, and the strategic management of our comprehensive security guard portfolio. We serve as the frontline support network for our stores, ensuring they have the tools, guidance, and tactical backing required to maintain a safe environment for both our Team and Customers.

As the Investigations Strategy and Initiatives Lead, you will bring a passion for countering retail crime and a highly strategic mindset to the National Investigations Team. Reporting to the National Investigations Manager Woolworths Retail, you will act as the team’s central program manager—bringing rigorous structure, high-level tracking, and governance to our most critical initiatives.

Your mission is to design and execute high-quality strategic frameworks that mitigate stock loss, disrupt retail crime networks, and engineer a safer environment for our Team and Customers across Woolworths Retail.

Key Responsibilities

• Program & Project Governance: Act as the program anchor for the team. Define project scope, structure high-level workstreams, monitor timelines, and proactively mitigate risks to keep complex, high-value initiatives on track.
• Data-Driven Strategy: Utilise data to combat retail crime. Lead the analysis of nationwide stock loss and security incident trends to uncover systemic vulnerabilities and engineer proactive counter-strategies.
• Executive-Level Communication: Translate investigation and loss data into highly polished, compelling slide decks, business cases, and reports tailored for senior business leaders.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Build trusted, collaborative relationships with broader Group stakeholders and external vendors, influencing change and driving cross-departmental projects.
• Operational Conduit: Assist the National Investigations Manager in driving the team's operational rhythm, manage reporting cadences, and optimise team resources.
• Technical & Incident Advisory: Provide strategic support for complex, sensitive, or tech-enabled investigations, and participate in an on-call capacity as a core member of the National Investigations Team supporting our store network.

What You'll Bring**

We are looking for a disciplined, results-focused professional with a growth mindset who is energised by the challenge of protecting our business, teams, and communities.

• Structured Strategic Thinking: Demonstrated experience utilising strategic problem-solving frameworks, project methodologies, and change management principles in a complex corporate environment.
• Advanced Data Analysis & Insight: Exceptional analytical skills with the ability to interrogate data, recognise trends, and turn raw numbers into actionable asset protection strategies.
• Executive Presence & Storytelling: Superb written and verbal communication skills, with a proven track record of designing high-impact presentations and reporting for senior leadership.
• Capability Uplift: Experience delivering end-to-end technology and system implementations that modernise and scale operational capabilities.
• Industry & Legal Acumen: Strong working knowledge of asset protection, incident management, and the civil/criminal frameworks applicable to a major retail operating environment.
• Extensive experience managing complex projects or programs end-to-end within a large enterprise environment.
• Retail industry experience and an understanding of sector operations is highly regarded.
• Experience in Law Enforcement or Criminal Investigations is highly desirable (though not essential), provided you possess the equivalent analytical, investigative, or risk-management rigor.

What you’ll experience

• A global business with endless career possibilities around every corner and across every discipline – with valuable exposure to a vast and exciting business network.
• Access to Sonder. Sonder provides free confidential 24/7 personalised financial, medical safety, psychological or physical support for team members and their families.
• A progressive and competitive leave policy that gives you more space for what matters to you.
• Team discounts across our range of Woolworths Group brands you know and love and a robust rewards program that celebrates and incentivises purpose-driven work.
• Opportunity to Salary Sacrifice, enabling team members to purchase selected eligible items or services from pre-tax salary. Can be used for novated leases, superannuation contributions, Qantas Club membership, computing devices etc.

Everyone belongs at Woolworths Group

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are key to realising our purpose of better together for a better tomorrow. We recognise the value our team’s diversity brings to our business, customers, and communities and that teams with diverse experiences and backgrounds enrich our group and are better able to innovate and solve problems. As one of the largest employers in Australia and New Zealand, we aim to create a truly inclusive workplace where everyone feels that they belong, can be their best selves, and reach their full potential.

We encourage all candidates to apply; please let us know in your application if we can support you with any adjustments in the hiring process.

See how we’re creating better experiences together, for a better tomorrow

About investigation roles for ex-police

Investigator roles across corporate, insurance, financial and public-sector settings. A Certificate IV in Government Investigations, interviewing experience and case-file discipline are exactly what these employers struggle to hire.