Undergraduate Food Sustainability Policy Coordinator

Undergraduate Food Sustainability Policy Co-ordinator

£25,430 plus excellent benefits (Work Level 6C)
Manchester city centre, in this role you’ll work in a hybrid way – splitting your time between home, the office and occasionally travelling to our supplier sites across the UK (find out more about our hybrid working policy at jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy).

12-month work placement (starting June 2027)

We’re looking for a driven and ambitious Undergraduate Food Sustainability Policy Co-ordinator to join us in Manchester on a 12-month work placement. You'll gain hands-on experience supporting a range of activities that help shape Co-op's approach to ethical sourcing, sustainability, and food policy. Working with colleagues from across the business, you'll develop new skills, build your network, and gain practical experience in areas including sustainability projects, supplier engagement, data analysis and responsible sourcing.

Why this role matters

As the UK's largest convenience retailer, we're committed to providing high-quality, ethical products at great prices for our millions of customers and members nationwide. In this role, you'll support activities that help deliver our Future of Food commitments, working with colleagues across Co-op and our supply chains to drive positive change. You’ll have the opportunity to make a real difference across our Co-op Own Brand food and drink supply chains, while building your knowledge of sustainability in a major food retailer.

What you’ll do

• Co-ordinate projects focused on improving transparency across our Co-op supply chains and supporting our Future of Food commitments

• Maintain project plans, actions and milestones, helping to keep activities on track and monitor key commitments

• Build relationships with colleagues, suppliers and other partners, developing your stakeholder management and influencing skills

• Support the wider Food Sustainability team with project co-ordination, data analysis, reporting and turning information into useful insights

• Support sustainability communications, colleague engagement and internal campaigns, such as World Water Day and Fairtrade Fortnight, including helping with copywriting and content creation

• Work with our suppliers to support Co-op's wider ethical sourcing, sustainability and climate commitments, including our decarbonisation objectives

• Research emerging sustainability, ethical sourcing and food policy topics, keeping up to date with regulation and government, NGO and industry trends

• Prepare presentations, reports and recommendations, and support meetings and working groups to share progress, insights and outcomes