CBS Senior Policy Advisor

Co-op Group; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading cooperative organization in Manchester is seeking a Senior Policy Advisor to join the Triage team. In this role, you'll provide essential support for financial queries and work towards simplifying processes while building strong relationships across the business. The ideal candidate will have finance experience, excellent IT skills, and a collaborative spirit. This position offers valuable personal development opportunities and a hybrid work model.

Benefits

Annual bonus based on performance

28 days holiday plus bank holidays

Pension with up to 10% employer contributions

Subsidised onsite gym

30% discount on Co-op products

Stream early access to pay

Virtual healthcare support

Training and career progression support

Cycle-to-work scheme

Qualifications

• Passion for learning and self-development.
• Confidence in guiding and challenging others.
• Ability to manage workload effectively.

Responsibilities

• Provide admin support around financial queries.
• Ensure that processes are simplified and effective.
• Build relationships and give guidance to internal partners.
• Understand how the role supports CBS and business strategy.
• Process journals and admin for the wider team.

Skills

Experience working within a finance role

Good IT skills with Excel and SharePoint

Strong communication and relationship-building skills

Organised approach with self-initiative

Great team-working skills

Tools

SAP

Excel

SharePoint

Job description

CBS Senior Policy Advisor
£25,000 - £28,000 plus great benefits (Work Level 6C)
Manchester city centre, in this role you'll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and coming into the office around 2 days a week based on business needs (find out more about our hybrid working policy at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy ).

We're looking for a Senior Policy Advisor to join the newly formed Triage team within our wider Co‑op Business Services (CBS) organisation. CBS is made up of a number of diverse teams dedicated to delivering high‑quality, reliable and cost‑effective business services across our Co‑op. You'll play a key role in helping CBS to support and realise our group vision of 'co‑operating to build more value for member‑owners every day'.

Why this role matters

As a Senior Policy Advisor, you'll be a primary point of contact for colleagues with finance and process queries – offering advice, resolving issues, and providing admin support. You'll use your communication and organisational skills to deliver great service, while learning new systems like SAP and building your technical knowledge with support from the team. This is a fantastic opportunity to grow your skills and gain exposure across CBS.

What you'll do

• Provide first line resolution and admin support around financial queries and processes, solving problems and providing accurate reporting within agreed timescales
• Make sure that processes are followed and look for ways to make them simpler and more effective
• Build positive relationships and provide guidance to internal partners across the business
• Work collaboratively and role‑model inclusive behaviours across the team
• Build a good understanding of the Triage team and how your role supports CBS and the wider business strategy
• Process journals and provide admin support for the wider team

What you'll bring

• Experience working within a finance role
• A passion for learning and self‑development
• Good IT skills and confidence picking up new systems (Excel, SharePoint)
• Strong communication and relationship‑building skills, with the confidence to guide and challenge when needed
• An organised approach, with the ability to work under your own initiative and manage your workload
• Great team‑working skills

Why Co‑op?

At Co‑op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
• 30% discount on Co‑op products and 10% off other brands
• Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
• Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice
• 24/7 colleague support service
• Training and support for your development and career progression
• Cycle‑to‑work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion.

Please note that we may close applications for this role early.

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes up to 50 minutes. If you're a current Co‑op colleague, this does not need to be completed.