Group Business Resilience Lead

Co-op; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 87,000; Full time

Job summary

A collaborative retail organization in Manchester is seeking a Group Business Resilience Lead to drive resilience strategies and support risk management within its teams. The role requires strong experience in business continuity and a systems-thinking approach to identify opportunities. This position offers a competitive salary, a hybrid work model, and exceptional benefits including private healthcare and generous holidays.

Benefits

30% off Co-op branded products

Annual bonus based on performance

28 days holiday plus bank holidays

Pension with up to 10% employer contributions

Private healthcare for you and your family

Access to subsidised onsite gym

Coaching and training for career development

Wagestream app for pay access

Qualifications

• Strong experience in business continuity and resilience in complex organisations.
• Ability to spot risks, patterns, and opportunities.
• Confidence to present ideas and influences effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of the Minimum Viable Company model.
• Support risk owners with training and tools.
• Report resilience trends to senior stakeholders.
• Build relationships and champion continuous improvement.
• Act as subject matter expert in business continuity.
• Inspire others to innovate and act with purpose.

Skills

Business continuity experience

Systems-thinking approach

Influencing senior leaders

Experience with GRC tools

Passion for improvement

Job description

Overview

Group Business Resilience Lead £80,000 - £87,000 plus great benefits (Work Level 4) – Manchester city centre. This role is hybrid, splitting time between home and the office.

You understand how risk and resilience go hand in hand.

You know that truly resilient organisations don’t just protect themselves — they create the conditions for growth. That includes their people, places, processes, and the tech that supports them.

You might feel limited by traditional ways of thinking about risk and resilience, and you’re ready to bring fresh ideas to a team that’s looking ahead.

We’re looking for a Group Business Resilience Lead to join our Risk and Compliance leadership team at Co-op. If you’ve got the vision, energy, and a systems-thinking mindset to help us stay resilient while we grow, this could be the role for you.

What you’ll do

• Lead the development of Co-op’s Minimum Viable Company model—identifying key risks, controls, and continuity plans
• Support and guide a network of risk owners with the tools, training, and governance they need to manage incidents effectively
• Report on resilience trends and insights to senior stakeholders, including the Group Board and Audit & Risk Committees
• Build strong relationships across the business and champion a culture of continuous improvement
• Act as the subject matter expert on business continuity and resilience, driving innovation and simplification
• Lead and inspire others to think differently, act decisively, and protect what matters most

What you'll bring

• Strong experience in business continuity and resilience, ideally within complex organisations
• A systems-thinking approach — you’re able to spot risks, patterns, and opportunities others might miss
• Confidence and charisma – you can influence senior leaders and present ideas with impact
• Experience with relevant tech (e.g. GRC tools or resilience platforms)
• A passion for making things better, safer, and more future-ready

Why Co-op?

If you have the skills that we need, we can offer you a competitive salary and great benefits package which includes 30% off Co-op branded products in our food stores (as well as other discounts on Co-op products and services).

• 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
• Private healthcare for you and your family
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
• Coaching and training to support your career development
• Wagestream app – giving you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn

A place you'll belong

We’re actively building diverse teams and we welcome applications from everyone. If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs. We're also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we'll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job.

We'll ask whether you’d like to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme when you apply.

If we invite you to take part in the recruitment process for any of our jobs, we’ll ask you if you need any reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate.

You can find out more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process

You can find out more about the Disability Confident scheme at Disability Confident Scheme - Co-op Colleagues and more about our commitments to diversity and inclusion at Diversity and 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.