Undergraduate Food Sustainability Policy Coordinator

Co-op Digital; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 33,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

28 days holiday + bank holidays

Pension contributions

Onsite gym access

Career development coaching

StreamApp pay access

Grocery Aid support

Job summary

Co-op Digital in Manchester is offering a 12-month Undergraduate Food Sustainability Policy Co-ordinator placement, starting June 2027. The role is hybrid, with time split between home and office and occasional travel to supplier sites across the UK.

You will support ethical sourcing, sustainability and food policy initiatives, gaining hands-on experience across sustainability projects, supplier engagement, data analysis and content creation.

Qualifications

• Knowledge gained from second year of an undergraduate degree in International Development, Sustainability, Geography, Human Rights and Social Ethics, Climate and the Environment, or a related subject.
• Good understanding of current challenges in global food supply chains.
• Good communication and relationship-building skills.
• Passion for ethics and sustainability, caring for the planet and people creating products.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills; working with MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint).

Responsibilities

• Coordinate projects focused on improving transparency across Co-op supply chains and supporting Future of Food commitments.
• Maintain project plans, actions and milestones, keeping activities on track.
• Build relationships with colleagues, suppliers and partners, developing stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Support the wider Food Sustainability team with project coordination, data analysis, reporting and turning information into insights.
• Support sustainability communications, colleague engagement and internal campaigns (e.g., World Water Day, Fairtrade Fortnight).
• Work with suppliers to support Co-op's ethical sourcing, sustainability and climate commitments.
• Research emerging sustainability topics and keep up-to-date with regulation and trends.
• Prepare presentations, reports and recommendations; support meetings and working groups.

Skills

Communication skills

Relationship-building

Analytical thinking

Problem-solving

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Ethics and sustainability

Education

Undergraduate degree in relevant field

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

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

What you’ll bring

• Knowledge gained from your second year of an undergraduate degree in International Development, Sustainability, Geography, Human Rights and Social Ethics, Climate and the Environment, or a related subject

• A good understanding of the current challenges in global food supply chains

• Good communication and relationship‑building skills

• A passion for ethics and sustainability, and a genuine interest in caring for the planet we share and the people who create our products

• Good analytical and problem‑solving skills, with a working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications such as Excel and PowerPoint

Why Co‑op?

At Co‑op,we’reowned by our members. And becausewe’reowned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us,you’renot just taking a job,you’rejoining a movement.We’rean organisation that puts people and communities first, andwe’repowered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, soyou’llalso 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)

• Coaching and training to support your career development

• Streamapp – giving you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn

• Grocery Aid – 24/7 access to a range of emotional, financial, and practical support services for you and your family

A placeyou'llbelong

We’reactively 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.