Undergraduate Junior Product Developer

targetjobs UK; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

28 days holiday

Pension (up to 10% employer)

Onsite gym access

Coaching and training

Stream app

Grocery Aid

Job summary

Co-op is offering a 12-month Undergraduate Product Developer placement in Manchester. The role combines home, office, and supplier visits across the UK, starting June 2027.

You will support the Product Development team in creating high-quality own-brand products that taste great and meet top quality standards. We’re looking for a motivated second-year student with a passion for food, strong communication skills, and the ability to manage projects and present ideas clearly.

Qualifications

• Second-year university student pursuing a food-related undergraduate degree.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills are essential.
• Good problem-solving and project management abilities; able to present clearly.

Responsibilities

• Build positive relationships with internal and external partners to ensure successful product launches.
• Support development/re-development of own-label products and deliver your own projects to develop Co-op ranges.
• Create clear development briefs using your food expertise and passion.
• Monitor products all the way up to launch and keep track of progress.
• Visit stores and manufacturing sites across the UK to support product development strategy and launches.
• Identify new trends and market gaps to inform product strategy.
• Communicate key product information and launch activity clearly.

Skills

Communication skills

Relationship-building

Problem-solving

Project management

Food passion

Education

Second-year student in a food-related degree

Job description

£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 visiting our suppliers across the UK. 12-month work placement (starting June 2027)

We’re looking for a driven and ambitious Undergraduate Product Developer to join us in Manchester on a 12-month work placement. If you’re a great team player with a passion for growing your career, we can offer you an amazing opportunity to do just that with a business that always puts people at the heart of its strategy.

Why this job 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. As our Undergraduate Product Developer, we’ll look to you to support our Product Development team in creating exciting new own-brand products that taste great, and always live up to the highest quality standards.

What You’ll Do

• Build positive relationships with internal and external partners, making sure our products launch successfully
• Support the development/re-development of our own-label products, and deliver your own projects to help develop Co-op ranges
• Use your food expertise and passion to create clear development briefs
• Monitor and keep track of products all the way up to launch
• Visit our stores and manufacturing sites across the UK to help drive our product development strategy and deliver plan
• Identify new trends and gaps in the market
• Support the communication of key product information and launch activity

What You’ll Bring

• Knowledge from being in your second year of university studying towards a food-related undergraduate degree
• Good communication and relationship-building skills
• Passion about food and developing your career
• Good problem-solving and project management skills, with the ability to present in a clear and engaging way to a range of audiences

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)
• Coaching and training to support your career development
• Stream app – 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 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 commitments to diversity and inclusion at Diversity and Inclusion.

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