Inclusive Partnerships Lead

Inclusive Partnerships Lead
£60,000 to £70,000 plus great benefits (Work Level 4)
Manchester City Centre, in this role you'll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home, coming into the office or visiting suppliers around 3 times per week (find out more about our hybrid working policy at colleagues.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy).

We're looking for an Inclusive Partnerships Lead to join our Commercial team and play a key role in advancing our Endless Inclusion goals, which champion diversity and inclusion within our supplier relationships.

In this role, you'll be at the forefront of an industry-leading effort to incorporate inclusive practices within supplier partnerships and internal operations alike, driving a sustainable and socially responsible impact.

This is an exciting opportunity to grow and develop a unique project, positioning yourself within the broader Diversity and Inclusion community while collaborating with like-minded businesses and individuals to achieve common, purposeful goals.

What You'll Do
- Play a key role in the Commercial Leadership Team, supporting successful delivery across all commercial priorities
- Lead the maintenance and delivery of our Endless Inclusion Hub to support all Co-op Food suppliers embrace inclusive practices
- Make sure that our award-winning products and services are designed with inclusivity in mind
- Plan and implement events from our Inclusion Calendar to drive progress toward our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) objectives
- Work closely with external partners to help shape their own inclusion and diversity initiatives, aligning their calendars and plans with our shared goals
- Collaborate with external industry leaders to foster broader inclusion practices and standards
- Partner with internal teams to implement Co-op Food's inclusion and diversity agenda across our organisation
- Take an active role in developing and evolving Co-op's commitment to Endless Inclusion, creating a lasting impact in our business and beyond

This role would suit people who have
- Strong communication skills with the ability to build positive relationships and influence both internal and external partners
- A solid understanding of how a commercial buying function operates within a business environment
- A sound understanding of diversity and inclusion principles and their impact on business practices
- Experience in programme and project management to drive initiatives forward successfully
- A forward-thinking mindset with the ability to identify issues early, take decisive action, and drive solutions

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

At Co-op, we're proud to do things a different way. As one of the world's largest co-operatives, owned by millions of members, community is at the heart of what we do. Since our Co-op was founded in 1844, we've had a clear social purpose, and everything we do as a business helps to build a fairer world for our members, customers, colleagues, and communities.

Building a diverse environment
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 and all our commitments to diversity and inclusion at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion-wellbeing

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 between 45-60 minutes.