Sustainability Manager (12 Month FTC)

Team
Food
Store
London Support Office
Location
London, Greater London
Contract type
Temporary
Position type
Full Time
Salary
Competitive + Benefits
Closing date: 24th January 2025

How We Hire

Everyone is welcome at M&S. No exceptions. It’s your background, abilities and differences that make you, uniquely you. And when you’re part of M&S, that individuality has the potential to make waves.

About the role

This section tells you all you need to know about the position and its responsibilities, outlining everything we hope to see in a successful candidate.

Summary
M&S Food is changing, and fast! We are undergoing one of the biggest transformations in retailing today to build a bigger, better, fresher food business.

We are looking for a Sustainability Manager - Global Commodities to join our team. Working closely with commercial and technical category leads to engage suppliers, promote M&S policies and ensure they are compliant with M&S existing requirements, as well as emerging legal requirements (such as EUDR) and expectations for each of these commodities. You will be responsible for handling sustainability issues and stakeholders associated with M&S’s key raw material and commodity supply chains.

To stay close to customers, our support teams are in the office three days a week as we believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected.
All the details

What you'll do

Your key accountabilities will include

  • Managing the development and implementation of M&S Food’s strategy and policies on the sustainability aspects of key raw material supply chains, with an immediate focus on: Palm Oil and derivatives, Soy (in partnership with Head of Agriculture), Cocoa, Timber, Tea, Coffee, Sugar, Herbs and spices
  • Work alongside the M&S EU Compliance & Governance Manager to ensure all products in scope meet the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) requirements through managing due diligence systems, building risk assessments and engaging with Technologists and suppliers.
  • Working closely with Human Rights team to ensure a holistic commodity strategy including both social and environmental sustainability.
  • Identifying how M&S can go beyond and develop a leadership position in each area if not already the case and driving alignment to this via the Raw Materials Governance Forum and with categories. Horizon scanning for emerging environmental and social issues for other commodities which M&S should address proactively, based on recent raw material risk assessment work.
  • Ongoing management of M&S investments in sustainable supply chains, handling the relationship with key partners (i.e. Forever Sabah, Pacos Trust, Responsible Commodities Facilities, Chester Zoo etc.) and consultants whilst communicating the key deliverables and outputs both internally and externally.
  • Reporting on activities and key metrics within M&S (such as the M&S Annual ESG report) and externally (such as Carbon Disclosure Project, WWF Basket, RSPO, UK Soy Manifesto),and managing the assurance process with auditors, particularly focused on our soy metric which is linked to the M&S Revolving Credit FacilityWork with Head of Sustainability on any responses necessary to media enquiries and the development of policy positions on raw materials/commodities.

Who you are

Your skills and experience will include

  • Deep knowledge of methodologies for all key M&S commodities/raw materials and complex supply chains
  • Influencing within the business to ensure teams understand the full importance and relevance of M&S policies related to the raw materials sustainability agenda
  • Commercial understanding
  • Excellent analytical and organisational skills
  • Effective communication and collaboration with suppliers, internal colleagues and external stakeholders
  • Passion for the topic, strategic thinking and inquisitive, the candidate must be prepared to strive for M&S to improve and maintain its leadership position on these issues.

Everyone’s welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.

If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process

A group of colleagues gathered around a table, smiling and discussing work with laptops open in a modern office setting.

Being an in-person business

We're at our best when we're close to customers, and for many of us at M&S, that means working in store every day.

To stay close to customers, our support teams are in the office three days a week as we believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected. It also means we can solve problems as soon as they arise, learn and grow as a team, build trust, and get closer to our colleagues.

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Hetal Buyer
Beth Own Brand Lead

What motivates me is getting to learn something new, and the best thing about buying is that you can go into any area, and you’ll become an expert in it. I started in food – ambient snacking and soft drinks – then moved into homecare, buying pet food and household products. Now I’ve been promoted to a Senior Buyer role within our Bakery team.

Hetal (She / Her) | Buyer Read full story

We want to succeed by earning and deserving the trust of consumers. We try to do the right thing for customers, whether it’s creating healthy everyday food or delivering the small moments of joy in their lives. People rely on M&S and that’s what makes it such a privilege to work here.

Beth (She / Her) | Own Brand Lead Read full story

Make Your Mark

Opportunities to be heard

Your voice matters here. You can share your ideas ‘Straight to Stuart’, our CEO, or get involved in our BIG (Business involvement Group). Our colleague networks are also great places to find support, listen to each other and encourage debate.

Experience the business

We’re passionate about our customers and colleagues. To get closer to our customers we work in our stores 7 days per year. That way we can see how operations run and look for ways to do better each day.

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Colleague Networks

We want you to feel supported, no matter what.

The Health and Wellbeing Network

This network helps colleagues manage their own mental and physical health. We also support people with disabilities or health conditions throughout M&S. We're a safe place to share your personal journey, coping strategies and top tips.

The Gender Equality Network

This group is focused on helping to create a workplace where gender-related challenges are addressed. They raise awareness of common barriers faced and offer support. They also challenge the business to act and empower individuals to ensure that everyone has equal access to opportunities.

The Cancer Network

This is a network driven by personal experiences, with the purpose of ensuring that anyone in the M&S family affected by Cancer feels supported and has access to the information they need.

The Menopause Network

Here, our colleagues can share their concerns, as well as interesting facts and articles. Our aim is to help everyone feel comfortable talking openly about the menopause - providing a listening ear and finding positives in the experience.

The Family & Carers Network

This group represents the different types of families that exist. We act as a support network and sounding board for ideas which help our colleagues as parents or carers. We also run an interactive blog, where you can write your own posts or hear about others' experiences.

The Culture and Heritage Network

Celebrating all faiths, cultures and ethnicities, this group promotes racial and religious equality. We create space to discuss, challenge and take action. And we mark key calendar moments  - like Black History Month - to remember the past, promote the present and build for the future. 

The LGBTQ+ Network

Open to all members of the LGBTQ+ community and spectrum (and their allies), we promote equality, celebrate inclusivity and diversity, and encourage everyone to be themselves - whatever their sexual or gender identity.

Forces Community Network

A community of colleagues who are affiliated with the Armed Forces in various ways. We work to support colleagues readjusting to civilian life, to be there for those who have friends or family members in the forces, and to make M&S attractive to those leaving the forces. 

Benefits

How to Apply

Here’s what to expect at each stage of the application process. This can change depending on the role you’ve applied to. If you need any reasonable adjustments made at any stage, let us know and we can help.

Send us your application

Fill in our short application form and hit submit.

Online assessment

We’ll invite you to take part in an online assessment. This could be before or after your interview.

In-person assessment centre

We’ll invite you to an in-person assessment centre for an interview. This process may differ depending on the role you’ve applied to.

Decision

After we’ve decided, we’ll be in touch. If you’ve been successful, we’ll officially invite you to join the team and let you know the next steps.

Sustainability Manager (12 Month FTC)

Team
Food
Store
London Support Office
Location
London, Greater London
Contract type
Temporary
Position type
Full Time
Salary
Competitive + Benefits
Closing date: 24th January 2025
Reference: 92334