Junior Acquisitions & Development Manager - Apprenticeship

Junior Acquisitions and Development Manager – Apprenticeship 

£26,960 to £33,700 plus great benefits (Work Level 6B)

Field-based, in this role you’ll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home, site visits and visits to our Manchester head office (find out more about our hybrid working policy at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy ). 

5-year apprenticeship starting early 2026

Are you looking to kickstart your career in property? We're offering a unique opportunity to learn, grow, and progress into a Junior Acquisitions & Development Manager through the completion of a 5-year Level 6 Chartered Surveyor Degree Apprenticeship in partnership with University of the Built Environment.

During this time, you’ll allocate around 20% of your working week to studying, learning, and spending time with your course tutor. For the rest of the week, you’ll be in-role, contributing to the team right from the word ‘go’. Your learning will be supported every step of the way by a dedicated coach, our supportive property department and your peers, giving you the confidence to own your development and reach your goals. Although we’ll provide you with time to learn at work, you’ll need to have the necessary commitment and dedication to successfully balance your work and your studies.

Why this job matters 

This role supports the growth of our property portfolio across Food and Funeralcare. You’ll help identify new opportunities, support relocations, and learn the full property acquisition process. It’s a chance to build your profile, contribute to meaningful change, and grow into a future leader in Co-op Property. 

What you’ll do

• Source new store locations and relocations, identifying opportunities through site visits and canvassing 
• Review acquisition packages, including feasibility and investment appraisals 
• Support extension projects and change management initiatives in the team 
• Promote our work via LinkedIn and other social media channels 
• Analyse market trends, lease terms, rents, yields and competitor activity 
• Own parts of the acquisition process with autonomy to grow and develop 
• Build your professional profile, gaining trust and visibility across the business 

This role would suit people who have

• 96 UCAS Tariff points or equivalent 
• English and Maths GCSE grade 4/C or above or equivalent 
• A passion for property and a commitment to learning and completing assignments 
• Good Microsoft Excel and data analysis skills
• A willingness to travel around our complex estate, with a proactive approach and great organisational skills 

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

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 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.