Co-op Undergraduate Placements

Co-op Undergraduate Placements - Food Commercial

We’re looking for ambitious undergraduates to join Co-op on a 12-month placement. If you’re a natural team player who’s keen to build the skills and experience you need to start a career in food, we can offer you the opportunity to do just that with a business that always puts people at the heart of its’ strategy.

We offer placements across different areas within our Food Commercial team – from food technology and food development through to food policy, buying, and food quality.

When you join us, you can help to deliver our vision of ‘co-operating for a fairer world’ by making sure we source and create food with respect for people and the planet.

What We Offer

As a Co-op colleague, you’ll do work that matters in an organisation where principles are just as important as profits. You’ll also get a package that includes:

A competitive salary of £21,255
28 days holiday (plus bank holidays)
30% off Co-op branded products, and 10% off other brands in our food stores
Networking opportunities with key partners and industry leaders
Coaching, training, and support to help you develop your skills

Our Placements

Undergraduate Food Technologist - Manage the supply chain from supplier to store while measuring product compliance in terms of quality, safety, legal and ethical targets
Undergraduate Product Developer - Develop and launch new and exciting own-brand products that are market-leading in terms of quality, value for money, and innovation
Undergraduate Ethics, Sustainability, and Food Policy Coordinator - Work with a wide range of colleagues across the business on projects that support our Future of Food commitments. This will include supporting activities across our Fairtrade, Sustainable Sourcing, Environmental & Climate, International Development and Human Rights strategies
Undergraduate Junior Buyer - Help develop category strategies using customer and market insight, supporting commercial negotiations and bringing our ranges to life in stores
Undergraduate Food Quality Assistant - Organise and conduct sensory tasting panels, working with colleagues to benchmark and improve products and make sure they meet required specifications and standards

Why Co-op

As the UK’s largest convenience retailer, we’re known for our fantastic food, our support of British Farmers and local food producers and our commitment to Fairtrade and ethical trading.

The Food Commerical team sits at the heart of our business, making sure that our colleagues in-store can offer high quality, ethical products at great prices to our millions of customers every single day.

We’re constantly innovating to make sure our product ranges delight and excite our customers and keep up with market trends and changing customer needs. We’re also focused on driving commercial performance – making sure Co-op is profitable so we can give value back to customers and communities.

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