Sustainability Manager - Human Rights (12m FTC)

Salary: Competitive Plus Benefits

Location: London Store Support Centre and Home, London, EC1M 6HA

Contract type: Fixed-Term Assignment

Business area: Food Commercial

Closing date: 22 May 2026

Requisition ID: 400060284

We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. Here, everything in our stores starts in Sainsbury’s Commercial. From product, proposition, packaging and price, to whether it meets our sustainability commitments or simply tastes great, our team is responsible for all food, non-food and clothing items available in Sainsbury’s stores, online and on demand. It’s an incredibly fast-paced environment. People here are in it together and aren’t afraid to take risks. The knowledge and experience you gain here could set you up for career moves anywhere else in the business. So, if you’re passionate about your products and just hungry to learn, you’ll fit in perfectly.

Expected start date in role: 6th July 2026

At a Glance

• Lead human rights initiatives and develop strategies to identify, mitigate and prevent human rights risks in Sainsbury’s supply chain.

Company: Join Sainsbury's, a leader in sustainable retail with a collaborative culture.

Benefits: Enjoy discounts, flexible working, private healthcare, and performance bonuses.

Why this job: Make a real difference in human rights and sustainability while growing your career in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications: Degree-level education and experience in human rights / sustainability within retail or manufacturing.

Other info: Inclusive workplace with opportunities for personal development and career growth.

Joining Sainsbury's as a Human Rights Manager offers the unique opportunity to lead the development and implementation of our Group Human Rights Strategy, making a significant impact in mitigating human rights risks within the food and clothing sectors. You will collaborate with a diverse range of stakeholders, drive key initiatives aligned with our human rights and broader sustainability goals, and shape the future of sustainability within a customer-focused business.

What you'll do:

• Lead the development and implementation of the human rights strategy in one of our key business units, working closely with our Ethical Trade Managers, Environment specialists and broader stakeholders.
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders to further develop and support the implementation of our Human Rights strategy.
• Work closely with Commercial and Technical teams to implement and manage key initiatives aligned to our Human Rights strategy.
• Build cross-functional relationships with key suppliers and lead on the facilitation of supplier collaborations and delivery of supplier programmes.
• Determine our position on key issues by compiling and drafting approaches, policies and standards for internal sign-off.
• Lead on key human rights topics and represent Sainsbury’s with relevant external stakeholders, including industry groups, government, investors and NGOs.
• Contribute to external reporting and disclosures on behalf of the Group, such as our modern slavery statement and annual Plan for Better reporting.
• Keep up to date with evolving legislation, Government action plans, industry activity and innovation.

Who you are:

As a Human Rights Manager at Sainsbury's, you are degree-level educated and bring experience managing human rights and ethical risks, ideally within the food or clothing sectors. You have strong experience of stakeholder management and engagement, working strategically with suppliers and with Technical and Commercial teams to implement key initiatives, and you are motivated by mitigating human rights and ethical risks, building strong business resilience. You understand relevant networks and stakeholders in human rights and offer specialist knowledge across ethical issues, such as discrimination risks, living wages/incomes and management of incidents in the supply chain. You are experienced in managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders and budgets, are comfortable with risk assessment and prioritising activity amid competing priorities. You can influence, train, coach and provide ongoing support to internal and external stakeholders. You are a strong communicator on complex and nuanced ethical and sustainability topics, are confident in interpreting the impact on a business like Sainsbury’s, and can deliver results at pace within a large, customer-focused business while working flexibly across an evolving agenda.

Proven current experience in a sustainability or commercial role, ideally within a retail or manufacturing organisation, working closely with internal and external stakeholders to deliver on human rights and ethical strategies. Demonstrable experience developing and implementing human rights programmatic work and initiatives, translating ambition into practical delivery plans. Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with experience engaging cross-functional internal teams and external partners. Solid understanding of wider sustainability risks and resilience topics relevant to food and/or clothing value chains. Track record of managing complex projects end-to-end, including budgets, prioritisation, reporting, and clear written communication.

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer so you'll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. We take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we'll also offer you an amazing range of benefits, including colleague discount, pensions scheme, life cover, performance-related bonus, annual holiday allowance, private healthcare, and more.

Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.