Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Job description

About the role

The Research and Development Lead role is a fixed-term contract position. The successful applicant will play a key role in researching, evaluating and engaging with a range of initiatives that address food inequality, help to build community food resilience, and improve access to food within Bristol.

You will lead on research projects that will aid the city in tackling food inequality, including monitoring and evaluating the One City Food Equality Strategy and Action Plan (FESAP), developing the next One City Food Equality Strategy Action Plan (2026-29) and supporting other research projects that Feeding Bristol are working on.

The Research and Development Lead will be expected to work strategically across the city working with food and community networks, Bristol City Council and other relevant stakeholder groups to gather data to lead on the development of the next Food Equality Action Plan. Using a variety of data collection methods including 1-1 conversations, community conversations, network meetings, surveys and workshops, you will engage with a diverse group of stakeholders. This will include working with vulnerable people with lived experience of food insecurity.

Although primarily focused on the FESAP, the role may also require engaging with other projects that Feeding Bristol are working on, or that may arise during the term of this contract. Co-production and collaboration are key to the successful delivery of this role, and you will be expected to follow our ways of working and guiding principles.

Contract Details

• Line Manager: Director
• Contract Length: Fixed-term – 9 months
• Contracted Hours: 0.8FTE (4 days per week)
• Annual Leave: 24 days, plus Bank Holidays (pro rata)
• Wage: £19,200 for duration of contract (£32,000, FTE) 

Main duties and responsibilities  

Data collection and analysis:

• Lead on researching and developing the One City Food Equality Action Plan 2026-29, including research design, data collection and analysis.
• Engage with cross-sector stakeholders, networks and partnerships.
• Conduct qualitative research (e.g., in-person interviews, focus groups, workshops, surveys).
• Thematically analyse primary qualitative data.
• Critically review existing research, reports and data.
• Plan and organise data collection activities – e.g., workshops and interviews.
• Lead on development of policy recommendations related to the FESAP on a local level.

Report writing:

• Lead on writing the One City Food Equality Action Plan (2026-29)
• Lead on writing the annual One City Food Equality Action Plan Progress Report, including identifying, writing and editing case studies.
• Write reports and summaries as and when needed to help progress conversations and ideas related to the Food Equality Action Plan.

General:

• Assist with the city-wide implementation of the One City Food Equality Strategy and Action Plan.
• Maintain relationships with a wide network of individuals, organisations, and networks within Bristol.
• Advocate for collaborative approaches when addressing food inequality.
• Work closely with and support other members of the Feeding Bristol team to deliver on the charity’s mission and aims.
• When required, interact and attend Board meetings and events.
• Act as an ambassador for Feeding Bristol’s way of working, approach to supporting communities and achieving food justice.
• Take a holistic approach to tackling poverty in the city.

Person Specification

Essential:

Have experience of

• Desk-based research
• Conducting interviews, focus groups and coordinating workshops
• Survey development and writing
• Thematic analysis and synthesizing a variety of data sources, both qualitative and quantitative
• Report writing
• Conducting and writing case-studies 
• Working with people with lived experience of inequalities
• Working independently and with a small team
• Running and delivering projects
• Using Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Outlook 

Desirable:

• Multi-stakeholder engagement would be desirable
• Knowledge of the food system, food insecurity and social inequality issues are desirable
• Coordinating and designing strategic documents and action plans would be desirable
• A strong knowledge of Bristol, its culture, food networks and the issues surrounding poverty in the city would be desirable

Education required: Master’s degree, including research methods, or equivalent experience through work practice

Job Share – for the appropriate candidates we would consider a job share model and with a flexible working pattern as long as it fits the needs of the role.

Application information

If you are passionate about making a difference and have the skills and experience that we are looking for, we would love to hear from you.

Please send your CV, a cover letter detailing your interest and how you meet the criteria, and a copy of our Equalities Monitoring Form to Ped Asgarian at ped@feedingbristol.org.

What we are looking for in your application

CV – maximum 2 pages:

• Include relevant work history, education, and any key achievements
• Ensure your contact details are clearly listed

Cover Letter – You should write no more than one A4 page (minimum size 11 font), and tell us:

• Why you want to do this role
• Why you think you are a good fit for this role
• What experience you think will help you carry out this role successfully

If you find it helpful, you can divide your cover letter using the bullet points above as subheadings.

How to learn more about the role and Feeding Bristol

We will be offering an open online conversation on Friday, 20th June for anybody interested in the role. This will be an opportunity to learn more about us, the role and to ask any questions you may have.

If you are interested, please sign up using the link below, and we will send an invite to your email address:

Register for online Q&A session

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