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

Read the full job description on our website.

About the Opportunity:

The Sustainable Soils Alliance (SSA) is looking for a Sustainability and Public Affairs Intern to support our work championing one of the most critical environmental issues of our time: healthy soil and its role in farming, land use, climate resilience and business sustainability. 

This paid internship is ideal for someone looking to launch a career in corporate sustainability, public affairs, policy or environmental communications. You will gain handson experience across the organisation, with a particular focus on helping businesses understand, value and invest in soil. 

About Us 

The SSA was launched in 2017 with the objective of elevating soil health as an environmental priority alongside air, water and biodiversity. We provide a unique platform where policymakers, NGOs, researchers, farmers and businesses collaborate, and we are widely recognised as the UK’s leading soilsfocused campaigning organisation. 

Our aim is to increase the awareness, understanding and action around soil health, and much of our work involves researching, developing and disseminating clear, compelling and concise materials and messages about the policy, practice and science of soils to our target audiences in business, policy, the media and beyond. 

Our work embraces many of the critical environmental, economic and societal challenges of the day - the impact of climate change on land use, the future of farming, clean and healthy rivers and how to incentivise and regulate the agriculture sector. 

About You 

We are looking for an enthusiastic, confident and proactive candidate who enjoys engaging with people, building relationships and bringing energy to collaborative projects. You will be comfortable communicating with a wide range of stakeholders from policy and corporate sustainability teams to farmers and scientists, and keen to help businesses see soil as a strategic priority. 

You will also be organised, reliable and willing to support the daytoday operations of a small, fastmoving NGO. This role suits someone who is curious, motivated, and eager to learn by doing. 

In return, you will gain firsthand exposure to senior industry leaders, policymakers and environmental organisations, and receive mentoring to help you develop your skills in communication, project delivery and stakeholder engagement. 

About the Role 

You will work closely with the Executive Team made up of two Executive Directors and a Communications Executive, supporting both organisational operations and the delivery of corporate strategies and other SSA projects. You will report to one of the Executive Directors, who will act as your mentor. 

Though headquartered in Bristol, we are a small, mostly virtual organisation, and much of our work is online. While we recognise the merits of remote working, we also look to ensure that our team members have regular, day-to-day contact with like-minded people working in the same field and feel part of a professional community.  

To that end we have established a ‘desk’ presence in the vibrant, youthful offices of partner organisations in central London and central Bristol. Where needed, we will look to explore similar opportunities for successful candidates in other parts of the country. 

The successful candidate should be based in the UK, and it will be expected that they regularly attend in-person team meetings in Bristol or London and, where appropriate, stakeholder meetings and events across the UK. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide sponsorship for international visas. 

Responsibilities 

• Create and update organisational communications across channels. 

• Track and summarise sector developments and sustainability trends. 

• Support stakeholder and corporate engagement, including meeting coordination and followup. 

• Contribute to digital presence through social media and website updates. 

• Provide organisational support with planning, administration and project delivery. 

• Assist with fundraising through drafting, proofreading and submitting applications 

Employee Benefits 

• 25 days holiday plus English public holidays 

• Birthday off 

• Pension contributions (option for 7% matched) 

• Health insurance 

• Life insurance 

• Annual eye test 

How to Apply 

Please submit your CV and a onepage covering letter outlining your motivations for applying to info@sustainablesoils.org by 11:59pm Sunday 12th April. 

The environmental sector is amongst the least diverse in the UK. We are working internally and with like-minded sister organisations to address this where we can. We hope that the actions we take will ensure the opportunities offered by the SSA are attractive to people from a diverse range of backgrounds, especially those from communities who experience systemic marginalisation. We want the SSA to be a workplace where people feel comfortable, supported and empowered. No previous experience in the environmental sector is necessary for this role and this is a paid internship (Real Living Wage)  – we pledge to value the lived experience of all of our candidates, as well as any relevant work experience. We know that long lists of criteria can be off-putting and that some candidates will not apply for a role unless they feel they are 100% qualified. If you feel you meet at least some of the essential criteria and feel passionately about the role, we still encourage you to apply.  

Application information

Please read the full job description for this role and submit your CV and a onepage covering letter outlining your motivations for applying to info@sustainablesoils.org by 11:59pm Sunday 12th April. 

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