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.

Operations and People Manager

Sustain
Cambridge Heath, London

Posted: 13 Nov 2026

Deadline: 7 Dec 2026

Compensation: £54,082 per annum

Living Wage employer Ethnicity Confident scheme Disability Confident scheme

Paid Full-time Part-time Permanent

Job description

Sustain is hiring for a Operations and People Manager. We are looking for a person with an understanding of working with a values-driven team of people, in the charity or not-for-profit sector. The person appointed will have an appreciation of the aims and values of the Sustain alliance and be excited by supporting our organisation in effective ways of working, whilst freeing up senior leaders and spokespeople to undertake influencing, communication, partnership development and fundraising activities.

The Operations and People Manager will help Sustain function effectively as an organisation and be a great place to work. This is a senior, trusted role working closely with the Chief Executive, Senior Leadership Team (SLT), Senior Management Team (SMT), line managers and Trustees to strengthen our people, operational and governance systems.

The post-holder will lead practical improvements in HR, people processes, line management standards, staff development, onboarding, offboarding, organisational culture and compliance. They will combine sound judgement, strong systems thinking and a people-centred approach, helping Sustain keep processes clear, proportionate and well-managed, while supporting colleagues to focus on effective delivery.

The mission of the Sustain alliance is to catalyse systemic change in the UK’s food and farming system – securing a healthy, fair, and sustainable future for all people, nature and a stable climate. Working in collaboration with our alliance members and others, we run a range of advocacy work, projects and campaigns to achieve permanent changes in policy and practice; and to engage more people, organisations and communities in being food system change-makers.

As with all senior roles at Sustain, the person appointed to this role will work mainly at the Sustain office in London during their probationary period, and thereafter at least half of working hours at our office, whilst benefiting from the flexibility offered to all colleagues. This is part of senior role-modelling of the creativity, support, engagement and well-being benefits that in-person working cultivates between colleagues. This will be managed in coordination with other senior colleagues to enable good in-person coverage and connectivity across the week and across common holiday periods.

Download the job pack for full details of the role including how to apply

Application information

Application closing date: Monday 7 December at 9am (GMT)

• First stage interviews will take place (via Zoom) on: 10 or 11 December 2026

• Second stage interviews to take place in-person (London office) on week beginning 14 December 2026

Early applications are encouraged.

For any queries, please contact our recruitment team at recruitment@sustainweb.org.

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs