Better Food Traders is a non-profit CIC working to improve sustainability in the food system, by building routes to market and increasing sales of food that is better for people and the planet. We support sustainable food traders with training, peer-learning and advice, we run coordinated public awareness campaigns, we work with local authorities and regional food partnerships, and we push for policy change to support the sustainable food sector.Do you want to help create a better food system? Come and join the Better Food Traders staff, supporting the work of this dynamic network in a flexible, part-time role. The Communications Manager is a new role and will be a key part of the team. You will be responsible for driving our overall comms strategy, delivering it with a collaborative spirit and great execution - weaving together our membership comms, our growing policy and advocacy work, and public-facing marketing and campaigns. This will be a stretching and varied role, with potential to bring lots of your own ideas and help shape the future of Better Food Traders.Main job objectives:Communications Strategy: Develop and deliver a communications strategy, in collaboration with other team members, which works for BFT, external partners and network members.Develop campaigns: Straddling policy and advocacy, and public-facing marketing and campaigns - help us push for change, call for greater support for Better Food Traders, and build our brand.Oversee our social media: Work with our Social Media Manager to create great content that engages all of our different audiences.Produce creative and engaging public-facing content: Design, create and manage new regular public-facing content, eg a newsletter and/or podcast.Support our members’ marketing: Plan for useful marketing assets that can be shared and/or adapted by our members, as well as amplifying our members in our own comms and through partnerships.Internal systems: Develop and maintain our online systems and comms channels, and manage the Comms budget.Team working: Be an effective member of the Better Food Traders Team whilst also being a confident self-starter, comfortable working remotely with 1-2 days per month in person.Person specificationEssentialAn understanding of the food system and alternatives to conventional methods of producing and retailing food, and a desire to work for change.Proven ability to create and deliver a communications strategy for a non-profit - covering all aspects of planning, timeline, budget, stakeholder management and execution.Track record of managing campaigns - identifying new campaigning priorities, collaborating with partners and delivering outcome-focused campaigning activities.Experience of policy advocacy and influencing government.Strong design, admin and IT skills, including good knowledge of G-Suite (Docs, Sheets, Forms and Slides), Wordpress, Mailchimp, Canva, Facebook, Instagram and Eventbrite.High level proficiency in English, both written and spoken, with attentive listening abilities and the ability to communicate clearly, concisely and authoritatively.Proven ability to work autonomously and adapt to changing priorities.DesirableExisting network within the sustainable food sector in the UK.Understanding of food enterprise and the challenges faced by the sector.Podcast development experience.Newsletter development experience.Production skills such as audio recording, filming, editing.Employment/reward packagePermanent contract3 days per week£24,600 (£41,000 FTE pro rata)33 days annual leave (pro rata’ed)3% Stakeholder pension schemeWorking flexibly and from home, with a monthly team meeting in London if possible (happy to flex for those living further away).Training and upskilling encouraged.Opportunities for public speaking and networking in the sector.New and growing social enterprise, with room to grow the organisation.Closing date - 5pm Weds 20th AugustInterviews - 28th Aug, 1st and 2nd Sept

Job PurposeTo help make SFM the destination for media as the voice for food in schoolsTo help increase media coverage for our work across all platforms (print, TV/Radio, digital)To develop and maintain our vibrant social media presence Key Tasks includeWriting and reviewing editorial, case study and blog content to maintain SFM’s voiceWork with our Web Developer to maintain the School Food Matters websiteDiary planning to make best use of events and media moments to highlight our work in the mediaHelping to maintain up-to-date and accurate records of media contacts on AirtableProduce, edit and co-ordinate video and visual content across SFM’s projectsWorking closely with the Chief Executive on media campaignsEnsuring that we maintain a vibrant social media presence (BlueSky, Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook)Managing and maintaining our photo library (Google photos)Ensure website is up to date by liaising with project teams for new contentUnderstanding and disseminating new processes and functionality of the new websiteManaging our Google Ad grant and ensuring that our ads remain effectiveTracking our impact on social media and preparing media reports for Trustee Meetings (four per year)Liaising with partner organisations for joint marketing of our projectsWorking with the Chief Executive to produce and distribute our newslettersAdding press articles to the website and social mediaMaintaining the ethos of the charity and positively promoting our work at all timesKeeping up to date with safeguarding requirements and reporting proceduresThe Senior Press and Communications Officer will also undertake any other tasks relevant to the affairs of SFMthat may arise from time to time. Therefore, being flexible and approaching the job with an open and positivemindset is essential!Person SpecificationEssentialExceptional oral and written communication skills in fluent spoken and written English, with strong attention todetail and the ability to translate complex data and policies into accessible language and engaging stories andcommunication materialsExperience of getting media coverageStrong understanding of using social media to engage audiences and achieve campaign goalsAn eye for design and strong grasp of branding, with experience creating visuals using tools like CanvaComfortable using content management systems (CMS) to publish and manage web content — we use DrupalGeneral knowledge of issues around school food, children’s health and food educationAbility to work independently, with high levels of self-motivationGood project management, time management and organisational skills and the ability to work under pressureand to meet deadlinesEnergy, enthusiasm, creativity and tenacityDesirableExperience of working within a network or coalition of campaigning organisationsEstablished contacts with media outlets/journalists/bloggersDigital campaigning and social networking skillsExperience writing news articles and blog posts with clear structure, purpose and an engaging narrativeSkills in capturing and editing photo and/or video content to support communications workExperience managing or supervising team members to deliver communications projects effectivelyApplying for this JobOnce you have thoroughly read this job description and had a careful look at our website, our charter, and our fiveyear strategy, please complete the application form here. The electronic form can be saved but you may also find ithelpful to use the word document here as a template.Applications must be submitted by midnight on Sunday 17 August 2025. Interviews will be held at our offices at The Bridge, 7b Parkshot, London TW9 2RD on Friday 12 September 2025.

Join us at EIT Food’s largest event yet, Next Bite: Building the Future of Food Together. This unparalleled gathering brings together the gamechangers in food systems transformation and the world’s leading food innovators, thought leaders and pioneers at an all-new not to be missed event in the agrifood industry.Be there and seize the opportunity to network with the biggest international innovation community, hear the latest on new policy developments and innovative solutions to complex problems as we steer the course towards a sustainable food landscape.Engage in conversationsPosition your organisation as a thought leader at the forefront of the food innovation community and an ambassador in mobilising a system change approach.Showcase your initiatives and expertise and engage with stakeholders in the food systems space on emerging topics.Discover the latest policy agendas shaping tomorrow’s food innovation and sustainability landscape and get early insights on emerging disruptive trends.Get a head start with the latest funding opportunities and connect with potential partners and investors​.Elevate your networking game alongside a thriving community of agrifood leaders.Network with policymakers, industry peers, investors, leading agrifoodtech startups and collaborators in the food sector.

Are you planning to be in Rome in October? Save the date for our upcoming meeting in Rome on 18 October – the weekend between the World Food Forum flagship event and CFS53. We welcome participants from academia, the public and private sectors, civil society, and international organizations working in different sectors all over the world towards more sustainable food systems.Register to participate or submit a speed talk presentation proposal here.

Join the first of 2 webinars to explore how colonialism has shaped what we grow, eat and value here in the UK. Brought to you by Culture Roots Collective and Roots to Work, this 1-hour webinar will explore how the British Empire disrupted Indigenous food systems, reshaped diets, and embedded exploitation in the supply chains we still rely on today. Through storytelling and historical insight, we’ll connect the past to the present and begin to imagine decolonised food futures.Hosted by Roshni Shah, Diversity Outreach Coordinator at Sustain, we will be joined by Dr Corinne Fowler, author of Green and Unpleasant Land, plus one more speaker TBC.Who is this for?This webinar is open to anyone interested in food justice, land rights, decolonisation, and the histories that shape what we eat today. Whether you’re a grower, activist, researcher, or curious learner, you’re welcome here.Watch this space for details of our second webinar where we will explore projects that are already working to decolonise food systems in the UK. 

It can feed us in a crisis, strengthen our local economies and create better places to live. Local food matters.Demand for it is strong but the sector faces enormous structural barriers to scaling up and out.Over the past two years, we've consulted hundreds of local food system actors to ask: what does the local food sector really need to grow? What does this mean for governments, for retailers, for investors and for the sector itself? And what do we do next?Join us as we share insights from the recently published Local Food Growth Plan on how we can scale the sector for security, economic and placemaking benefits.With Julia Kirby-Smith from Better Food Traders, Bonnie Welch from Sustainable Food Trust and Rachel Jones from Sustain.This webinar is for food producers, retailers, processors, hubs and trade organisations, as well food partnerships and local councils.

Join us at 1pm on 18 September for a webinar on careers in sustainable food and farming from Sustain's jobs platform Roots to Work.We will be joined by a panel of 4 brilliant people with expertise from campaigns to programme management and more. You will hear about their career journeys and the skills and experience needed in their current roles. There will be the opportunity to ask questions too.The session will be hosted by Roshni Shah, Diversity Outreach Coordinator at Sustain, with career stories from the following speakers:Shereen Chung-Blake - Future Gardeners Programme Coordinator at Bankside Open Spaces TrustSunita Ramani - Destructive Diets Campaign Manager at FoodriseIdman Abdurahaman - Inclusive Movement Manager at Eating BetterPed Asgarian - Director, Feeding BristolWhether you’re a student exploring career paths or mid-career looking to make a switch, this event is for you. Register now to secure your spot and explore new opportunities.

Indigenous Peoples’ food systems are a powerful pathway to food justice. They offer a holistic approach to food systems that protect nature, restore degraded lands and ecosystems, and support healthy, diverse, and culturally appropriate diets.Featuring food justice leaders from around the world, this webinar will launch a new publication, supported by the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, ‘Rooted in Justice’ to share wide-ranging stories from the frontlines—from Mexico, Palestine, Brazil, Tanzania, Canada.The event will explore how Indigenous Peoples’ food systems can support food justice, food sovereignty and ensure food systems transformation for healthy and sustainable diets for all, while nurturing the planet, upholding rights, and enhancing livelihoods.  

About the roleThis role will focus on providing administrative support to the entire project (see responsibilities below). The successful applicant will primarily work with the project lead, Dr. Joseph Poore, but also support other team members from an administrative perspective.Responsibilities Project financial management: Creating project costings; tracking spend against project budgets; approving invoices in line with budgets and delivery; administering central project expenses including project card reconciliations; drafting financial contracts (e.g., for freelancers, external service providers); creating purchase orders on Oracle; providing financial reports to funders for each of our projects; engaging effectively with the Biology grants and post-award teams. Event organisation: Organising team meetings and external partner meetings. Internships: Supporting us to generally have 2-3 interns on our team over the summer, and 1-2 over Christmas/Easter. Work on advertising the roles and onboarding the interns. Recruitment: Supporting with the recruitment and onboarding process for any new hires. Training: Taking a role in ensuring the team’s training needs are met, in discussion with them and their line managers, and identifying new training opportunities for the team. Compliance and legal: Ensuring that any contracts we have to receive and share data are accurate; ensuring all team members have completed all relevant training; and ensuring the overall team is up to date and on track in line with University and funder policies. Funder reporting: Supporting team members to report to our funders on progress against project deliverables. Fundraising support: Prospecting and identifying opportunities; proposal support; engaging with the development office; potentially funder engagement. Ad-hoc admin support: Other duties such as supporting with conference material printing, booking travel to conferences, business card printing, etc. Comms support: From Year 2, supporting with the administrative components of project communications, including maintaining the LinkedIn page, managing the backlog of blog posts, organising videos, and engaging with the OMS and Biology comms teams. In the future, potentially taking an increasing role in project management and working towards the role of operating officer for the project Embed the principles of mutual respect, equality, diversity, inclusivity and sustainability in all aspects of your work; undertake training as and when asked to do soAbout HESTIAHESTIA provides key parts of the scientific and digital infrastructure to enable food’s environmental impacts to be quantified, communicated, and reduced. We make everything we do free, open source, and open access, creating a transparent and public resource to underpin a global transition to sustainable food. We are relied upon by researchers, policymakers, NGOs, and companies for:Our data platform, which is the world’s largest archive of free and harmonized data describing over 100k farms worldwide, contributed by 20 of the world’s main agricultural research organisations.Our benchmark data, which currently includes profiles of typical production of 70 crops in 40 countries, representing ~40% of global production.Our calculation tools, available via our open API, which are being used by food companies and researchers for calculations on data from ~2-4 million farming cycles. We have over 800 environmental impact models coded up which calculate environmental impacts including biodiversity loss, water use, ecological toxicity, and greenhouse gas emissions.Our data format, which is the only open-source data structure for harmonizing agrienvironmental data. It is forming the basis of policy in the UK, enabling export of data from farm calculators, and enabling supply chain data sharing.HESTIA was initiated with core funding from WWF, and subsequently with funding from the Login5 Foundation. We have additional project-based funding support from WWF, Defra, INRAE, Horizon, BBSRC, the EU, Azura, Ardevora Charitable Trust, and have had funding from the Wellcome Trust.