Graduate Sustainability Executive

Overview

apetito is looking to expand its sustainability team and is seeking a passionate individual committed to building a career in sustainability with one of the UK’s leaders in the field.

The successful candidate will be involved in supporting apetito’s broader ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) strategy and driving the business towards its SBTI-validated 2040 Net Zero commitment. apetito is looking for someone with a passion for sustainability, drive to make a real difference, and a commitment to share and deliver our vision.

This role will involve working closely with colleagues across the apetito/Wiltshire Farm Foods business as well as key external stakeholders and enablers.

The role is fast-paced and challenging. We believe in short-term action and are committed to doing what “does good” rather than “what looks good.” You will be given direct responsibility for key areas across our ESG strategy and the opportunity to drive real change.

Who we are

apetito is the UK’s leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors serving more than 1,300 care homes, health care, and education settings.

Our meals are expertly crafted by our dieticians and chefs, and then frozen to lock in the goodness.

Wiltshire Farm Foods, our sister company, is the UK’s largest ready meal supplier cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK.

We are proud to have launched the first reduced carbon menus into the NHS, helping support them to achieve their Net Zero commitment and have received many awards for “Project Boomerang,” our world’s first closed-loop recycling system for plastic meals trays.

We support British food and farming and focus on using the best 'ethical and sustainably' sourced produce, albeit we are not afraid to challenge some of the rhetoric around “local food” and the impact of food miles. As we said, we focus on what does good rather than what looks good.

We are also a member of The UK’s Plastics Pact, an initiative looking to transform the plastic packaging industry in the UK. As part of the initiative, we have committed, along with other ambitious targets, to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic completely by 2025.

This role is part of our 2-year graduate programme, during which you will have exposure to mentoring, leadership training, and support to achieve your full potential.

You will have the opportunity to present to the executive team on your work.

The aim of our programme is to train and develop graduates into future leadership roles.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities and daily tasks of the successful candidate will vary across a broad range of ESG topics aligned to their interests and any previous experience. They may include topics in the following areas:

• Environmental
  • Support our journey to Net Zero 2040 across a range of projects aligned to our SBTi commitments
  • Supporting our Water Lean Strategy
  • Circular Economy
  • Waste Management
  • Deforestation and Biodiversity
• Social
  • Ethical Trade and Modern Slavery projects
• Governance
  • Ethics and Compliance projects
  • Sustainable Sourcing
• Data and Disclosure
  • Supporting our reporting under Ecovadis and CSRD

About you

Skills & Experience - Essential:

• Degree or equivalent qualification related to sustainability
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, good computer literacy knowledge
• Able to demonstrate effective stakeholder management, communication, and collaboration.

Skills & Experience - Desirable:

• Experience in a sustainability-related field
• Strong analytical skills, able to interpret data confidently
• Understanding of ESG and Net Zero principles
• Experience of project management
• Valid UK Driving licence

Personal Qualities:

• High level of intellectual ability
• Passionate about ethical and sustainable issues – with real-life experience
• Strong influencer with excellent all-round communication skills who inspires and motivates others.
• Thrives in cultivating strong, cross-functional partnerships to deliver through others
• Good project management and organisational skills – ability to manage numerous projects
• Self-starter with initiative in overcoming challenges
• Able to align sustainability initiatives to creating added value for the business

Company Benefits

• Competitive salary – accredited Living Wage employer
• 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme
• Pension scheme - employer matched contributions up to 4%
• Life assurance scheme worth at least 1x annual salary
• Subsidised canteen
• Free parking
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas
• apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts

Our Values

As a family-owned business, we take great pride in being a company that makes a real difference and is dedicated to creating outstanding meals to be proud of.

We develop a range of products designed to enhance health and well-being for all our customers.

We are driven by a passion for service and dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people.

We proudly support British food and farming, focusing on using the best ethical and sustainable produce in alignment with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.

Our ethical standards are recognised by the ETI and we are an accredited Living Wage employer. Learn more about apetito’s commitment to a more sustainable future.

We embrace inclusion, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Our commitment to making a real difference extends to customers, communities, and staff, and we're on a mission to build an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.