The posting
Job Description
Why join us
Joining Sainsbury's as an Ethical Trade Manager offers a unique opportunity to lead the development and implementation of the Ethical Assurance Strategy across our supply chains, ensuring a people-first approach to ethical trade and human rights challenges. You will work collaboratively with internal teams, supplier partners, and industry associations to drive compliance, continuous improvement, and ethical standards within our GM, Clothing, and Grocery non-food sectors. With a focus on governance, risk management, and remediation, this role provides a platform for making a tangible impact in promoting ethical practises and driving positive change within a leading retail organisation committed to social responsibility and sustainability.
What you'll do
As the Ethical Trade Manager at Sainsbury's, you will lead the development and execution of the Ethical Assurance Strategy within the GM, Clothing, and Grocery non-food supply chains. Your role will involve collaborating with internal stakeholders, supplier partners, and industry associations to champion a people-first approach to addressing ethical trade and human rights challenges. You will be responsible for implementing a risk-based ethical audit programme, managing ethical incidents and allegations, and ensuring timely resolution through corrective action plans. Additionally, you will develop and maintain supplier KPIs related to ethical standards, drive continuous improvement, and support compliance to Sainsbury's minimum requirements, all while upholding the company's commitment to ethical trade and human rights.
Who you are
As an Ethical Trade Manager at Sainsbury's, you are a dedicated and experienced professional with a strong background in ethical trade and technical roles within the supply chain or retail industry. With your expertise in social auditing, human rights, and environmental systems, you are committed to delivering and maintaining high ethical standards across our non-food supply chains. Your ability to drive compliance, manage ethical incidents, and implement corrective action plans demonstrates your attention to detail, strong communication skills, and proactive approach to continuous improvement in ethical trade practises.
Essential Criteria:
- Proven experience in an ethical trade or technical role, within a retailer or supply-base environment.
- Degree-level qualification in a science discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
- IRCA Lead Auditor qualification/skills in social auditing, with practical audit experience.
- Knowledge of ethical trade and social auditing frameworks, including ETI, Sedex and agency labour accreditation standards.
- Training or knowledge in Human Rights, Health & Safety or environmental management systems.
- Experience of due diligence, fraud detection and root-cause analysis, with effective planning, prioritisation and communication skills.
Responsibilities
We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. Here, everything in our stores starts in Sainsbury’s Commercial. From product, proposition, packaging and price, to whether it meets our sustainability commitments or simply tastes great, our team is responsible for, all food, non- food and Clothing items available in Sainsbury’s stores, online and on demand. It’s an incredibly fast-paced environment. People here are in it together and aren’t afraid to take risks. The knowledge and experience you gain here could set you up for career moves anywhere else in the business. So, if you’re passionate about your products and just as hungry to learn, you’ll fit in perfectly.
Qualifications
We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new — whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them:
Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 20% of salary, depending on how we perform.
Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy up to an additional week's holiday, and we provide private healthcare. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, interest free car loan of up to £10k, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, salary advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an Employee Assistance Programme.
Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.
Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).
