Research Associate - Food Procurement

The Faculty of Business and Law at Manchester Metropolitan University is home to one of the UK's largest business schools and to the Manchester Law School. The Faculty is committed to research that addresses pressing social, economic and environmental challenges, and works in close partnership with industry, policymakers and communities.

The Department of Marketing, International Business & Tourism is an outward-looking academic community within the Business School. Among its research output there is a developing body of work on sustainable food system and public procurement, which examines how public spending can support fairer and more sustainable ways of producing and distributing food.

This is a part-time post (17.5 hours per week, 0.5 FTE). The fieldwork will be carried out online, and flexible working arrangements can be discussed with the line manager.

About the Project

UK public sector institutions such as schools and hospitals serve millions of meals every day, which makes public procurement a significant lever for change in the food system. This project assesses the potential impact of sourcing public sector food from local suppliers, or from producers who can demonstrate high environmental standards. It considers the implications for regional economies, environmental outcomes and supply chain resilience.

The project will draw on the experience of producers, processors and distributors in two geographically bounded UK supply chains to understand current practice in regionally focused food production and distribution. It will also identify the barriers to, and opportunities for, supplying public sector institutions. The findings will contribute to the evidence base on how public sector food procurement could be reshaped.

The project is led by Adrian Morley, Research Fellow in Sustainable Food Systems.

About the Role

We are seeking to appoint a Research Associate on a six-month fixed-term contract to lead the project's qualitative fieldwork.

The postholder will conduct online interviews with food businesses, including producers, processors and distributors, exploring their current practices and their experiences of, or potential for, supplying the public sector.

Working under the supervision of Adrian Morley, you will take responsibility for the day-to-day management of the fieldwork and work independently to deliver it within agreed timescales.

The role offers a valuable opportunity to contribute to an emerging and policy-relevant area of research, and to develop your own research profile through the project's outputs.

Key Responsibilities

- Designing and preparing the interviews, recruiting participants, and conducting and analysing the interviews.
- Consolidating the findings and working with colleagues and research partners to communicate them to academic, policy and practitioner audiences through reports, presentations and journal articles.

Key Skills & Experience

- You will hold, or be working towards, a doctoral qualification.
- You will have research experience in business studies or a related field, including a clear, independent contribution to research projects and the preparation of written reports.
- You will be experienced and confident in qualitative interviewing and analysis, and able to synthesise complex data and communicate findings clearly to diverse audiences.
- You will also bring sound knowledge of food systems, supply chains or sustainability.
- As the role involves engagement with external organisations, excellent communication and relationship-building skills are important.
- Experience of working directly with business representatives would be particularly welcome.

Benefits

- 25 days leave + Christmas closure + Bank holidays (extra 5 days after 5 years of service)
- Travel loan
- Wellbeing platform
- Life insurance
- Access to campus facilities
- Enhanced parental leave
- High-quality guaranteed pension