Elections and Democracy Specialist
£45,000-£48,000 plus excellent benefits (Work level 6A)
Manchester city centre - hybrid working with 2 days a week in the office and some evening and weekend work
At Co-op we do things differently. We're owned by our 5.8m members and we exist to create value for them. Our members and their voice are at the heart of the decisions we make. Member-owners shape and influence Co-op directly and by voting for other member-owners to represent their interests on our Board and Council.
Our Council and Democracy team work for member-owners by making sure their voice is heard, enabling them to choose and connect with their elected representatives locally and nationally and supporting Council to represent their interests in the decisions our Co-op makes.
In this role you'll design and run the end to end informal and formal processes for Board and Council elections and polls. You'll make sure our democratic processes are accessible and engaging for our member-owners and run to high standards of administration in line with Co-op processes.We'll look to you to continuously improve the services we deliver to our member-owners and seek new ways to ensure their voice is heard, working with teams across Co-op. You'll connect member owners with their elected representatives all year round through national and local events and constituency case work, making sure they're empowered to have their say in the decisions Co-op makes.
This is a fantastic chance to build a rewarding career and make a positive impact on everything Co-op stands for.
What you'll do- Oversee the end-to-end process of our formal and informal democratic processes including Board and Council elections, motions and polls in a member centric way
- Create and run project plans to meet the needs of our strategic outcomes and member-owners for year-round democratic engagement opportunities
- Co-ordinate the outreach for potential candidates and lead candidate communications for elections, providing professional advice and information including canvassing guidance
- Make sure the results from the elections and polls are accurate, delivered on time to the highest standard of administration, and in line with Co-op Group rules and FCA guidance
- Work with external suppliers making sure that all activity required for our democratic processes is delivered on time, to the right standard and in budget
- Continuously look for new ways of involving member-owners in democratic processes, and reaching our target audiences
- Significant experience of running elections end-to-end with a 'voter first' approach
- Previous experience of working with elective representatives and external suppliers
- A passion for continuous improvement and driving new ways to deliver democratic processes
- Excellent written and oral communication skills and a keen eye for detail
- A talent for building positive relationships with a wide variety of people up to senior level
Why Co-op?
Here you'll do work that matters. We're a commercial organisation with a purpose beyond profit, you'll have an opportunity to help us build a stronger Co-op and stronger communities. You'll also get a package that includes:
- competitive salary
- coaching, training, and support to help you develop
- pension with up to 10% employer contributions
- annual incentive scheme
- 28 days holiday plus bank holidays (rising to 32 in line with service)
- discounts on Co-op products and services
Building an inclusive work environment
We're actively building diverse teams and we welcome applications from everyone. We want to build inclusive work environments, where our colleagues have equal opportunities to reach their full potential. We celebrate our differences, and recognise the importance of our teams reflecting the communities they serve.
If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs.
We're also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we'll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job.
We'll ask whether you'd like to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme when you apply.
If we invite you to take part in the recruitment process for any of our jobs, we'll ask you if you need any reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate.
You can find out more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process.
You can find out more about the Disability Confident scheme and all our commitments to diversity and inclusion at colleagues.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion-and-wellbeing.
As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes between 45-60 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.