Trading Manager
Who are we?
NUS is a confederation of over 440 students’ unions representing just under 4m students and apprentices across Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
NUS Charity is an exciting organisation developing and championing strong students’ unions. We connect our members and curate services to deliver advice, guidance and crisis support to students’ unions.
We do professional differently. We are a progressive charity representing students’ unions across the UK. The sector is inclusive, fun, dynamic and representative and we put students and students’ unions at the heart of everything we do. We are challenging but are committed to creating a supportive and flexible environment which pushes your personal development in your everyday activity.
What we do
Students’ unions can be transformational hubs for students, staff, and wider society. NUS Charity support our member’s development to enhance their capacity and harness opportunities to maximise their positive impact. We do this in many ways, from managing a purchasing consortium to drive great value for our members, to our development activity, supporting the best potential in students’ unions - we strive to make a difference to our members.
The student movement is fast-paced and sometimes challenging, but we’re also a big family who support each other.
We see anti-oppression as central to our mission. Education isn’t working unless it’s working for everyone in our society. We’re trans inclusive without exception. And we welcome individuals who are up for taking active responsibility for their own ongoing learning on liberation, equity, diversity and inclusion.
What’s the job?
The Trading Manager role is a full-time, permanent post within the Trading Support Department. In this exciting and varied role, you will play a pivotal part in delivering key elements of the Trading Support Strategy, aligning with its five strategic pillars. Your primary goal will be to lead the buying team, overseeing all aspects of the tender cycle, including contract and pricing negotiations with suppliers, and collaborating with the wider trading support management team to source products to meet proposition requirements. This includes ensuring those products are ethically sourced and deliver ‘best in market’ cost price. All work is conducted with the member Students’ Unions’ needs at the heart of it, across Licensed Trade, Catering and Retail categories.
Who you are
The ideal candidate for this role will have experience of negotiating high-value contracts across a portfolio of categories and buying rules, coupled with developed knowledge of ethical purchasing. You’ll thrive when leading and managing a team and have the ability to effectively motivate staff to generate a positive team environment. An enhanced eye for detail is essential, as well as strong interpersonal skills to boost engagement with a diverse range of stakeholders. You’ll be confident negotiating and managing budgets and will have developed knowledge of tender processes and software. You will be contributing to a team that is passionate about empowering students, supporting unions, and driving positive change across the UK’s education sector.
Why apply?
As well as a great place to work, we offer a range of benefits including:
* Generous holiday entitlement (starting at 27 days per year rising with service to 30 days, pro rata for part time)
* Enhanced sick, maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption pay
* Health Cash Plan
* Pension scheme with employer matched contributions up to 6%
* Employee Assistance Scheme
* Cycle to Work Scheme
* Childcare Allowance
* Paid volunteering days – three days per year for full time staff
Committed to Inclusion
We’re committed to equality of opportunity for all. We welcome applications from individuals regardless of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender, or disability. You can be yourself here whoever you are, be proud of the work you do and build a career in a place that knows different is good.
We recognise that candidates from racialised backgrounds are under-represented in our organisation, and that there are often additional barriers present for people from these groups when applying for roles in the charity sector and beyond. We are committed to taking positive action to expand the diversity of our staff team, and if you meet the minimum criteria for a role (at least 80% of the criteria in the person specification) and are from a racialised background, you'll be guaranteed a first stage interview. It is important to note that this scheme guarantees an interview for candidates who meet the minimum criteria and tell us that they'd like to be considered under the scheme. The selection decision at interview will be based on the most suitable candidate, regardless of any protected characteristic.
We offer a flexible, person-centred working environment and are open to exploring various flexible working patterns, including hybrid working.
Please apply via our online application form, we are unable to accept CVs. If you are unable to complete or application due to accessibility needs, please contact us.
Closing date for applications is Tuesday 30th September 2025 (23:59).
If you’re successfully shortlisted we’ll see you at an interview during w/c 13th October 2025.
REF-223 808