Make meaningful impact in a game changing project.
Jobs
Northern Roots is a small, friendly and inclusive team that prioritizes connection to nature and each other. As the project grows, so will our team.
The best way to hear about new opportunities is through our newsletter, where we share jobs, volunteering, family-friendly events, creative workshops and more. Sign up here.
Food & Beverage General Manager
Salary: £39,000 per annum, 40 hours a week
Contract: 40 hours a week, 12-month fixed term initially, July 2026 to July 2027. Regular weekend working will be required once Northern Roots transitions to a seven-day work pattern from August 2026.
Location: Northern Roots, Oldham, OL8 2BJ
Northern Roots is creating the UK’s largest urban farm and eco-park on 160-acres of underused greenspace in Oldham, Greater Manchester – a unique community hub and visitor destination. The charity aims to benefit the environment, and to improve the health, wellbeing and livelihoods of local communities. Food is at the heart of our vision.
In autumn 2026, we will open our new Welcome Building, Forestry Skills Centre, play area, outdoor amphitheatre and a further four acres of Urban Farm, the next phase in creating a unique visitor attraction and community asset.
Based in the Welcome Building, our café will showcase produce grown on site, alongside produce from other local suppliers, providing visitors with a warm welcome that reflects the ambition of the wider project. We are working with a well-known local Chef-Partner to develop the concept for the Café.
We are looking for a passionate, ambitious and experienced General Manager to lead the front-of-house operation of our new café, retail offer, visitor hospitality, bookings and events.
Working closely with the Chef-Partner and Head Chef, the General Manager will help build a café that is known not only for its social and environmental impact, but also for its quality, warmth and attention to detail.
If you’re passionate about hospitality, leadership and community, this is your chance to help create a café experience that Oldham can be proud of.
How to apply
Email your CV and a cover letter (no more than 2 pages) to info@northern-roots.uk before the application deadline of Sunday 28th June 2026 at 12 midnight.
Head Chef at Northern Roots
Salary: £35,000 per annum, 40 hours a week
Contract: 40 hours a week, 12-month fixed term initially, August 2026 to August 2027. Regular weekend working will be required once Northern Roots transitions to a seven-day work pattern from August 2026.
Location: Northern Roots, Oldham, OL8 2BJ
Northern Roots is creating the UK’s largest urban farm and eco-park on 160-acres of underused greenspace in Oldham, Greater Manchester – a unique community hub and visitor destination. The charity aims to benefit the environment, and to improve the health, wellbeing and livelihoods of local communities. Food is at the heart of our vision.
In autumn 2026, we will open our new Welcome Building, Forestry Skills Centre, play area, outdoor amphitheatre and a further four acres of Urban Farm, the next phase in creating a unique visitor attraction and community asset.
Based in the Welcome Building, our café will showcase produce grown on site, alongside produce from other local suppliers, providing visitors with a warm welcome that reflects the ambition of the wider project. We are working with a well-known local Chef-Partner to develop the concept for the Café.
We are looking for a passionate, ambitious and experienced Head Chef to lead café operations, food production for the shop, and catering for meetings and events.
Working closely with the Northern Roots Farm team, General Manager and Chef-Partner, the Head Chef will create and deliver accessible, seasonal menus that celebrate home-grown produce and sustainable kitchen practices.
This is a unique opportunity to help shape a destination café with social and environmental impact at its heart.
How to apply
Email your CV and a cover letter (no more than 2 pages) to info@northern-roots.uk before the application deadline of Sunday 28th June 2026 at 12 midnight.
Urban Farm Call Out for Potential Businesses
A core object for the Northern Roots charity is to support new and existing businesses and social enterprises to set up and flourish from the Northern Roots site.
In 2026 we’ll open as a visitor destination and community hub, with a brand new Visitor Centre with café, shop, production kitchen and classrooms, a Forestry Skills Centre, and an additional four acres of Urban Farm.
We’re looking for experienced organic growers that specialise in field growing cut flowers, medicinal, scent or dye plants or other specialist crops to utilise the growing space directly in front of our Visitor Centre. As part of our Northern Roots business network, you can receive support with business planning, strategy, market research and marketing.
Application Ongoing: Email a completed Expression of Interest Form to info@northern-roots.uk
Volunteering
Volunteers make a valuable contribution to the development of Northern Roots, and we are grateful for the hard work, enthusiasm and support of everyone who volunteers with us. We offer a variety of volunteering opportunities from short Community Litter Picks to our Urban Farm and Environmental volunteering programme.
Our team of Northern Roots staff and existing volunteers are a friendly and inclusive group, so if you join our volunteering programme, you’ll get a warm welcome.
Northern Roots Urban Farm and Environmental volunteers can get involved in sowing, harvesting, composting, weeding, mulching and creating no dig beds in our Phase 1 Urban Farm. You can support the conservation of 160-acres of woodland, meadows and ponds through path maintenance and habitat creation, or learn new skills such as woodworking and landscaping with our experienced Land Team. No previous experience required, simply a passion for nature and learning.
Applications are currently closed for volunteering. The best way to stay up to date is through social media or our newsletter, which you can sign up to here.
What our volunteers say…
“l’ve learned how to plant garlic, which has reignited by passion for growing food. I don’t usually grow anything over the winter, but this has made me think actually, I could grow stuff in winter as well. Volunteering is also a bit of respite because I’m a carer for one of my kids. This helps give me a good break.” Flora, Urban Farm and Environmental Volunteer
“I wanted to join this year and it’s been great. I’ve enjoyed it. The people have been brilliant, staff are nice, everything’s brilliant.” John, Urban Farm and Environmental Volunteer
“I’ve learned teamwork, planting, mulching, weeding, planting hedges, and I’m hoping to learn woodwork.” Gill, Urban Farm and Environmental Volunteer
“I’ve recommended volunteering at Northern Roots it to many people. I keep badgering them to come. The first thing I talk about is the size of the project, how big it is, the plans and the vision. It’s absolutely amazing for an industrial town like Oldham to have a project like this right in the middle of it. So I tell people about how it’s world leading, the first of its kind in the UK.” Simon, Urban Farm and Environmental Volunteer turned Northern Roots Community Grower and Ranger
If you are interested in corporate volunteering or a Corporate Away Day, please email info@northern-roots.uk for more information.