Register your interest - Research and Development (R&D) Graduate Scheme (UFLP) - UK & Ireland

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Beauty and Wellbeing, Home, and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 3.4 billion consumers daily. Founded in Port Sunlight (Wirral) in 1929, Unilever has more than 400 brands found in homes around the world, including Dove, TRESemmé, Lynx, Hellman’s, Persil, Domestos, Marmite, Vaseline, Sure, Knorr, and Pot Noodle. Our goal is to deliver best-in-class performance with market-making, unmissably superior brands.

About the role

For a business whose very purpose is to create a sustainable future, that future begins in Research & Development (R&D). This is the origin of ideas for brands, products, packaging, manufacturing, and technology. Your work could impact millions across the world. Over three years and at least four placements, you will be inspired through a world-class development programme packed with a breadth of diverse experiences, challenges, and fun. You will build your leadership skills by working on live projects that offer all the experience needed to thrive in your first leadership role.

You will work with teams from different parts of our business, across our different business groups (Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care & Home Care). The Unilever culture is inclusive, collaborative, and encourages innovative thinking. Our high-support, high-challenge environment will support you to achieve your potential while giving you the chance to develop industry-leading skills through shaping your career path according to your interests, strengths, and aspirations.

During the three-year programme, you’ll have the opportunity to work across a range of R&D areas, collaborating with a wide range of experienced leaders and technical experts. You could be unlocking the next generation of blockbuster technologies in Science & Technology, running consumer studies for global scale launches, creating new formulation designs in our advanced labs & Pilot Plants, or working hand-in-hand with our marketers to delight our consumers.

Responsibilities

Every day you will be understanding what consumers want and need, developing the science and technology to bring new innovations to life. You’ll be helping to make our products more desirable, more inclusive, more efficacious, and kinder to the planet. Some of the R&D areas you could work in include:

• Technical Project Leadership
• Future Formulation Design
• Packaging
• Consumer Technical Insights
• Science & Technology
• Out-of-function roles in Marketing (e.g., brand manager or supply chain)

Requirements

For R&D, we require a strong technical qualification in a Chemical, Biological, Physical or Data Science or closely related disciplines. We also accept Material and Engineering-related disciplines.

• Motivated, authentic, and ambitious future leaders who can apply their qualification expertise in a business context
• A forward-thinking and passionate leader to contribute towards a cleaner, more sustainable future through exciting innovations
• Visionaries that will fall in love with the problem, not the solution—people who are hungry to solve some of the industry’s biggest challenges (e.g., sustainability)
• Collaborative & inclusive individuals who are excited to work alongside an international network to create superior products for our consumers

Skills

• Technical Communication
• Critical Thinking
• Agile Delivery
• Data Analytics
• Organisational Awareness
• Personal & professional digital skills including Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Co-pilot)

Benefits

• Competitive Salary of £35,000
• Benefits Envelope with a notional value of 25% of your pensionable earnings (use it to save for your pension, get extra taxable pay, or both)
• Pension Scheme
• Annual Bonus
• Discounted staff shop
• Subsidised Gym Memberships (availability varies by site)
• Shares
• Relocation support through a £5000 tax-free loan
• 25 days of holiday allowance

Diversity at Unilever is about championing inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities, and growing together for better business performance. We have internal networks and communities created to raise awareness for a cause, which work to create change within the business, including Proud, Empower, Enable, Unity, Thriving Parents, Carers, and All Inclusion Club.

Support

• A dedicated buddy to help you onboard and learn about the business
• A dedicated Career Sponsor to coach you with your growth & development throughout the programme
• An experienced Line Manager for each of your functional rotations
• Access to Senior R&D leaders to help shape your career path planning
• A bespoke Learning & Development Plan to build your leadership skills
• Opportunities to gain leadership experience outside of your functional rotations

Schedule

Hybrid working with a minimum of 3 days required weekly at our Port Sunlight (Wirral) or Leeds offices.

Travel Required: Approximately 10-25% of your time, depending on your functional rotation.

Start date: September 2027