Unilever Future Leadership Programme - Data & Analytics UK

Our Future Leaders Programme will ignite the leader in you. This unique programme is designed to develop Unilever’s Future Leaders (UFLs) by providing challenging and purposeful opportunities that accelerate their readiness to take on business leadership roles.

The Unilever Future Leaders Program (UFLP) is a global initiative enabling Unilever to build a strong talent pipeline that will support and lead our business growth.  In the UK, our UFLP is a 36-month rotational leadership development program for which we recruit top-performing undergraduate talent who demonstrate the potential to become managers within our business.  It’s designed to grow you into a manager, through hands-on learning alongside world-class experts. You’ll be hired into a function and develop your leadership skills by working on live projects which offer you all the experience you need to become ready for your first management role.  At the heart of it, it’s about developing tomorrow’s leaders, today. 

From Day 1, you will take on real business challenges within your own function and across the organization. Along the way you will develop deep core professional skills and leadership skills, and build a robust support network.  On top of all that, you will have a lot of fun along the journey.

We look for people who want to get to grips with the inner workings of a vast business and a desire to understand how it works. It’s about commitment, real people skills and a deep-seated interest in the business as a whole. You’ll become part of a leading-edge company, where you’ll work with outstanding brands and outstanding people to drive sustainable business growth.

Your Future Employer

Unilever is one of the world's leading FMCG companies, home to iconic brands including Dove, Vaseline, TRESemmé, Lynx, Persil, Domestos, Surf, Radox, Sure and Liquid I.V. Through products used by millions of people every day, we help improve health, wellbeing, confidence and care around the world.

Established over 100 years ago, Unilever has a proud heritage of innovation and a long-standing belief that great brands, great people and responsible business go hand in hand.

Today, we are transforming into a faster, more focused growth company centred on Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care and Home Care. Through world-class brands, cutting-edge science and technology, digital innovation and AI-enabled capabilities, we are building unmissably superior products and experiences for consumers around the world.

A career at Unilever offers the opportunity to work at global scale while helping shape the future of some of the world's most recognised brands. Our people are at the heart of everything we do, bringing curiosity, creativity and passion to solve real business challenges and make a meaningful impact every day.

*As we receive a high volume of applications, please make sure to read the job descriptions on our website carefully and apply for the ONE function you are most interested in. Only your first application will be considered*

What we’re looking for?

We’re looking for curious, purpose‑driven graduates who are excited by how AI is evolving our data, brands and operations and who want to keep learning every day. You don’t need to be an expert yet and we welcome applicants from all degree backgrounds. However, you do need a real interest in data and analytics, a growth mindset, and the confidence to ask good questions. If you enjoy challenging the status quo, spotting patterns in data, communicating clearly, and are comfortable with ambiguity, you’ll thrive here Integrity matters to us: you’ll show good judgement, take ownership, and be comfortable balancing pace with care when the stakes are high.

What will the programme involve? 

You’ll complete six rotations, each lasting six months, allowing you to gain both depth and breadth of experience.

You will: 

• Participate in a leadership development programme designed to accelerate your growth and prepare you to become one of Unilever’s future leaders.

• Specialise in Technology or Cyber Security or Data & Analytics.

• Complete rotations within your chosen area to build core expertise.

• May have the opportunity to work outside your chosen track (e.g. marketing, supply chain, customer development).
• Be flexible on the scheme and work across offices in Kingston upon Thames, London and Port Sunlight (near Liverpool) depending on the rotation.

• Be supported with a dedicated mentor, who is an expert in your chosen stream and will guide you throughout the programme.

• Shape the scheme through our graduate-led pillars, such as wellbeing, learning and development and placement success. These pillars are run by current graduates and play a key role in shaping the UFLP experience.

Please see further information on the Data & Analytics stream below:

In this specialized stream, you will delve into the fascinating world of Data & Analytics, collaborating on real business projects and building expertise in cutting-edge cloud and rapidly advancing AI technologies. As AI continues to evolve at extraordinary speed, ensuring our data is high quality, trusted, and ready is more important than ever. Unleashing the power of data, you'll play a pivotal role in strategic delivery, unlocking invaluable insights for our business.

At Unilever, our commitment to data democratization empowers business users across the globe to make confident, data-driven choices. This pervasive shift facilitates informed decision-making across all aspects of our business, identifying granular growth opportunities and propelling us to outperform the market. Your journey within the program will encompass diverse experiences in data analytics, data science, data engineering, and business partnering, as you leverage and maximize the vast scale of information available at Unilever.

What could your day-to-day role include (depending on your role)?

Day to day, you could be helping prepare our data lakehouses for AI by improving data quality, structure and accessibility, ensuring the information within them is ready to fuel advanced analytics and machine learning. You could partner with teams across the business to create meaningful dashboards, strengthen data pipelines, and analyse rich datasets to reveal insights that guide important decisions. You could be working with some of our strategic technology partners like Google and Microsoft to deliver large scale global programmes, or with niche technology start-ups and industry innovators to solve current business and sustainability challenges. Your work will directly contribute to making Unilever’s data landscape more intelligent, scalable and AI ready.

Some of the teams you could be allocated to include:

• Data Science

• Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence Team

• Data Strategy Team

• Cross-operations

• Data & AI Change Management

Skills required include:

• Curiosity about AI

• Foundational cloud computing awareness

• Interest in statistics

• Basic programming knowledge

Please note, that at Unilever, we have development programmes, the skills below are skills that would be good to have at the beginning however you will develop them throughout the programme.

• Stakeholder Analysis / Management / Business Partnering

• Product Management

• Systems Thinking

• Artificial Intelligence

• Risk Management

• Project Management / Agile Delivery

• Change Management & Activation

• Strategic Thinking

• Third Party Management

Our application process involves: 

Step 1: Online Application

Complete the online application form. It is a simple and easy application process with the option of filling out your details using your LinkedIn profile. You may apply to one function in your application.

Step 2: Profile Assessment 

Complete two stages of profile assessment; a portrait personality test and an online assessment. These are designed to look at different elements of your cognitive, emotional, and social traits. You will receive personalised feedback after completing each stage.

Step 3: Digital Interview

The digital interview will consist of 3 short questions followed by a business case. You will be asked to solve real-world problems using Unilever scenarios. You’ll be able to record and complete your interview anytime and anywhere.

*Please note, we do not use AI as a screening tool in our recruitment process therefore, your digital interview submission will be reviewed by a real person*

Step 4: Discovery Center

Ahead of the Discovery Centre, you will be invited to complete a short online assessment via Alooba, designed to give you the opportunity to demonstrate your technical capabilities.

You will then be invited to a ‘day in the life’ of a Future Leader at Unilever. You will get to experience a face-to-face day filled with several exciting activities including project meetings, business challenges, a team meeting with Unilever colleagues, and an interview.

What Can Unilever offer YOU?

• A Competitive Salary of £35,000

• A Benefits Envelope which has a notional value of 25% of your pensionable earnings. Use it to save for your pension, get extra taxable pay or both.

• A pension Scheme

• Annual Bonus

• A discounted staff shop

• Subsidised Gym Memberships - availability varies by site

• Shares

• Relocation support through a £5000 tax free loan

• 25 days of holiday allowance

To find out more about Future Careers at Unilever UK, check out our Instagram page!

Diversity at Unilever is about championing inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities, and growing together for better business performance.

To celebrate this, we have internal networks and communities created to raise awareness for a cause, which work to create change within the business.

These networks include Proud, Empower, Enable and Unity and our communities include Thriving Parents, Carers, and All Inclusion Club.

We give full and fair consideration to all applicants, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. 

We are a key advocate of well-being and offer a variety of support for our people including hubs, programmes, and development opportunities. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all. 

What support will you receive? 

• A dedicated buddy to help you onboard and learn about the business.

• A dedicated Career Sponsor, who can support you with your growth & development throughout the total duration of your programme.

• An experienced Line Manager for each of your functional rotations, allowing you to gain a breadth of experience.

• A bespoke Learning & Development Plan, designed to help you build your leadership skills.

• Opportunities to gain leadership experience outside of your functional rotations.

Do you require any adjustments in the application or assessment process?

If you do need any adjustments, please inform the Talent Acquisition team who will contact you to discuss the accessibility options available. E.g., If required extending time spent in any ‘timebound’ assessments/interviews.

*We also provide accessibility options such as magnifying glass, decrease/increase the font size, change font & colour, screen ruler, and screen mask for everyone who would require support.

Please contact the Talent Acquisition team at futurecareers.recruitment@unilever.com

Location: 

Hybrid working with a minimum of 3 days required weekly at our London Blackfriars, Kingston office or Port Sunlight (Wirral) offices.

Travel Required: 

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

Discovery Centre:

TBC

Closing date:

This is a rolling deadline, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment in case applications close early.

Start date

September 2027

Recruitment Fraud

Cyber-criminals advertise fake job adverts with prestigious employers as a way of stealing information or even defrauding people out of money. In the most sophisticated cases, they will set up fake websites, which have a similar address to companies like Unilever. They even conduct fake telephone interviews and then offer candidates a role with the proviso they pay a fee for background checks or to cover work visa costs. These types of attacks are becoming more common as more people are looking for employment in the economic climate.

How is Unilever tackling this?

Many of Unilever’s recruitment sites publish a warning to candidates about recruitment fraud. The Cyber Security team also proactively scans for signs of people setting up fake Unilever sites and acts to close them down.

What can I do?

If you become aware of potential recruitment fraud, spot fake Unilever recruitment adverts or fake LinkedIn profiles, report them via Una Live Chat.

Unilever does not accept responsibility or liability for any candidates who are financially impacted by recruitment fraud. Your vigilance is key!   

Unilever is an organisation committed to diversity and inclusion to drive our business results and create a better future every day for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual and the talent they can bring. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.

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