Unilever Future Leaders Programme – Research & Development – Netherlands

Unilever Future Leaders Programme – Research & Development – Netherlands

The Unilever Future Leaders Programme, or as we call it “UFLP”, is a 3-year traineeship programme that gives you the opportunity to develop yourself into an experienced future-fit professional. Bring your enthusiasm, curiosity and innovative ideas to the table and start your learning journey at Unilever as a UFLP.

Please find more information about the application process, requirements and why you should apply on our UFLP Netherlands website: https://careers.unilever.com/NL-UFLP

About Unilever
Unilever is one of the world’s largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) businesses. We reach 3.4 billion consumers a day and we have 128.000 employees globally.
We make products that people love – and that make a difference, Nutritious foods, Household care essentials, Luxurious shampoos... and many more. Shoppers buy them in more than 190 countries. That means you’ll find at least one of our products in seven out of ten households on the planet. And we want every one of those products to make a positive impact on the lives of the people through our brands, our commercial operations and relationships, through voluntary contributions, and through the various other ways in which we engage with society.

Requirements for application

• Eligibility to work in the Netherlands before the start of the UFLP programme (employment) per 1st of September 2025. *
• You have obtained your Master’s degree at the start date of the UFLP per September 1st, 2025.

• A WO master’s degree is required at the beginning of the Research & Development track.

• Intermediate level of Dutch is preferred but not required.

• We recommend that you only apply with a maximum of 5 years of experience to get the best out of the traineeship. **
• Our Discovery Center Days take place at our Rotterdam office and will be held between April 1st – April 20th. It is not possible to join this day online.

What will you be doing as a Research & Development UFLP?

By joining the Unilever Future Leaders Research and Development Programme, we want to show you how in a business whose purpose is to make sustainable living commonplace and create a brighter future, that future begins in R&D. And we are delivering this future in our Foods & Refreshment business through the recent bold new ‘Future Foods’ ambition Unilever set itself: 

• €1 billion sales target for plant-based meat and dairy alternatives 
• Halving food waste and raising nutritional standards across its brands
• Targets announced are part of new global ‘Future Foods’ initiative, to
  support a healthier, and more sustainable global food system

R&D forms an integrated part and enabler in achieving this ambition. To this extent Unilever invested in the new Foods Innovation Center – called ‘Hive’ – located at the ‘Silicon Valley of Food’ at Wageningen the Netherlands, to help formulate the next generation of food including meat and dairy alternatives – using criteria such as affordability, sustainability, and taste. Since 2019 ‘Hive’ is the hotbed of ideas for brands, products, packaging, manufacturing, and technology innovation.

As an R&D UFL you participate in and lead global innovations for our famous Foods & Refreshment brands. You develop products from concept ideas to full-scale production – with a heavy emphasis on feasibility and understanding consumer needs. You develop technologies and science for specific foods & refreshment products to make them healthier, more appealing, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly. You make sure that our products are able to run in the production lines of our factories. On top of that, you work together with more than 35 different nationalities in a highly educative environment.

Unilever R&D is on a journey of transforming our organization to adopt agile ways of working, through tools, practices, and principles – as well as a flexible mindset and culture. Using agile methodologies enable us to continuously plan and prioritize and collaborate across teams/squads and functions.

You are part of the Innovation Ecosystem in which you could be working with one of our technology partners, driving the delivery of a Global Programme or working with universities, scientific institutions, start-ups, and industry innovators to solve business challenges.

The limitless opportunities at Unilever create fully engaging innovative entrepreneurship. Our people have and take the opportunity to make a big impact every day. The Unilever Future Leaders Programme R&D is about having a big impact, right from the start. Unilever has a culture where growth means positive change, impact, and influence as well as market share.

What do we look for?

If you are ambitious, determined, and excited by the most recent technological developments in food and making the global food system healthier and more sustainable whilst liking to think strategically about how their value could be harnessed on a global scale, then this is the career path for you.

Ask yourself the following questions: And if you can answer these affirmatively, we are looking for you!

• Are you currently conducting a master’s degree in areas such as Chemical Engineering, Applied Physics, Life Science & Technology, Process Engineering, Food Technology, Data Science, Consumer Science, or any other relevant degree?
• Are you a scientist/engineer with a genuine business interest?
• Do you have an external focus and always searching for collaboration with others?
• Are you motivated to continuously develop yourself and to have a steep learning curve?
• Do you have a great passion for Foods and Research & Development?
• Do you act in a pro-active and responsible way?
• Do you have a growth mindset and feel like a true leader?
• Do you want to work on products which have impact on two billion people every day and are sold in 190 countries?
  

What will the programme involve?

You will develop your individual leadership skills by working on projects which offer you the experience you need to be ready for your first management role. Over 3 years, you will take on a variety of roles across our businesses. You will gain experience both in financial and management accounting and you will be business facing, communicating with key contacts within the brand teams.

• We sell millions of products to consumers every day. That is why every UFL will start their career joining our Field Force team. You will learn all about our consumers and customers, in retail (Supermarkets), in Food Solutions (Chefs in Restaurants) and in Out of Home (all other outlets like gas stations & theme parks). It is a great opportunity to really get to know the other “Future Leaders”.
• Career possibilities: Thereafter you take on up to four R&D rotations within 3 years and may get the opportunity to work internationally. You have the opportunity for one rotation outside of R&D (based on business demand), to help you understand the full scope of our business. You work in cross functional and global teams. You get hands-on experience with real projects in which you can make a genuine business impact, for growth, for people, for brands and for sustainability.
• The programme is packed with variety and challenge, designed to lead you through to your first managerial position.
• Support and empowerment: We will support you every step of the way to senior management but much of your progress will be up to you. You will need to be focused and ambitious to get where you want, identifying opportunities and taking responsibility for your own development. Next to this, each UFL is assigned a mentor to guide you through the 3-year programme.
• Professional training: during the programme there will be a wide range of internal and external training programmes available to build specific R&D skills and knowledge as well as leadership skills. You will get all the support you need to build your personal development plan.
• We have a proven tradition of developing our own purpose driven leaders and encourage innovative thinking. Future focused feedback and challenging goals drives innovation and ambition within a performance culture and an inclusive and informal environment. We will push you to achieve your potential and make a big business impact where you learn from the best. Firsthand experience – it is the fastest way to learn. 

Application Process
Our online application process runs from Saturday March 1st- Friday March 21stend of day.

You need to have finished all the digital stages including the Digital Interview stage by the end of the online application period (March 21st, end of day) to be eligible for the Unilever Future Leaders Programme. We work on a first comes, first served base. It will take a few days to finish all online application stages, so finish all stages as soon as possible when applications open.

The entire selection process consists of

Stage 1: Online Application** (Online)

Stage 2: Digital assessment

                (Personality/Profile assessment) (Online)

Stage 3: Digital Interview (Online)

Stage 4: Discovery Center Day (Physically at the Rotterdam office)

Stage 5: Job Offer

* Search year/Orientation year visa is not accepted. Unilever cannot support the request for a visa in any form (R&D talents, EU nationals, and candidates with asylum residence permits, are excepted from this requirement).

**In the online application, there is a possibility to upload your CV to fill out your personal details. This is not part of the selection process.

Please note sometimes, correspondence may end up in your spam folder. Please regularly check your spam folder during the entire recruitment process.

Do you need any special requirements to complete the application process or the online assessments?

The application process consists of an online assessment and a digital interview, we automatically provide accessibility options such as decrease/increase font size, change font & colour, screen ruler, screen mask for everyone who would require support through a tool bar on the platform called 'Recite Me'. If you would need another reasonable adjustment to complete any part of the application process, please let us know in the application form (stage 1 in the process). We will contact you.

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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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