Quality and Food Safety Industrial Placement 2026

PepsiCo; Lincoln; On-site; GBP 26,000; Full time

Job summary

A global food and beverage leader is seeking enthusiastic undergraduates for a 12-month Supply Chain placement starting in July 2026 in Lincoln. The role involves supporting Quality and Food Safety initiatives and offers a salary of £25,500 alongside benefits like 25 days annual leave and discounted products. This placement provides the chance to develop skills in a vibrant and supportive environment.

Benefits

25 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays

Discounted PepsiCo products

Competitive pension scheme

Market-leading health and wellbeing benefits

Qualifications

• Must have full right to work for the placement duration.
• Currently in their penultimate year of university studies.
• Path to a degree in Food Science or closely related disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Support Quality & Food Safety initiatives.
• Assist in trending Consumer Complaints.
• Conduct audits for food safety performance.

Skills

Intellectual curiosity

Passion for sustainability

Creativity

Education

Degree in Food Science or related field

Job description

Overview

You’ve learned a lot as a student already. Want to put it into practice at PepsiCo?

Our placement programmes are structured to give you the chance to make an impact on some of the world’s biggest brands. From day one, you’ll be working on projects that matter. You’ll shake things up, shape trends, and get guidance and development to help you discover your potential.

We are looking for enthusiastic undergraduates to join our Supply Chain team on a 12-month placement programme starting in July 2026 on a full time basis.

Everyday millions of people in the UK enjoy our oats, snacks, juices and beverages. As a placement student within Supply Chain, you will have the opportunity to join our 4,500 strong team who are behind these household names. As a function we are spread across 10 sites which include our Quaker Oats Mill in Cupar and our Walkers Crisp factory in Leicester – the largest crisp factory in the world.

Undergraduate placement students have an important part to play in our future and we provide a perfect environment for individuals to develop, whilst feeling valued and having lots of fun. You will have lots of autonomy where your decisions will really make a difference to our business and in return you will have the chance to develop your skills and experience in a fast paced, energetic environment.

Responsibilities

Quality & Food Safety in Coventry, Leicester, Lincoln

In this placement you will:

• Support the Quality & Food Safety Team on delivering key Quality and Food Safety initiatives, specifically the key metrics for the site
• Support the Quality Specialists through trending of Consumer Complaints plus identification and facilitation of work streams for complaint reduction opportunities with site manufacturing teams
• Support the Food Safety Team to drive food safety performance through completion of audits and taking an active role in root cause analysis following food safety issues
• Support the site’s BRC Agenda by working on specific projects to drive continued improvements
• Be given real-life objectives to work on and will be expected to make a noticeable contribution to your department

Qualifications

What are we looking for?

• Students that have the full RTW for the duration of the full time placement (July 2026-July 2027).
• Students currently in their penultimate year of university studies, where the course includes the option of completing a sandwich placement before returning to study after the placement.
• Following path to a degree in Food Science, Food Science & Technology, Food Manufacturing, Food and Consumer Studies, Bio Chemistry or Biology or closely related disciplines
• An intellectual curiosity and a willingness to challenge accepted ways of doing things
• Passion, for our company, for your development, for sustainability and engineering delivery
• Ambition, eagerness to learn and grow your career and aspire to be our future leaders
• Creativity, bring your new thinking and fresh ideas to our brands
• You! At PepsiCo we bring ourselves to work and embrace diversity and inclusion. We believe our differences is what makes us special.

What else do you need to know?

Our placements start in July 2026 on a full-time basis and will last for 12 months, with a salary of £25,500.

Other benefits:

• Vibrant culture
• Development and mentoring
• 25 days annual leave plus 8 days bank holidays
• Discounted PepsiCo products
• Competitive pension scheme
• Market-leading health and wellbeing benefits: Virtual GP available to you and your family 24/7, Discounted gym membership, SWORD; online free digital physiotherapy service

Our application process

Our application process involves:

Online application

Video Interview sent to you by HR: September- October 2025

Virtual Assessment Center: November – December 2025

Application Closing Date: 20th October 2025

Our application window is scheduled to close on the above date, however, in the event of a large response we will close applications early. We would therefore encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $92 billion in net revenue in 2024, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the centre of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people.

Quality & Food Safety (continued)

In this placement you will:

• Support the Quality & Food Safety Team on delivering key Quality and Food Safety initiatives, specifically the key metrics for the site
• Support the Quality Specialists through trending of Consumer Complaints plus identification and facilitation of work streams for complaint reduction opportunities with site manufacturing teams
• Support the Food Safety Team to drive food safety performance through completion of audits and taking an active role in root cause analysis following food safety issues
• Support the site’s BRC Agenda by working on specific projects to drive continued improvements
• Be given real-life objectives to work on and will be expected to make a noticeable contribution to your department