R&D Food Product Development Placement

PepsiCo; Leicester; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave

Birthday leave

Discounted PepsiCo products

Pension plan

Virtual GP

Gym membership discount

Job summary

PepsiCo offers a 12-month placement programme starting July 2027 for undergraduates in our Global R&D team. You will work on product development in R&D Foods Product Development Teams, gaining autonomy and hands-on experience across kitchens, labs and manufacturing environments.

You will join scientists and engineers to innovate, with responsibilities spanning trials, data analysis, and collaboration across global teams, while developing skills in a fast-paced, consumer-focused setting.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a degree in Food Science, Nutrition, or related field.
• Strong communication, both written and verbal.
• Numerical skills including data analysis and interpretation.
• Computer literate.
• High degree of self-motivation with good organisational skills.
• Strong critical thinking ability.
• Initiative and drive to deliver results of trials and activities and able to be pro‑active and multi‑task.
• Good interpersonal skills communicating across function, culture and level.

Responsibilities

• Hands-on product development, planning and executing kitchen, pilot and factory-scale trials.
• Collaborate with product insights and analytical teams to measure product attributes and consumer preferences.
• Liaise within R&D and cross-functional teams globally; conduct literature searches to deliver key work-streams.
• Build and investigate fundamental scientific insights underpinning product development.
• Organise product testing programmes, sample shipments, analysis, and report results to project teams.

Skills

Strong communication

Data analysis

Computer literacy

Self-motivation

Organizational skills

Critical thinking

Initiative

Interpersonal skills

Education

Pursuing a degree in Food Science/ Nutrition/ related field

Job description

PepsiCo offers a 12-month placement programme starting July 2027 for undergraduates in our Global R&D team. You will work on product development in R&D Foods Product Development Teams, gaining autonomy and hands-on experience across kitchens, labs and manufacturing environments.

You will join scientists and engineers to innovate, with responsibilities spanning trials, data analysis, and collaboration across global teams, while developing skills in a fast-paced, consumer-focused setting.