R&D Product Internship - Taste The Future Program UK

Mondelēz International; Park Central; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounted staff shop

Discounted on-site gym membership

Online GP services

Job summary

Mondelēz International invites ambitious students to join its R&D Internship – Taste The Future Program UK. You will work with experienced scientists and product developers on chocolate product development, gaining hands-on experience across the product lifecycle and collaborating with global stakeholders to drive innovation.

This is a 12-month placement with mentoring and regular reviews. You’ll participate in developing recipes, conducting shelf-life tests, and presenting findings to the

Qualifications

• Pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Food Science, Engineering, or related scientific discipline with a predicted grade.
• Strong analytical, communication and presentation abilities.
• Able to apply scientific approach with rigorous methods.
• Pro-active, motivated team player who works autonomously.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and adapt quickly.
• Comfortable working in diverse teams with cross-functional colleagues.
• Creativity and curiosity; eager to learn and contribute new ideas.

Responsibilities

• Develops new and existing chocolate products with cross-functional teams.
• Gain hands-on product development experience from concept to pilot plant trials to factory trials.
• Understand ingredient functionality to identify optimization and sustainability opportunities.
• Create or update specifications, produce technical reports, and communicate findings to stakeholders.

Skills

Communication skills

Technical rigour

Initiative

Agility

Collaborative mindset

Creativity

Curiosity

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Engineering, or related field

Job description

Job Description

Are You Ready to Make It Happen at Mondelēz International?

Join our Mission to Lead the Future of Snacking. Make It Matter.

As an organization we are committed to developing the next generation of Makers and Bakers. Joining us at an early career stage in our fast paced and ever changing environment will enable you to do more, learn more and grow more. You will be encouraged to step outside your comfort zone– you may even surprise yourself! We will ensure you are given the support you need to be at your best and enable you to be yourself and bring passion and personality. Here you can lean in and speak up and bring your own flavor.

Big enough to reach the top. Small enough to help you get off the ground.

Are you studying towards a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Engineering, or other Scientific discipline (e.g., Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry, Food & Nutrition, Physical Sciences, Materials Science, Physics)? Do you want a taste of the career you could have with Mondelez? Sink your teeth into one of our sweet internships.

Our R&D Internships - Taste The Future Program UK are 12 months long (although some roles have the flexibility to be shorter) and during your placement, we’ll make you an integral part of our team and give you a real job – with real responsibilities – from day one. We hope to help you expand your horizons and encourage your personal and professional development.

We want to make sure you get the most from your time with us. That’s why once you join, we’ll work out ambitious but achievable goals for you. Then through the support of a mentor and regular reviews with your manager, we’ll help you achieve them.

Life in Research & Development (R&D):

As an intern in R&D at Mondelēz International, you’ll take ownership of projects. You will contribute to the future of snacking by keeping the consumer at the heart of our innovation. Deliverables may include producing technical reports and presentations, sharing insights with stakeholders and fostering transparency and collaboration. You will have the opportunity to work with the broader RDQ community, business functions, and external suppliers, building your network and confidence. Beyond your primary project, you may support ongoing activities, gaining diverse experiences and contributing to a sustainable future. For some roles, occasional international travel may be required.

About the role:

Research & Development Product Internship - Taste The Future Program UK

This internship offers a unique opportunity to gain hands‑on experience in the exciting world of food innovation. As an R&D Intern, you'll work alongside experienced food scientists and product developers, contributing to the creation and improvement of some of the world's most beloved snack brands. This is a chance to learn about the entire product development lifecycle and work with global and regional stakeholders to drive innovation, product quality, productivity and sustainability.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develops new and existing chocolate products for our most loved brands. Works with other cross functional teams in the business e.g., Marketing, Consumer Science & Insights, Procurement & Manufacturing, Ingredient Research and Technical Experts to develop products that are loved by the consumer.

• Will get hands on product development experience, being involved from the concept and design phase, through to planning and leading kitchen or pilot plant trials, then scaling up to factory trials.

• Works to understand the functionality of ingredients and interactions in our products to identify opportunities for optimisation & sustainability. As part of this, you will apply scientific methods and technical rigour to solve complex research problems and bring a new perspective to solutions. You will interact greatly with peers across multiple teams, challenging your technical curiosity by conducting hypothesis, leading experiments and interpreting results to offer future chocolate recommendations.

• Other responsibilities will be to create or update specifications, produce technical reports/presentations, submitting samples for analysis, organising sample shipments, conducting shelf‑life tests and communicating your key findings to project stakeholders.

What we're looking for:

• Education: Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Engineering, or other scientific discipline (e.g., Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry, Food & Nutrition, Physical Sciences, Materials Science, Physics, Culinary) with a predicted grade of a 2:1 - (or equivalent).

• Communication skills: Demonstrates strong analytical, communication and presentation abilities.

• Technical Rigour: Able to apply scientific approach to new situations whilst maintaining a well thought out approach.

• Initiative: A pro‑active and highly motivated team player who thrives on new challenges, building relationships, and working autonomously.

• Agility: Able to manage multiple tasks, adapt quickly, and respond to feedback constructively.

• Collaborative Mindset: Comfortable working in diverse teams with project managers, marketers, scientists, engineers, and suppliers.

• Creativity & Curiosity: You love to explore, ideate, and challenge the norm. You’re not afraid to ask, “what if?”. You show eagerness to grow and learn and bring fresh ideas.

Additional desirable skills

• Passion/inquisitiveness about food, food trends, nutrition, wellbeing and food production.

What you’ll gain:

It’s the people that makes Mondelez a great place to work and there is a comprehensive onboarding and training plan with buddies on hand to fully support your time with us.

• Hands‑on experience of the product development process in a leading global snacking company's R&D team.

• Technical skills in food formulation, processing, and analysis.

• The opportunity to network with experienced scientists and engineers in the food industry in a diverse and multicultural environment.

• Contribute to the development of innovative and exciting new products.

• Additional benefits: Access to discounted staff shop, discounted on-site gym membership and online GP services.

• Opportunity to experience and influence the diverse MDLZ culture by engaging in various voluntary activities and site initiatives to help the community and bring the MDLZ R&D community together.

Starting salary: £23,793

This position does not meet the minimum salary requirements for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Therefore, we are unable to consider applicants who require sponsorship. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK.

Closing date for applications is midday Monday 12 October 2026.

We will be holding our final stage assessment centre for this role in‑person at our Bournville offices on Monday the 23th & Tuesday the 24th of November 2026. Reasonable travel expenses will be covered.

A word from one of our intern:

“No two days are the same in the R&D Global Productivity Team, but typically, you'll find yourself involved in one of two main focuses. The first involves rigorous research, applying technical expertise to solve problems, and producing detailed reports and presentations. You'll communicate key findings to stakeholders and collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams, such as Consumer Science and Process Technology. The other half focuses on putting research and ideas into practice through Proof of Principle trials in the Pilot Plant. You'll develop Design of Experiments, apply methodical reasoning, and work with the analytical team, to uncover any underlying insights.

Overall, my internship provided me with a wider understanding of the FMCG industry. Through experiences like job shadowing in Project Management and being involved in a First Production Approval in manufacturing, I broadened my awareness of the food industry and business acumen. These opportunities provided valuable insights into the end-to-end processes within the FMCG sector”

We celebrate diversity, so if you require any adjustment to take part in our hiring process, let us know and we will work with you to help remove barriers and make the process accessible. You never have to disclose more than you're comfortable with - just tell us what you need. Please see the details on our dedicated D&I careers page.

Our candidate requirements are based on criteria to enable you to succeed in the role. If you have narrowly missed the above requirements and there are extenuating circumstances that you would like us to consider, you can let us know by contacting [e-mail] stating “UK&I Early Careers” as the subject and attaching a letter from your school/university to confirm your extenuating circumstances.

Business Unit Summary

We value our talented employees, and whenever possible strive to help one of our associates grow professionally before recruiting new talent to our open positions.

Mondelēz International is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Excited to grow your career?

Job Type

Intern (Fixed Term)

Interns

Early Careers