Research & Development Industrial Placement - Food Safety Quality Assurance + Regulatory Affairs 202

PepsiCo; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 26,000; Full time

Job summary

A global food and beverage leader in East Midlands seeks enthusiastic undergraduates for a 12-month placement in R&D, starting July 2026. The role focuses on compliance with food safety and regulatory standards while providing hands-on experience in a fast-paced environment. Ideal candidates are penultimate-year students in relevant fields with strong analytical and communication skills. A competitive salary of £25,500 and various benefits are offered.

Benefits

Vibrant culture

Development and mentoring

25 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays

Discounted PepsiCo products

Competitive pension scheme

Market-leading health and wellbeing benefits

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a degree level qualification in Food Science/Technology, Nutrition, Life Sciences, Chemistry or similar.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Good interpersonal skills, able to work with various stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Review compliance of raw materials for new product launches.
• Support automated ingredient data collection.
• Lead a project around artwork consistency.

Skills

Digital skills

Analytical skills

Attention to detail

Interpersonal skills

Problem-solving skills

Communication skills

Education

Degree in Food Science/Technology, Nutrition, Life Sciences, or Chemistry

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 will 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 R&D teams on a 12-month placement programme starting in July 2026 on a full-time basis. All our Research & Development opportunities are based out of Beaumont Park, Leicester.

Innovation takes centre stage at PepsiCo! That means our Global R&D team are at the heart of the action and are kept busy creating the products of the future, for our global consumers. In a fast-paced consumer environment, our research and development capability is crucial to provide a fresh twist to our favourite brands as well as creating new to the world healthy choices that we need to succeed in the market. Our research and development focusses on building a consumer-centric understanding, enabling us to design products for the latest consumer needs - whether nutrition, refreshment, or indulgence - driving our growth both now and in the future.

You\'ll have lots of autonomy where your decisions will really make a difference to our business and in return, you\'ll have the chance to develop your skills and experience in a fast paced, energetic environment.

Overview of the role

This is a unique opportunity to work for a leader in the food and beverage industry in a broad technical role that encompasses Regulatory Affairs (RA), Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA).

You\'ll play a key role in ensuring products meet the highest standards of food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance. Working with many partners across functions—including supply chain, product development—you\'ll support new product launches, assess ingredients and labelling, and help uphold compliance with evolving legislation. This varied, hands-on role offers the chance to learn from industry experts and gain experience with real projects, building valuable technical and professional skills for your future in the food and beverage industry. You will also experience attending manufacturing sites and meeting suppliers, with some travel expected.

Responsibilities

What you will be doing:

• Reviewing the compliance of raw materials for PepsiCo foods (supporting new product launches and maintenance of existing products)
• Supporting the transition to an automated way of working for ingredient data collection
• Assessing finished product labels and leading a project around artwork consistency
• Supporting business process improvements in FSQA and Regulatory Affairs
• Support real world FSQA projects gaining exposure to risk assessment, compliance strategies and regulatory frameworks
• Work with cross functional teams across supply chain, product development and regulatory affairs to uphold quality and food safety standards
• Support in new product launches and ongoing product maintenance by assessing suppliers, ingredients, and new innovations

Qualifications

What are we looking for?

• Students that have the full right to work 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.
• Currently pursuing a degree level qualification in Food Science/Technology, Nutrition, Life Sciences, Chemistry or similar
• Strong and broad range of digital skills
• Attention to detail
• Interested in learning food regulation and developing technical skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Good interpersonal skills, able to work with a range of stakeholders across multiple functions and countries
• Concise and persuasive communicator with first class written and verbal presentation skills, especially to non-technical audiences.

What else do you need to know?

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

Other benefits

• Vibrant culture
• Development and mentoring
• 25 days annual leave plus 8 days bank holidays, birthday leave
• 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 involves:

• Online application
• One way video interview sent to you by Talent Acquisition team: September- October 2025
• Virtual Assessment Centre November- December 2025 (subject to change)

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.