Research & Development Industrial Placement - Global Process- Compression Popping & Extrusion 2027

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

Benefits offered by this job

Vibrant culture

Development and mentoring

25 days annual leave + 8 bank holidays

Discounted PepsiCo products

Competitive pension scheme

Health & wellbeing benefits

Job summary

PepsiCo is seeking enthusiastic undergraduates to join its 12-month R&D placement programme in the Compression Popping and Extrusion team. You will lead experiments, manage projects and budgets, and work with global teams to explore new technologies that shape future products.

The role emphasises hands-on testing, data analysis, and knowledge transfer across PepsiCo’s production lines, with a salary of £26,600 and a July 2027 start date.

Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification in Mechanical or Chemical Engineering or related disciplines.
• Penultimate-year student with option for sandwich placement before returning to study.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with ability to present to non-technical audiences.
• Strong digital skills including Python and Modelling & Simulation tools.
• Solid understanding of fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, rheology, heat and mass transfer; statistics.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret data and derive insights.
• High self-motivation and good organisational skills.
• Initiative and drive to deliver trial results.

Responsibilities

• Lead and execute own experimental studies at bench and pilot scale to build insights for new technologies.
• Own and manage project activity, budget and stakeholder connections.
• Maintain an organised pilot plant environment during peak activity and coordinate with the pilot plant team for materials and services.
• Participate in safety and risk assessment aspects of projects.
• Analyse data from existing operations to understand performance and potential improvements.
• Support plant testing of new technology developments and evaluation of performance.
• Support knowledge capture and transfer of best practice across global production lines.

Skills

Communication

Python

Modelling & Simulation

Data analysis

Project management

Self-motivation

Multi-tasking

Oral/written presentation

Education

Mechanical or Chemical Engineering (degree)

Penultimate-year sandwich placement

Tools

None

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 2027 on a full-time basis.

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:

Within the R&D Global Foods Process Capability Teams, specifically the Compression Popping and Extrusion team, you will be involved in identifying, exploring and evaluating new technologies as well as improving the design performance and efficiency of existing technologies for PepsiCo. The main aspects of the role involves managing work streams in technology evaluation projects, which means designing and conducting experiments to build scientific understanding, and manufacturing product prototypes to illustrate possibilities and progress.

Responsibilities

What will you be doing?

• Leading and executing your own experimental studies at both bench and pilot scale to build insights to support the development of new technologies
• Owning and managing project activity, program and budget and connections with external and internal stakeholders
• Sustain an organized environment in the pilot plant during periods of high activity, including working with pilot plant team to ensure a seamless supply of raw materials and services
• Participate in safety and risk assessment aspects of projects
• Analyse and interpret key data from existing operation plants to understand current performance and potential for improvements
• Support plant testing of new technology developments working with the team to evaluate or validate performance
• Support the knowledge capture and transfer of best practice between the full scale production lines across the business globally

Qualifications

What we are looking for:

• Following path to a degree level qualification in Mechanical or Chemical Engineering, or closely related disciplines such as Manufacturing Engineering, Food Engineering, Natural Sciences
• 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
• Concise and persuasive communicator with first class written and verbal presentation skills, especially to non-technical audiences. Also, with good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate to a diverse audience
• Strong and broad range of digital skills; highly computer literate. Preferably including competent programming skills, ideally a working knowledge of Python, and knowledge of Modelling & Simulation tools
• Solid fundamental scientific understanding of fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, rheology and heat and mass transfer. Sound knowledge of statistical methods
• Strong analytical skills to interpret complex data and distil into meaningful information e.g. modelling output, experimental design, statistical inference etc.
• High degree of self-motivation combined with good organisational skills
• Initiative and drive to deliver results of trials and activities and able to be pro-active and multi-task

What else do you need to know?

Our placements start in July 2027 on a full-time basis and will last for 12 months. The salary is £26,600.

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

Application Closing Date:

20th October 2026

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.