Supply Chain Industrial Placement - Operations and Continuous Improvement 2026

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

Job summary

A leading global food and beverage company in Lincoln is seeking enthusiastic undergraduates for a 12-month placement in Supply Chain starting July 2026. Candidates will lead projects, seek productivity improvements, and contribute significantly to the department. This role offers a salary of £25,500 and various benefits including annual leave and health support.

Benefits

Vibrant culture

25 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays

Discounted PepsiCo products

Market-leading health and wellbeing benefits

Qualifications

• Students that have the full RTW for the duration of the full time placement.
• Students currently in their penultimate year of university studies.
• Ability to challenge accepted ways of doing things.

Responsibilities

• Lead and own projects from inception through to handover.
• Seek opportunities for productivity improvements.
• Own project management and support capital investment programs.

Skills

Intellectual curiosity

Passion for sustainability

Creativity

Ambition

Education

Degree in Business Management or related discipline

Job description

Overview

PepsiCo Industrial Placements – Supply Chain 2026-2027 Cohort

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

Operations and Continuous Improvement at Lincoln

In this placement you will:

• Lead and own projects from inception through to handover ensuring key phasing of Projects are identified and worked to (Project Management)
• Seek opportunities for productivity improvements
• Own data collection & improvements
• Act as an interface (‘on project’ point of contact) for Site and other PepsiCo plants with teams such as Operations, Finance, Engineering and Quality
• Lead Operations Teams as appropriate for the size of each project ensuring adequate/appropriate resource is allocated
• Cross UK communication of projects for best practices
• Work with cross site and functional teams to support in the planning, upscaling and deployment of new product specifications and requirements
• Own project management and support of the development and deployment of capital investment programs, which may include state of the art automation equipment
• 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 Business Management 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 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.

Operations and Continuous Improvement (Lincoln) – Recap

In this placement you will:

• Lead and own projects from inception through to handover ensuring key phasing of Projects are identified and worked to (Project Management)
• Seek opportunities for productivity improvements
• Own data collection & improvements
• Act as an interface (‘on project’ point of contact) for Site and other PepsiCo plants with teams such as Operations, Finance, Engineering and Quality
• Lead Operations Teams as appropriate for the size of each project ensuring adequate/appropriate resource is allocated
• Cross UK communication of projects for best practices
• Work with cross site and functional teams to support in the planning, upscaling and deployment of new product specifications and requirements
• Own project management and support of the development and deployment of capital investment programs, which may include state of the art automation equipment
• Be given real-life objectives to work on and will be expected to make a noticeable contribution to your department