Unilever Industrial Placement Programme - Sales - UK

Unilever; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

End of Placement Bonus

Hybrid working

Gym membership subsidies

Staff shop discount

33 days holiday / year pro rata

Job summary

Unilever is offering a Sales Industrial Placement in Kingston with hybrid working. You will develop commercial and numerical skills while partnering with major retailers to execute brand and customer strategies.

The 12-month programme provides a bespoke training track across commercial, shopper marketing or category management teams, with strong support and cross-team collaboration. Applicants should be in the penultimate year of their undergraduate degree and intend to return to study after the

Qualifications

• Student must have completed the penultimate year of their undergraduate degree and be returning to study after the placement.
• Ambition, people skills and commercial acumen are essential; you should be credible and confident when engaging with retailers.

Responsibilities

• Develop your commercial knowledge and numerical skills.
• Build partnerships with customers such as Grocers, Health & Beauty retailers, Value Stores and E-commerce.
• Support the execution of trade and promotional plans to drive volume and visibility.
• Work with Marketing, Supply Chain and Finance to align teams for retailer outcomes.

Skills

Selling

Commercial Strategy

Negotiation

Customer Relationships

MS Office

Tools

MS Office

Job description

ABOUT UNILEVER

Unilever is one of the world’s leading FMCG companies, home to iconic brands including Dove, Vaseline, TRESemmé, Lynx, Persil, Domestos, Surf, Radox, Sure and Liquid I.V. Through products used by millions of people every day, we help improve health, wellbeing, confidence and care around the world.

Established over 100 years ago, Unilever has a proud heritage of innovation and a long-standing belief that great brands, great people and responsible business go hand in hand.

Today, we are transforming into a faster, more focused growth company centred on Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care and Home Care. Through world-class brands, cutting-edge science and technology, digital innovation and AI-enabled capabilities, we are building unmissably superior products and experiences for consumers around the world.

A career at Unilever offers the opportunity to work at global scale while helping shape the future of some of the world’s most recognised brands. Our people are at the heart of everything we do, bringing curiosity, creativity and passion to solve real business challenges and make a meaningful impact every day.

THE ROLE

Sales ensures that our brands are available wherever the shopper wishes to buy them. The focus of the role is to manage relationships with retailers to effectively drive our business and theirs. Our aim with the retailer is to develop and execute our overall brand & customer strategy and customer business plan, to drive the growth and profitability agenda within Unilever. Our customers recognise the effectiveness with which our work drives our business and theirs, which has led to several retailers (Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and Boots) recognising us as their supplier of the year.

Whilst no two Sales Industrial Placement is the same you will get the chance to work with exceptional brands and develop your analytical, commercial, and marketing skills whilst working with some of the UK’s leading retailers. As part of the programme, you might get the opportunity to work in either the commercial team, the commercial strategy team, the shopper marketing team, or the category management team. Regardless of the team, you will have a strong support network, a bespoke training programme, and the opportunity to partner with multiple teams across the wider business.

What could your day-to-day role include (depending on your role)?

• You’ll develop your commercial knowledge and numerical skills.
• You’ll build partnerships with our wide range of customers – Grocers, Health and Beauty Retailers, Value Stores, and E-commerce Businesses - so that we reach our target markets.
• That could mean working together to maximise a new product launch, recommending the right range of products, developing marketing programmes, negotiating an annual business plan, or looking for new business opportunities.
• Support the execution of trade and promotional plans to drive volume and visibility whilst monitoring sales performance and identifying growth opportunities.
• You’ll also work closely with our internal teams – Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance – to ensure everyone is aligned to deliver the best outcome for our retailers & consumers.

Our people have the opportunity to help build a bright future for our world, making a big impact every day, on a local level, across Europe and the globe. We have a proven tradition of developing our purpose-driven leaders and encouraging innovative thinking.

Some of our positions you could be allocated to include:

• Customer Account Executive, Tesco - Home Care
• Customer Account Executive, Heron - Personal Care, Beauty, Home Care & Foods
• Shopper Marketing Executive – Home Care
• Category Executive – Personal Care

What do we look for?

You don’t need a specific degree background, this is an area where your personality will set you apart. It takes a special blend of ambition, people skills, and commercial acumen; you’ll need to be credible and confident in front of people and have a passion for growing businesses, coupled with the power to influence and negotiate. We also look for candidates who show a curiosity to understand data trends and financial commercials.

With a strong performance culture, challenging goals, and continuous feedback, we will support you to achieve your potential in an inclusive environment. You will thrive by gaining exposure to real business challenges where your energy and fresh thinking will have an impact. First‑hand experience‑it’s the fastest way to learn.

Students must have completed the penultimate year of their undergraduate degree by the time they start their placement and be returning to study after their placement.

Skills required include:

• Selling
• Commercial Strategy
• Negotiation
• Customer Relationship
• Microsoft Office skills (Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint)

Please note, at Unilever, we have development programmes, the skills above are skills that would be good to have at the beginning however you will develop them over the course of the 12 months.

Programme details

Location:

Hybrid working with a minimum of 3 days required weekly within the Kingston office.

Applications open:

Monday 14 September 2026

Applications close:

This is a rolling deadline, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment in case applications close early.

Start date:

June 2027

What Can Unilever offer YOU?

• A competitive Salary of £27,898.00
• End of Placement Bonus
• Subsidised Gym Memberships - availability varies by site
• Discounted Staff Shop
• Opportunity to work directly with our renowned and exciting brands in a flexible and hybrid working environment.
• 28 days (pro rata) of holiday inclusive of bank holidays. Once you have completed 12 worked weeks, under the Agency Workers Regulation your holiday entitlement will increase to 33 days inclusive of bank holidays, pro rata for the term of this placement.
• Opportunity to join one of our Future Careers Development Teams such as Outreach, Digi, Community & Wellbeing and many more! By joining a team, you can grow business-critical skills, develop Unilever Behaviours, and make a meaningful contribution to Future Careers.
• A dedicated buddy to help you onboard and learn about the business.
• An experienced Line Manager to develop your knowledge and understanding across the year.
• Connections with the Graduates (UFLPs) who can share helpful tips on how to be successful at Unilever.

At Unilever, diversity is about embracing differences, championing inclusion, creating possibilities, and growing together for better business performance. Join our vibrant and inclusive workplace that champions diversity and inclusion.

We give full and fair consideration to all applicants, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.

We are a key advocate of well-being and offer a variety of support for our people including hubs, programmes, and development opportunities. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all.

Unilever is an organisation committed to diversity and inclusion to drive our business results and create a better future every day for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual and the talent they can bring. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.