Nordic Trainee Programme

Do you have that little extra?

No matter who you are, or where in the world you are, the chances are that some of our products are part of your daily routine. Every day, all over the world, 150 million people choose Unilever products. Our brands have earned confidence, and by listening to the people who buy our products we have grown into one of the world’s most successful consumer goods companies.

Take a look in your fridge or on your bathroom shelf, and you are likely to see some of our well-known brands. We create, market and distribute products that people choose to feed their families with and to keep themselves and their homes clean and fresh. 

People’s lives change quickly. And as the way we live and work evolves, our needs and preferences also change. At Unilever we aim to help people in their daily lives. Therefore we keep developing new products, improving old brands, and encouraging better and more efficient ways of working. To meet these challenges, we have also designed a world-class Trainee Programme. The programme is designed to develop individual talent, and as a Unilever trainee you can be sure to develop professionally and to experience more than you ever thought possible in a few years.

A real job from day one

It’s a real job from day one. You will have a real role with real responsibility, and you will be expected to deliver results.

You will be based in one of our Nordic capitals. During the programme you will complete up to four rotations in around two years; one of these rotations can be outside of your main career choice. You may get stationed in other Nordic countries or somewhere else in Europe.

Wherever you are based, you will quickly see how the functions in Unilever operate closely together. And you will often work with cross-functional projects. You will also get involved in various levels within the company. For example, you may find yourself on the factory floor, in a supermarket, and in front of our board of directors presenting one of your projects. As you move on, your placements will get more challenging. We have designed a programme that has the development resources required to help you get as much as possible out of your investment. And it will allow us to build our next generation of leaders.

Salary & benefits

As a trainee in Unilever, you will get a highly competitive salary and rewards package, including bonus, pension and of course holiday. From day one you will have a permanent employment. In the course of the programme you will on two occasions be given the opportunity to raise your salary based on performance.

2012 intake

The intake for 2012 is now closed. More information about the intake for 2013 will come by the end of 2012.

What functions do we recruit trainees to and what profile are we looking for?

Customer Development

Without the right promotion or position and without the right level of interest from our customers – the people who actually sell the products to everyday consumers – we are not going to realise the potential of even our most successful brands. And that’s where you fit in. 

It is the job of our Customer Development team to persuade our customers to position our products, put up new displays, participate in special promotions and take the risk of buying lots of stock of something new and unfamiliar. And when we say customers we could mean supermarkets, convenience stores, petrol stations, newsagents, chemists, restaurants, hotels - the list goes on. It is a fast moving and exciting place to be, but working here takes a lot of skill. You need to manage relationships with retailers and wholesalers – building business in the long term and dealing with day-to-day issues as they arise. Essentially, you need to influence a whole range of people and you are at the heart of our business. 

Marketing

Marketing requires an expert knowledge of your brand, the people who use it and how to communicate with them. So as a marketer, you will work closely with consumers – perhaps commissioning research into their likes, dislikes and behaviour. You will liaise closely with agencies in PR, advertising and pack design to help you realise a campaign. And you’ll speak to retailers, Unilever Brand Innovation Centres across the world, and our Supply Chain and Customer Management teams. 

Being a global leader within the field of marketing, we will teach you all about strategy, brand positioning, understanding consumers, operations, customer management, communication and innovation.  

At the end of the programme you can take the role of brand manager, responsible for projects on a big brand, or for managing your own smaller brand. As you progress you will take responsibility for bigger brands and either work for a local operation where you will focus on activating brands, or internationally developing regional and global brand strategies.

Finance

There are some rather large figures to contend with at Unilever: 40 million spray-on deodorants sold in a year, 35 million cups of Lipton drunk every day, and 60 million Magnums sold per year. This is a discipline that influences the development of our products and the growth of our business – and helps our teams make a real success of their work.

People will seek your advice on brand performance, pricing strategy and more. You’ll be the trusted expert who sees past the figures to the bigger picture, you’ll also be in involved in pricing strategies and investment decisions. Three placements will give you the chance to get up-to-speed on Operations, Processes and Risks with real work in financial accounting, management reporting and analysis straight away.

You’ll be part of a Nordic cross-functional team that will include colleagues from other business functions, including Marketing, Supply Chain and Customer Development.

Your background and skills

• Masters Degree with strong academic track record

• Extracurricular activities and/or work experiences outside the academic world, which display your commercial awareness, drive and leadership potential

• Most likely some international experience

• Fluent in English and at least one Nordic language

 Could this be U?

• Do you aspire to work for a leading global consumer goods company?

• Would you enjoy working with a wide range of people and building professional relationships across a variety of business functions?

• Do you enjoy managing complicated projects, with demanding deadlines and budgets – as well as creative challenges?

• Do you get a thrill from winning?

• Are you motivated to develop yourself with fast pace to become one of Unilever’s future leaders?