Commercial Graduate Programme - Sept 2022 intake

Be part of something big

We are Pernod Ricard, a leading company in the global wines and spirits industry with over 19,000 employees globally. We own 16 of the world’s top 100 Spirits Brands and hold one of the most prestigious and comprehensive brand portfolios in the industry with 240 premium brands available in over 160 countries, including: Absolut vodka, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater, Malfy and Monkey 47 gins, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes as well Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate and Campo Viejo wines.

In the UK, Pernod Ricard is made up of 3 businesses:

• Pernod Ricard UK, which markets, sells and distributes our products in the UK and also drives the global development of our iconic Gin brands through The Gin Hub
• Chivas Brothers, the largest brand company in the Group, responsible for the production and management of our award-winning Scotch whisky portfolio
• Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail, the global and EMEA home of the group’s duty free, air travel and cruises business.

About the team

The Commercial Graduate Programme is housed in the Pernod Ricard UK (PRUK) business. Our diverse population of 300+ passionate employees have been creating conviviality since 2001, bringing our premium brands and unforgettable experiences to the UK. As the world’s 2nd largest spirits market, the UK is a key location for our company. Since 2017 PRUK has also hosted The Gin Hub, the team responsible for managing the Group’s unrivalled portfolio of ‘Premium+’ International Gins globally.

At PRUK, we have a culture that blends performance and conviviality: we are recognised as an open and diverse business with a firm commitment to our employees’ wellness, inclusion and safety and to making a positive impact on our industry and environment.

Within our commercial structure, we have 70 employees working on selling our brands specifically to the “On Trade”. The On Trade consists of over 120,000 licensed premises (Bar, Pubs, Restaurants, Nightclubs) supplied by a number of large national and regional wholesalers. Pernod Ricard UK manages our relationship with the On Trade through 4 aligned business units: Field Sales, Prestige, Managed Retail and Route To Market.

Of the 70 people selling to the On Trade, 32 sit within our Field Sales team, including the Commercial Graduate Programme.  These colleagues each cover a territory roughly consisting of 200 On Trade outlets.  This allows us to sell our brands to and maintain a personal face- to-face relationship with over 6,000 of the top outlets across the UK, from Shoreditch to Cornwall to Aberdeen.

In essence, the purpose of the Field Sales Team is to sell and activate our fantastic spirits brands and drinks to the top 6,000 On Trade outlets in the UK.    

The UK On Trade is an incredibly vibrant industry in which to work and engage consumers and has seen a huge momentum bounce back since trade reopened. For Pernod Ricard UK, the On Trade channel is an important contributor of profit, as well as playing a vital role in building the equity of our brands with consumers.

About the Commercial Graduate Programme

The Commercial Graduate Programme is the place where successful careers in Commercial & Marketing begin at Pernod Ricard.

The programme lasts 12 months, during which your role will be as a Graduate Business Development Executive in our Field Sales team based in varying locations across the UK.

For the first 6 to 8 weeks, you will split your time between training held in our London office and shadowing out in the field. Following this initial period, you will be based in your own Sales Region. Therefore, you will be comfortable with being based in any of our North, South, London or Scotland regions for the duration of the Programme.

At the end of your Graduate Programme – or even before – we expect that you will progress into a full-time position in our Commercial function, most likely initially within the Field Sales team. For this reason, although the programme lasts 12 months, we will offer you a permanent employment contract from the beginning and you will need to commit to being flexible in where you will be based in the UK after your Programme finishes.

Beyond that, the opportunities to progress your career in Commerical & Marketing are vast! For example, Keli Toseafa joined our Grad scheme in 2016 and is currently the Customer Account Manager on Morrisons Wine. Prior to working on Morrisons, Keli also worked in the On-Trade and Convenience Channel responsible for Bestway Retail, before supporting Morrisons and Asda Spirits.

Craig Scott joined our Grad scheme in 2011 and is now heading up our largest On Trade customer, Matthew Clark, having worked on the Tesco and Morrisons accounts prior to his current role. 

About your role

You will be responsible for driving sales, distribution and visibility of Pernod Ricard brands, as well as developing relationships and being the face of Pernod Ricard in your customer base of 150 outlets. 

Key Responsibilities

• Develop a face-to-face relationship with staff at 200 outlets within your territory
• Use selling tools to drive distribution of Pernod Ricard products at outlet level – e.g. gain a listing of Jameson Orange in Bar X
• Use selling tools to drive visibility of Pernod Ricard brands and drinks at outlet level – e.g. have Absolut Vanilia & Kahlua feature in an Expresso Martini on a cocktail menu in Bar Y
• Add value to the wider business through 8-16 week placement within our Customer Marketing team
• Achieve key performance targets

What you need

We have developed 6 Leadership Attributes that will help Pernod Ricard achieve our ambition of rapidly and proactively becoming the uncontested industry leader. These Attributes embody the attitudes and behaviours that we expect of our people in all areas, including our own Commercial team. These are:

• Growth Mindset: Forward thinking, embodying a vision that translates into inspiring strategies. Thrives in a complex and changing world deploying resources effectively and efficiently.
• Deliver Through Collaboration: Achieves results while balancing rigorous planning and flexible transversal collaboration. Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Consumer Centric: Develops consumer intimacy with a focus of technology to innovate and create more value for the consumer and Pernod Ricard.
• Bold and Agile: Decisive and courageous even in the face of difficult and complex situations and always learns from past experiences. Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said in a respectful way.
• Open and Authentic: Role Models who instil trust, engage teams by giving and receiving feedback and constantly fostering open dialogue.
• Grow Diverse Teams: Leverages and values diversity of profiles to build empowered teams and develops talents creating a sense of belonging in an environment that promotes Pernod Ricard values.

Who you’ll be working with

Internally, you’ll work with various stakeholder in the business; graduate peers; members of the wider business development team; field sales planning; customer marketing and our brand activation experts – bringing our brands to life in trade!

Externally, your contacts will be a wide range of customers across the on trade, from restaurant owners to bar managers to bar staff.

Your blend of talent

This position could be right for you if you:

• Have a passion for the on trade, and want to work with a portfolio of internationally acclaimed spirit brands
• Have a positive attitude, relish an opportunity and taking responsibility for your own personal targets
• Can collaborate as part of the wider sales team, working with an array of internal and external stakeholders
• Enjoy thinking on your feet, problem solving and strive for continued improvement
• Want a commercial career in a fast moving globally successful business

Our mix of benefits

For your health, we offer private medical insurance, critical illness cover and an optional healthcare cash plan and dental insurance.

Our lifestyle benefits options include 28 days’ annual holiday, your employee pension, share incentive plan, family care, season ticket loans, free mortgage advice, payroll giving and more!

You can access lots of gifts & discounts, including an allowance each year to spend on our brands in our staff shop and employee discounts from a range of high street retailers.

We have regular events in our very own office bar, employee-run networks, a culture of flexibility and trust and a variety of tools and resources to help you focus on your wellbeing and mental fitness.

Conviviality: the Pernod Ricard Way

We have our own way of doing things. We call it conviviality! It’s our way of being, and something unique you feel and experience when working for Pernod Ricard.

We’re committed to conviviality, and with this, you’ll be Proud to Belong to our Pernod Ricard family. You’ll be Empowered to Perform, supported to succeed, and acknowledged for the value you bring.

We combine all this with our Commitment to Care: we are unlocking the magic of human connection to transform our industry and make a positive impact on the world though our strong focus on sustainability and responsibility.

The Commercial Graduate Programme will kick-start your career Commercial & Marketing at Pernod Ricard. You will benefit from an in-depth induction and training in our business and will rapidly move to managing our own accounts. You will receive the mentorship and opportunities that will help you progress your career within our company. You will benefit from the opportunity to live and work in locations across the UK.

We’re committed to diversity and inclusion

People are at the heart of everything we do at Pernod Ricard and are the foundation of our collective spirit as ‘Créateurs de Convivialité’.

We promote diversity and inclusion throughout our business and supply chain. In our teams, we proactively foster a diverse work force and an inclusive culture – an environment where we can truly be ourselves. 

We will assess your application for this role based on your skills, experiences and achievements, not your gender, age, ethnic or educational background or any other such factors. Please feel free to leave these off your CV and application form if you so wish.

Similarly, if you would like to discuss opportunities for flexible working or require accommodations or support to complete our application process, please let us know.

Responsible drinking

As ‘Créateurs de convivialité’, we want to turn social interactions into genuine and friendly experiences of sharing and wellbeing.

In our culture, we want to create diverse teams in which our differences contribute to our success. Therefore, all are welcome at Pernod Ricard, regardless of your religious beliefs or personal choices on the consumption of alcohol.

In our business, we work together with industry members, civil society, governments, local authorities and UN bodies to promote responsible drinking. 

What do we require

• Be available to start your programme from September 2022
• Be flexible in where you are based in the UK for your Graduate Programme and for future roles
• An interest in a Commercial Career
• Strong demonstration of our Leadership Attributes during the interview process
• Unrestricted right to work in the UK post graduation

Application Process

1. Application submission
2. Video interview
3. Phone interview
4. Assessment centre (to be held in July-August 2022 at the Pernod Ricard London offices)

Please email us here if there are any reasonable adjustments we can make to assist you in your application or with any part of the recruitment process. These may include online tests, video interviews, short phone calls and an assessment centre. For more information and guidance please visit here.