Supply Chain Graduate 2024

Family and ideas have always been our ingredients. Our founding families believed biscuits and chocolates could bring moments of happiness to the world. Their ideas have stood the test of time. Their spirit continues to inspire our future. It’s in the care and the craft we bake into biscuits and chocolates that have been loved for generations. And it’s in the fresh ideas, the new twists, flavours and textures we add to old and new favourites.

Day in and day out, our 16,000 brilliant colleagues bring it to pladis. Bring what?

Their will to win. Their drive and ambition. Their brilliant ideas. Their whole selves. Their passion for our globally loved biscuits and chocolates. Their excitement at being part of the world’s fastest growing snacking business. And their belief in our purpose to bring happiness with every bite.

About the role

As part of our ‘Emerging Talent’ Graduate Programme you will have the opportunity to work with some of the Nation's Favourite snacking brands including McVities, Jaffa, Penguin, Mini Cheddars, Jacob’s and Carr’s.

At pladis we adopt a world class approach to our supply chain to ensure that we are continually adapting and innovating our processes. We have sustainability and carbon based targets front of mind. We bake with a mixture of legacy and pioneering equipment, focusing on manufacturing excellence and operating as efficiently as possible to generate the highest level of customer satisfaction.

As a Supply Chain graduate at pladis, you can expect to:

• Undertake 2 ambitious and diverse placements within our supply chain function via a structured 2 year programme
• Gain broad exposure and breadth of experience to provide you with the knowledge and expertise you need for a fast tracked and successful career
• Build a broad end to end understanding of our supply chain from manufacturing in our bakeries to delivering the product to our customers
• Develop the skills to inspire and manage operational teams
• Identify and drive improvements across the 2 year programme in all aspects
• Enable delivery of exciting transformation projects

Overview of the rotations you may undertake

Team Management

pladis Manufacturing is all about efficiently making the right products at the right time. We must meeting quality and cost requirements without compromising safety, employee health or the environment. As a Team Manager, you will be accountable for people, plant, product and process delivery against clearly defined role outputs and responsibilities. Those responsibilities include motivating, inspiring and coaching a manufacturing team of semi-skilled, advanced-skilled, and technically skilled production team members to successfully deliver production, quality, hygiene, safety, conformance to plan and attendance critical metrics.

Supply Chain Excellence

SCE is the business strategy for achieving continuous improvement in our performance through the elimination of all ‘wastes’ in our business processes and practices. At pladis, we are always looking to do more with less by employing ‘lean thinking’. The SCE team are responsible for the development and implementation of continuous improvement and efficiency gain initiatives across pladis to build a stronger and more competitive future. You will be supporting our SCE team in the development and delivery of Lean capabilities and the deployment of Lean initiatives across our manufacturing teams.

Project Engineering

Our project engineering team are key to the successful implementation of our technical projects within our supply chain. As we continue to invest heavily in our manufacturing platform, our engineering teams are pivotal in ensuring that our factories and infrastructure are aligned and capable of supporting the growth in demand for our products, and to meet changing consumer trends. It is key that they plan and coordinate timelines, manage budget and adhere to quality and safety standards. Our team collaborates closely with a diverse group of people across the business, and external contractors, calling for strong communication skills, effective stakeholder management and excellent teamwork abilities. You also need to be thorough, adaptable, and confident with adopting innovative technology to solve problems and present a realistic solution.

Site Engineering Management

Our Site Engineering teams ensure that our lines keep running like clockwork. As a manager you will be accountable for owning the asset maintenance plans for your site to keep our assets running at their best and directly contribute to the quality and efficiency of our operations. You’ll need to motivate, inspire and coach your team of engineers to successfully carry out works accurately and according to quality and safety standards.

Supply Chain Capability & Capacity

The Capability and Capacity team play a key role in delivering efficiency and innovation projects. They're the link between our commercial and supply chain teams and work with the UK&I and global project managements teams on all projects. They're the decision holders for all UK sourcing and lead the assessment of our UK network capability to ensure all projects are aligned and accurate. This includes both technical manufacturing solutions and strategic capacity analysis. The team work closely with the UK & Europe Investment PMO to ensure proposals are aligned fully to the region capital plan and the capital solution meets business financial guardrails. The Capability and Capacity team hold a detailed knowledge of the entire UK network and therefore play a key role in problem solving when the Business is faced with manufacturing continuity challenges.

Bring your ambition!

Person Specification

• Achieved or working towards a 2:2 in an Engineering degree or equivalent
• Proactive approach to getting things done
• Continuously looking to improve with growth mindset
• Ability to analyse problems, create insight and propose innovative solutions
• Passion to work in partnership to achieve common goals
• Resilience when faced with setbacks and enthusiasm to achieve
• Ability to flex approach to ensure effective communication
• Motivation to drive career and seek experiences to support ambitions
• Passion and excitement for a career in the food industry
• Right to work in the UK

Location and Salary

This role will be based at one of our 7 pladis manufacturing and logistics sites within the UK. As one of our Supply Chain graduates, location flexibility will be important as it will be likely that you will need to relocate as part of your second rotation. Our manufacturing and logistics sites include Harlesden (London), Wigston (Leicester), Manchester, Liverpool, Halifax, Carlisle and Ashby.

As part of our emerging talent programme you will need to have flexibility to travel for both your role and training.

The starting salary is £32,000 with a joining bonus equivalent to one month's base salary to help you prepare for the scheme, which includes moving and other expenses. This would need to be repaid should you decide to leave within 12 months of the programme.

Our Purpose

Bring happiness with every bite

It’s a purpose that every one of our colleagues, all around the world believes in. And while we’re all unique, we also share the same values.

Each of our values is important on its own. In combination they’re incredibly powerful.

Our values have deep personal meaning to us. They’re part of who we are and what we stand for as an employer. Living our pladis values is a key part of success, look out for questions in your interview that link to these key pladis values.

Our traits and behaviours

• Purpose led – We’re energised and guided by our purpose to bring happiness with every bite
• Agile – We’re ever evolving, we never stand still, always improving for our customers and our consumers
• Positive – We’re highly motivated optimistic, courageous, and we inspire each other to be better
• Resilient - We’re persistent in the face of setbacks, quick to adapt, learn and move forward
• Collaborative – We gain strength from operating as one pladis, winning and succeeding together.

Best mix of ingredients

pladis is an equal opportunities employer, like every great recipe we’re a thoughtful mix. A happy and inclusive place to work that’s as diverse as our consumers and the communities we support, live and work in, all around the world. Where every voice is heard, and difference is celebrated. Where fresh perspectives and new ideas help us grow and thrive.

We want you to have every opportunity to bring your whole-self and show us your talents.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform key job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Application Process

The application process for pladis’ Emerging Talent Graduate Programme will close on Friday 5 th January.

• Complete initial screening to give us more information on yourself and motivation for joining pladis.
• After this is reviewed you will be invited to complete some online assessments.
• The next stage following successful completion of the assessments will be a video interview, to allow us to find out more about you and your interest in pladis’ Emerging Talent Graduate Programme.
• Finally, if successful, you will be invited to the final stage of the recruitment process which is to deliver a presentation. This will be held in person at Chiswick Park during the last 2 weeks of February.