About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. Unilever has more than 400 brands found in homes around the world, including Dove, Lynx, Lifebuoy, Shea Moisture, Persil, Domestos, Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum, Marmite, The Vegetarian Butcher, Vaseline, Wall’s, and Pot Noodle.

Faced with the challenge of climate change and the desire for human development, we want to move towards a world where everyone can live well and within the natural limits of the planet. That’s why our purpose is ‘to make sustainable living commonplace’.

What we offer

Not only do we offer a competitive salary of £35,000 and a pension scheme, but we also offer an annual bonus, subsidised gym membership, a discounted staff shop and shares. You’ll have the opportunity to work directly with our renowned and exciting brands in a flexible and hybrid working environment.

Diversity at Unilever is about championing inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities, and growing together for better business performance. To celebrate this, we have internal networks and communities created to raise awareness for a cause, which work to create change within the business. These networks include Proud, Empower, Enable and Unity and our communities include Thriving Parents, Carers and All Inclusion Club.

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 wellbeing 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.

Do you require any adjustments in the application or assessment process?

If you do need any adjustments, please inform the Talent Acquisition team who will contact you to discuss the accessibility options available. E.g., If required extending time spent in any ‘timebound’ assessments/interviews.

*We also provide accessibility options such as magnifying glass, decrease/increase font size, change font & colour, screen ruler, screen mask for everyone who would require support.

Please contact the Talent Acquisition team at futurecareers.recruitment@unilever.com.

The role: Customer Account Management (Sales)

All of our brands have a powerful role to play in realising our vision for a sustainable future.

You will have the opportunity to work on some of these brands across some fantastic categories. Customer Account Management (Sales) brings them to the customer, ensuring that they are available wherever the shopper wishes to buy them.

Managing relationships with key retailers with skill and sensitivity makes all the difference to our business and theirs.

What will I be doing?

You’ll build partnerships with our wide range of customers – supermarkets, superstores, convenience stores, drug stores, discounters, online retailers, ice cream parlours and even theme parks – 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. Our Customer Insight and Innovation Centre allows us to work with our customers in exciting new ways.

Our people and actions can make a big impact every day on a local level, across Europe and the globe.

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 initiative, 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.

What will the programme involve?

The three-year, world-class development programme is packed with variety and challenge, with the opportunity of promotion to manager level after three years. You’ll develop your leadership skills by working on live projects that offer you all the experience you need to become ready for your first management role. Over three placements we’ll make sure you gain broad experience in several different areas to develop your commercial expertise, for example:

Customer Management (Sales), where you will build relationships, examine relevant data, own financial forecasting, agree on a tailored business plan, and negotiate promotions.
Category Management, where you will oversee a category of products, become an expert on the marketplace and our competitors, and advise customers on suitable ranges for their shoppers.
Shopper Marketing – You’ll work closely with both the Customer Management teams and Marketing team, to develop retailer-specific media plans, to activate key brands.
Business Operations – you’ll work closely with Marketing, Finance and Supply Chain functions, as well as the Customer Development teams to manage the link between brand ammunition and customer execution within a specific product category.
Brand Building - you will have the opportunity to undertake a placement in marketing and get exposure to commercial marketing working with iconic brands like Dove, Persil, Sure and Marmite, managing brand mixes to maximise their potential across product, place, price, promotion.

First-hand experience – it’s the fastest way to learn. The Unilever culture is varied, friendly and encourages innovative thinking. We will push and support you to achieve your potential, whilst giving you the chance to shape your career path according to your interests, strengths and ambitions.

Location

Although the Customer Management team are based in Kingston Upon-Thames, our customer-facing placements may be in different business units across the UK & Ireland, so you need to be flexible about where you are based during the programme.

Is travel required? 10-25%.

Closing date

We will close for applications as soon as we receive enough applications for the business area. We, therefore, advise you to apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you have any questions about your application or if you require special arrangements/reasonable adjustments to be made to complete any part of the application process, please contact the Graduate Recruitment Team.

If you would like to discuss any mitigating circumstances before making an application, please also contact the team using the following contact details: Phone: 020 3650 2304 or e-mail: futurecareers.recruitment@unilever.com.

UFLP Customer Development UK 2024