Unilever Future Leaders Programme - Research & Development NL

Unilever Future Leaders Programme (UFLP) – Research & Development – Netherlands

Our Future Leaders Programme will ignite the leader in you. This unique programme is designed to develop Unilever’s Future Leaders (UFL) by providing challenging and purposeful opportunities that accelerate their readiness to take on business leadership roles.

The Unilever Future Leaders Programme, or as we call it “UFLP”, is a 3-year traineeship programme that gives you the opportunity to develop yourself into an experienced future-fit professional. Bring your enthusiasm, curiosity and innovative ideas to the table and start your learning journey at Unilever as a UFLP.

About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world’s largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) businesses. We reach 3.4 billion consumers a day and we have 128.000 employees globally.

What will you be doing as a Research & Development UFLP?

By joining the Unilever Future Leaders Research and Development Programme, we want to show you how in a business whose purpose is to make sustainable living commonplace and create a brighter future, that future begins in R&D. And we are delivering this future in our Foods business through the recent bold new ‘Future Foods’ ambition Unilever set itself:

• Deliver fewer, bigger, science-powered innovations that are globally scalable to drive real impact across our Foods portfolio.
• Improve nutrition and sustainability by upgrading recipes, reducing waste, and lowering our environmental footprint.
• Build a Future-fit R&D Model, driven by pioneering people and powered by cutting edge Digital and AI technology.

R&D forms an integrated part and enabler in achieving this ambition. To this extent Unilever invested in the new Foods Innovation Center – called ‘Hive’ – located at the ‘Silicon Valley of Food’ at Wageningen the Netherlands, to help formulate the next generation of food including meat and dairy alternatives – using criteria such as affordability, sustainability, and taste. Since 2019 ‘Hive’ is the hotbed of ideas for brands, products, packaging, manufacturing, and technology innovation.

As an R&D UFL you participate in and lead global innovations for our famous Foods brands. You develop products from concept ideas to full-scale production – with a heavy emphasis on feasibility and understanding consumer needs. You develop technologies and science for specific food products to make them healthier, more appealing, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly. You make sure that our products are able to run in the production lines of our factories. On top of that, you work together with more than 35 different nationalities in a highly educative environment.

Unilever R&D is on a journey of transforming our organization to adopt agile ways of working, through tools, practices, and principles – as well as a flexible mindset and culture. Using agile methodologies enable us to continuously plan and prioritize and collaborate across teams/squads and functions.

You are part of the Innovation Ecosystem in which you could be working with one of our technology partners, driving the delivery of a Global Programme or working with universities, scientific institutions, start-ups, and industry innovators to solve business challenges.

The limitless opportunities at Unilever create fully engaging innovative entrepreneurship. Our people have and take the opportunity to make a big impact every day. The Unilever Future Leaders Programme R&D is about having a big impact, right from the start. Unilever has a culture where growth means positive change, impact, and influence as well as market share.

What do we look for?

If you are ambitious, determined, and excited by the most recent technological developments in food and making the global food system healthier and more sustainable whilst liking to think strategically about how their value could be harnessed on a global scale, then this is the career path for you.

Ask yourself the following questions: And if you can answer these affirmatively, we are looking for you!

• Are you currently conducting a master’s degree in areas such as Chemical Engineering, Applied Physics, Life Science & Technology, Process Engineering, Food Technology, Data Science, Consumer Science, or any other relevant degree?
• Are you a scientist/engineer with a genuine business interest?
• Do you have an external focus and always searching for collaboration with others?
• Are you motivated to continuously develop yourself and to have a steep learning curve?
• Do you have a great passion for Foods and Research & Development?
• Do you act in a pro-active and responsible way?
• Do you have a growth mindset and feel like a true leader?
• Do you want to work on products which have impact on two billion people every day and are sold in 190 countries?

What will the programme involve?

You will develop your individual leadership skills by working on projects which offer you the experience you need to be ready for your first management role. Over 3 years, you will take on a variety of roles across our businesses.

• Career possibilities: You take on up to four R&D rotations within 3 years and may get the opportunity to work internationally. You have the opportunity for one rotation outside of R&D (based on business demand), to help you understand the full scope of our business. You work in cross functional and global teams. You get hands-on experience with real projects in which you can make a genuine business impact, for growth, for people, for brands and for sustainability.
• The programme is packed with variety and challenge, designed to lead you through to your first managerial position.
• Support and empowerment: We will support you every step of the way to senior management but much of your progress will be up to you. You will need to be focused and ambitious to get where you want, identifying opportunities and taking responsibility for your own development. Each UFL is assigned a mentor to guide you through the 3-year programme.
• Professional training: During the programme there will be a wide range of internal and external training programmes available to build specific R&D skills and knowledge as well as leadership skills. You will get all the support you need to build your personal development plan.
• We have a proven tradition of developing our own purpose driven leaders and encourage innovative thinking. Future focused feedback and challenging goals drives innovation and ambition within a performance culture and an inclusive and informal environment.

First-hand experience – it’s the fastest way to learn. The Unilever culture 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.

Requirements

• Eligibility to work in the Netherlands is a must before the employment start date of the UFLP programme on the 1st of September 2026.
• You have obtained your Master’s degree at the start date of the UFLP per September 1st, 2026.
• A WO master’s degree is required at the beginning of the Research & Development track.
• Intermediate level of Dutch is preferred but not required.
• We recommend that you only apply with a maximum of 5 years of experience to get the best out of the traineeship.
• Search year/Orientation year visa is not accepted. Unilever cannot support the request for a visa in any form (R&D talents, EU nationals, and candidates with asylum residence permits, are excepted from this requirement).

What can Unilever offer you?

• A competitive starting salary of 52.700 EUR gross yearly incl. holiday allowance
• 30 company-paid holidays, excluding public holidays
• A company pension scheme with a low pension contribution of 3%. You will see this back in your net salary.
• Annual performance-based bonus
• Multiple job rotations based on your track and learning needs
• Personal and functional learning and support along the way
• Share scheme
• Home working allowance
• My Fitness Plan (deduction on your Fitness Subscription)
• Company laptop and mobile phone
• Green mobility policy
• Informal culture and being the first one trying our new products