Sustainability Industrial Placement

Sustainability Industrial Placement

Who are we?

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Beauty and Wellbeing, Home, and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 3.4 billion consumers daily. Founded in Port Sunlight (Wirral) in 1929 by Lord Lever, Unilever has more than 400 brands found in homes around the world, including Dove, TRESemmé, Lynx, Lifebuoy, Shea Moisture, Hellman’s, Persil, Domestos, Marmite, Graze, Vaseline, Sure, Colman’s and Pot Noodle.

Our goal is to deliver best-in-class performance with market making, unmissably superior brands. From our earliest days Unilever has been at the forefront of change always striving towards making a world where everyone can live well and within the natural limits of the planet. That’s why our purpose is ‘Brightening everyday life for all’.

*As we receive a high volume of applications, please make sure to read the job descriptions on our website carefully and apply for the ONE function you are most interested in. Only your first application will be considered*

What do we look for?

A proactive individual who is happy to take initiative and keen to learn! Creative, detail-orientated, energetic and a strong team player.

With a strong performance culture, challenging goals and continuous feedback, we will help you in achieving your potential in an inclusive environment. You will thrive by gaining exposure to real business challenges where your energy and fresh thinking will have an impact.

The role: Sustainability IP

A placement in Sustainability puts you at the heart of shaping Unilever’s reputation as the leader in sustainable business. From planning and delivering sustainability strategy through to managing big milestone events that advocate for systemic change, everything we do drives towards strengthening our business performance. You’ll gain skills in advocacy, partnerships, innovation, stakeholder management, research, content, writing and strategic issues management in a fast-paced, externally facing environment, with a unique insight into agendas that cut across the whole business. You will work closely with our Communications and Corporate Affairs teams and IPs as part of the same function but also with other functions like Supply Chain or the sustainability people in our Business Groups.

The Function:

The function is split in 3 pillars: Communications, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability.

The Sustainability pillar is responsible for:

• Setting and Leading the Sustainability Strategy
• Lead on Global Advocacy, Partnerships, Platforms and Stakeholder Relationships
• Lead on the Sustainability agendas that cut across multiple points of Unilever

What could your day-to-day role include (depending on your role)?

During your placement, you could work with teams from different areas of the business. Your key responsibilities could be:

• Gather and summarise insight from external events, policy changes and reports that are relevant to the team’s agenda to help inform decision making.
• Support Unilever's senior leaders on advocacy through briefs and events that drive systems change to optimise the enabling environment in areas that are material to Unilever to grow our business and protect our licence to operate.
• Work on reporting, write articles for our U.com website and distil complex topics into clear, compelling communications.
• Support the pillar during big milestones like the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, the United Nations General Assembly, COP, etc
• Support team organisation and management.

Some of the positions you could be allocated include

• IP in our Plastics team
• IP in our Strategy and Governance Team
• IP in our Social and Human Rights team
• IP in our Nature team
• IP in our Climate team

Skills required include:

• Ability to work well in a team and build good working relationships
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment and operates with flexibility
• Team player who is willing to pitch in and help wherever necessary
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously
• Taking initiative and being proactive in identifying and solving problems
• Microsoft office skills (Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint)
• Open minded, flexible and creative thinking)

Please note, at Unilever, we have development programmes, the skills above are skills that would be good to have at the beginning however you will develop them over the course of the 12 months.

Our application process involves:

Step 1: Online Application

Complete the online application form and tell us about your motivation for choosing Unilever and your selected programme. It is a simple and easy process!

Step 2: Online Assessment

If your online application is successful, you will be asked to complete some online assessments designed to look at different elements of your personality, motivations and cognitive ability.

Step 3: Digital Interview

If your online assessment is successful, you will be invited to complete a digital interview.

*Please note, we do not use AI as a screening tool in our recruitment process therefore, your digital interview submission will be reviewed by a real person*

Step 4: Virtual Discovery Centre

You will be invited to spend a virtual day in the life with us, immersing yourself in business challenges and an Interview.

What Can Unilever offer YOU?

• A competitive Salary of £26,107.25
• End of Placement Bonus
• Discounted Staff Shop
• Opportunity to work directly with our renowned and exciting brands in a flexible and hybrid working environment.
• 28 days (pro rata) of holiday inclusive of bank holidays. Once you have completed 12 worked weeks, under the Agency Workers Regulation your holiday entitlement will increase to 33 days inclusive of bank holidays, pro rata for the term of this placement.

At Unilever, diversity is about embracing differences, championing inclusion, creating possibilities, and growing together for better business performance. Join our vibrant and inclusive workplace that champions diversity and inclusion.

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.

What support will you receive?

• A dedicated buddy to help you onboard and learn about the business.
• An experienced Line Manager to develop your knowledge and understanding across the year.
• Connections with the Graduates (UFLP’s) who can share helpful tips on how to be successful at Unilever.

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 [email protected] .

Location:

Hybrid working a minimum of 2 days required weekly at our London Blackfriars office.

Discovery Centres:

Friday 6th February 2026 to Tuesday 10th February 2026

Opening date:

13th October 2025

Closing date:

This is a rolling deadline, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment in case applications close early.

If you have any questions about your application or if you require any reasonable adjustments to be made to complete any part of the application process, please contact the Future Careers 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: [email protected] .

Recruitment Fraud

Cyber criminals advertise fake job adverts with prestigious employers as a way of stealing information or even defrauding individuals out of money. In the most sophisticated cases, they will set up fake websites, which have a similar address to companies like Unilever. They even conduct fake telephone interviews and then offer candidates a role with the proviso they pay a fee for background checks or to cover work visa costs. These types of attacks are becoming more common as more people are looking for employment in the economic climate.

How is Unilever tackling this?

Many of Unilever’s recruitment sites publish a warning to candidates about recruitment fraud. The Cyber Security team also proactively scan for signs of people setting up fake Unilever sites and act to close them down.

What can I do?

If you become aware of potential recruitment fraud, spot fake Unilever recruitment adverts or fake LinkedIn profiles, report them via Una Live Chat.

Unilever does not accept responsibility or liability for any candidates who are financially impacted by recruitment fraud. Your vigilance is key!

How to apply

To apply for this role and to find out more, please click on the apply button which will direct you to an email application. Please note that applications may close before the application deadline, so apply early to avoid disappointment.