Product Development, Lifecycle & Category Management
Graduate Programme
Discover Bakkavor
We're probably the biggest name you've never heard of. You've almost certainly eaten our food – you just didn't realise it! As global leaders in the fresh prepared food industry with over 16,000 employees, we create innovative products, including meals, soups, dips, salads, desserts, pizzas and bread for customers including Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury's and Waitrose in the UK. We're ambitious, full of ideas, and we're keen to find more people who share our passion for quality food to join us. We’re looking for the next generation of talented individuals to join Bakkavor and drive our success.
As well as being the leading provider of fresh prepared food in the UK, we also have a growing international presence in the US and China. Our headquarters are in London, and we have 19 factories in the UK, 5 in the US and 9 in China.
If you share our passion for great food and our strong values, then this company is for you!
We have a diverse range of career opportunities and programmes available for you to kick start your career and make a real impact in the food industry.
Our Product Development, Lifecycle & Category Management Programme
The Product Development function works hard to identify the best products for our customers. If you are on this programme, you will work with different customers and product categories as part of a customer focused team, and you will turn your passion for food, ingredients, and ideas into products for the nation!
You will work side by side with our experienced and talented chefs, who’ll give you the freedom to flourish whilst challenging your ideas.
You will get at least three site visits in your first year, plus formal training in: Sensory Analysis, Culinary Skills, Leadership and Management, Category Management and Commercial Skills, Consumer and Market Trends.
You will gain an understanding of the manufacturing processes, as well as the capabilities of the business, to ensure that products are commercially viable and will support the longevity of our customer partnerships. You could be focusing on idea generation, recipe development, product trials and/or launches.
On leaving the programme you should be aspiring to a Product Manager role.
What you’ll need
We are looking for graduates who can come up with exciting and commercially viable ideas, and who are fully up to date with knowledge around food trends and consumer tastes. Having an inquisitive nature and an inbuilt desire to challenge the norms is the key to success. Here at Bakkavor innovation is what we are all about; it’s what keeps us ahead of the competition. You’ll also need:
* Achieved, or are expected to achieve, at least a 2:2 honours degree in a discipline that relates to Food nutrition or Hospitality
* Three months' work experience
* An existing ‘right to work’ in the UK
* A clearly articulated motivation to progress your career in the food industry
* Flexibility to complete three rotational placements, a minimum of two moves, maximum of three (placements can be in any of our locations)
* Graduates who align to the Bakkavor Values and represent a good value fit to our organisation
What we offer
Our programme is designed to broaden your perspective and offer you a variety of learning opportunities. On the graduate programme, you’ll receive:
* Reward Package
* Starting Salary – £27,000 + £1,000 one-off signing on bonus,
* Year 2 – £31,000
* Year 3 – £37,000
* London placements will receive an additional allowance for living costs
* Pension Scheme
* Relocation Financial Assistance (for each graduate placement)
* Additional Holiday purchase scheme (25 days holiday as standard)
* Access to employee benefits – such as MyDrive Car Lease scheme
* A broad Support & Development Network
A dedicated Champion for your functional programme
A Mentor to support and guide your development
You’ll join as a Cohort, with up to 20 other graduates, not to mention a wide community of graduates who joined in the years before you
A Line Manager who will complete regular performance reviews and support you to develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours set out in your programme.
* A Suite of Training & Development Opportunities
Dedicated graduate leadership training events
Programme Workshops and exposure to other functions
Rotational Placements to broaden your experience
Management Skills training
Opportunities to further your development after the programme with Apprenticeship Qualifications
Apply today
Our graduate programme is for people who can think bigger and grow faster. We created it to develop the future-leaders and shapers of our business. To learn more and apply online
Closing date for applications – 31st December 2023
After applying, you can expect to complete some initial questions around some relevant scenarios at Bakkavor, followed by an online psychometric test and a non-live video reflection. If successful, we will invite you to an assessment centre in January or February 2024. These interviews are for a September 2024 start on the programme. If you have any queries about this programme, or the recruitment process, please contact us
