11th October 2011 Unilever Graduates UK

At Unilever, Financial Management is about so much more than numbers. It’s the lifeblood of our business – touching every area, informing multi-million Euro decisions, and directly influencing the development and growth and health of our brands. There are some rather large figures to contend with at Unilever, be it our €44 billion of sales or the €6 billion spent on advertising and promoting our brands, but still with over €3 billion of cash generated each year.

What will I be doing?

You will be making decisions (on your own and as part of teams) which directly determine the future of our brands, the way we work with our customers, how we run our factories and manage our supply chains, or the way we set up new businesses and fund them. You’ll work at the heart of local, regional and global teams to ensure our pricing strategies and investment decisions are in the best interest of our shareholders and consumers... your influence really will extend in all directions.

What do we look for?

It might come as a surprise, but we don’t have a specific degree requirement, so you don’t have to have a background in finance or economics. We are, however, looking for something very specific: strong analytical skills, a talent for influencing people and a real passion for the consumer goods industry and a desire to succeed. We are looking for our future finance leaders.

What will the programme involve?

You’ll take on three separate placements. We’ll make sure you get a fully-rounded experience in cross-functional teams including Marketing, Customer Development and Supply Chain Management. You’ll get experience in commercial decision making and support, financial analysis, statutory and management accounting, internal audit and risk management. So you could find yourself evaluating innovation launches on global brands like Persil, Lynx or Dove, or shaping investment decisions with major UK retailers like Sainsbury’s or Tesco. What would you like to see as the next Ben & Jerry’s flavour, and how much would you recommend we charge consumers for it?

You will also be fully supported in studying for your Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) qualification worth over £15,000 along with 14 weeks supported study leave so you can gain a competitive qualification, alongside the job professional experiences.

• Location: Unilever UK and Ireland