Finance Future Leaders Programme 2025

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

The Unilever Future Leaders Program (UFLP) is a global initiative enabling Unilever to build a strong talent pipeline that will support and lead our business growth. In the UK, our UFLP is a 36-month rotational leadership development program for which we recruit top-performing undergraduate talent who demonstrate the potential to become managers within our business.  It’s designed to grow you into a manager, through hands-on learning alongside world-class experts. You’ll be hired into a function and develop your leadership skills by working on live projects which offer you all the experience you need to become ready for your first management role.  At the heart of it, it’s about developing tomorrow’s leaders, today. 

From Day 1, you will take on real business challenges within your own function and across the organization. Along the way you will develop deep core professional skills and leadership skills, and build a robust support network.  On top of all that, you will have a lot of fun along the journey.

We look for people who want to get to grips with the inner workings of a vast business and a desire to understand how it works. It’s about commitment, real people skills and a deep-seated interest in the business as a whole. You’ll become part of a leading-edge company, where you’ll work with outstanding brands and outstanding people to drive sustainable business growth.

Your future employer 

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, 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, Persil, Domestos, Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum, Marmite, The Vegetarian Butcher, Graze, Vaseline, Sure, Wall’s, Colman’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 do we look for? 

It might come as a surprise, but we don’t have a specific discipline requirement, so you don’t have to have a background in finance or economics. We’re looking for strong analytical ability, enthusiasm, a talent for influencing people, and a real desire to understand how a business operates and succeeds. Dedication and commitment go a long way. We’re looking for our future financial managers.  

The role

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

The Unilever Future Leaders Program (UFLP) is a global initiative enabling Unilever to build a strong talent pipeline that will aid our business growth.   

In the UK, our UFLP is a 36-month rotational development program for which we recruit top-performing undergraduate talent who demonstrate the potential to become managers within our business.  It’s designed to grow you into a manager, through hands-on learning alongside world-class experts. You’ll be hired into a finance function and further develop leadership skills by working on live projects which offer you all the experience you need to become ready for your first management role.  At the heart of it, it’s about developing people who can lead today and tomorrow.   

From day one, you will take on real business initiatives within your finance-based role function and across the organization. Along the way, you will develop deep core professional skills and build a robust support network.  On top of all that, you will have a lot of fun along the journey.  

We look for people who want to get to grips with the inner workings of a vast business and have a desire to comprehend how it works. It’s about dedication, real people skills, and a deep-seated interest in the business as a whole. You’ll become part of a leading-edge company, where you’ll work with outstanding brands and outstanding people to drive sustainable business growth.  

What will the programme involve?   

• The three-year, world-class development programme is packed with a variety of experiences. You’ll develop your individual interpersonal and management skills by working on live projects that offer you all the experience you need.      
• You’ll gain experience both in financial and management accounting and you’ll be business-facing, communicating with key business contacts. First-hand experience – it’s the fastest way to learn.  
• Your role will be underpinned by studying for your Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) qualification. Accompanying this is a training programme covering financial acumen and understanding Unilever’s end-to-end value creation model. Think of it as an MBA but with real-life business application from day one.  
• The Unilever culture is varied, and friendly and encourages innovative thinking. We will push and encourage you to achieve your potential, whilst giving you the chance to shape your career path according to your interests, strengths, and ambitions.  

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

You will work across local, regional, and global teams in a range of finance roles, including accounting and controlling, business partnering, and expertise. Finance plays an integral part in setting the strategic direction of the business, bringing impactful insights to inform business strategy, and ensuring our resources and investments drive profitable growth. Your influence will directly impact the future of our brands, the way we work with our customers, and how we run our supply chain – all having global sustainability implications.  

Some of our positions you could be allocated to include

• Partnering roles such as Commercial Finance partners in a Business Group 
• Process and performance optimisation through Finance Excellence teams 
• Stewardship experience in the Group Chief Accountant’s Department 
• Expertise opportunities in the Investor Relations team 
• Factory Finance knowledge   

Skills required include 

• Accounting and Reporting 
• Prioritisation 
• Stakeholder management 
• Effective communication 
• Microsoft Office skills (Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint) 

Please note, that 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 programme.  

Our application process involves

Step 1: Online Application 

Complete the online application form. It is a simple and easy application process with the option of filling out your details using your LinkedIn profile. You may apply to one function in your application.  

Step 2: Profile Assessment  

Complete two stages of profile assessment; a portrait personality test and an online assessment. These are designed to look at different elements of your cognitive, emotional, and social traits. You will receive personalised feedback after completing each stage.  

Step 3: Digital Interview

The digital interview will consist of 3 short questions followed by a business case. You will be asked to solve real-world problems using Unilever scenarios. You’ll be able to record and complete your interview anytime and anywhere.  

Step 4: Discovery Centre

You will be invited to a ‘day in the life’ of a Future Leader at Unilever. You will get to experience a face-to-face day filled with several exciting activities including project meetings, business challenges, a team meeting with Unilever colleagues, and an interview.  

What can Unilever offer YOU?  

• A Competitive Salary of £35,000 
• A pension scheme  
• Annual Bonus  
• A discounted staff shop 
• Subsidised Gym Memberships  
• Shares 
• Relocation support through a £5000 tax-free loan 
• 25 days of holiday allowance  

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 well-being 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. 
• A dedicated Career Sponsor, who can support you with your growth & development throughout the total duration of your programme. 
• An experienced Line Manager for each of your functional rotations, allowing you to gain a breadth of experience.  
• A bespoke Learning & Development Plan, designed to help you build your leadership skills.  
• Opportunities to gain leadership experience outside of your functional rotations.  

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 the font size, change font & colour, screen ruler, and screen mask for everyone who would require them. 

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

To find out more about Unilever, including more information about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here.   

Location

We offer a 3-year programme consisting of a variety of roles across the UK with rotations ranging from 3 to 12 months. We require all applicants to be geographically mobile throughout the programme as we have opportunities across the UK and the programme is designed this way to excel your experience and leadership skills.  

Travel required

Approximately 10-25% of your time, depending on your functional rotation. 

Discovery Centre

Our Discovery Centres will be running from the week commencing the 6th of January 2025 and will be held at our Kingston office.  

Closing date

We will be closing our applications on the 4th of December 2024, however, if we receive enough applications for the business area before this, applications will close accordingly. We, therefore, advise you to apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment. 

Recruitment Fraud   

Cybercriminals 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 scans for signs of people setting up fake Unilever sites and acts 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!   

Unilever is an organisation committed to diversity and inclusion to drive our business results and create a better future every day for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual and the talent they can bring. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.