Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. Unilever has more than 400 brands found in homes around the world, including Persil, Dove, Knorr, Domestos, Hellmann’s, Lipton, Wall’s, PG Tips, Ben & Jerry’s, Marmite, Magnum and Lynx. Faced with the challenge of climate change and the need 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”

The future begins in Research & Development (R&D). In R&D, you’ll find out what consumers want and need, and then design the science and technology to make our innovations come to life. We have over 6,000 R&D employees designing, creating and developing exciting new products using innovative technologies - from scientists and product development experts to professionals such as hairdressers and chefs who have the skills to evaluate new products. You could be designing and developing new innovations for brands like TRESemmé, Magnum, Cornetto and Domestos â€“ straight from your team to the shelves!

At the core of our values is sustainability, and our teams are dedicated to making our products better for you, for our customers and for the world. We are committed to ensuring that all of our packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, and that we are using more recycled content. To achieve this, we collaborate closely either within the various R&D teams, with other Unilever colleagues like Marketeers and the Supply Chain, and with leading scientific experts from around the world. ​ 

About the Tea Business 

Unilever is proud of its Tea business, the biggest in the world, with world class purpose driven brands such as Lipton, PG tips and Pukka. Recently, Unilever decided to separate the Tea business to ensure it can best achieve its potential. Unilever is currently reviewing several options for separation, including a demerger, an initial public offering, a disposal or through partnership models. The Tea businesses in India and Indonesia, and the partnership interests in the ready-to-drink Tea joint ventures will be retained. 

The balance of the Tea brands and geographies and all Tea estates, with generated revenues of €2 billion in 2019, is growing and profitable with proven potential both pre- and post-COVID-19. As a standalone entity, the Tea company remains number one in the world and is even better positioned to lead the industry and take full advantage of the opportunities in the category, with more focus and entrepreneurship driving greater growth and value.

The current vision for the Tea company is to champion a tastier, healthier, more sustainable world of plant-based drinking. Purposeful thinking will be the core anchor of the business, its brands as well as its culture, and enables simple and agile decision making, supports an entrepreneurial mindset and is driven by passion for our consumers.

As we move through this journey towards separation, we are seeking employees with a passion for exciting entrepreneurial experiences, who want to pursue unique career opportunities and have a desire to be an integral part in building the bright future of this plant-based company.

Job Purpose:

The TeaCo recognises Packaging as an important part of the product mix. Not only is Packaging a critical function within the TeaCo - the business spend on packaging exceeds €220mn and we partner with the world’s leading packaging suppliers.  Our Sustainability vision cannot be achieved without packaging innovation and technology that will drive growth and, at the same, halve our environmental impact.

Delivering superior innovations that are holistically designed for rollout will be critical for the TeaCo success. Packaging plays a prominent role in these innovation plans, and is a key capability to drive competitive advantage. Not only does it fulfil a very important functional role, to contain, protect and inform, but also as the first “touchpoint” with the consumer, it must engage the consumer, reflecting the brand proposition, and delivering a delightful experience.

The role will be based within the Tea Packaging team and will play a major role in meeting our growth and sustainability ambition. Tea brands include Lipton, PG tips, Brooke Bond, T2, Pukka and Tazo to name a few.

Working closely with other TeaCo functions as part of a cross-functional team, the senior packaging technologist will lead on innovation, renovation, and cost saving projects, landing consumer and customer preferred packaging designs.

The job holder will be expected to have an entrepreneurial mindset and not be bound by rigid processes.

The job holder will lead Packaging development activities across various platforms and ensure project delivery in close partnership across functions (Marketing; Supply Chain; Procurement) as well as key (external) partners and suppliers (e.g. 3PM, Material suppliers). 

You will bring your passion for Tea, and enthusiasm to know consumer and customer needs and trends and use this to shape and deliver brilliant, sustainable, packaging experiences.

Responsibilities:

• To deliver, as a packaging workstream leader of a project team, packaging solutions to agreed innovation, renovation and operational (cost savings, quality, complexity reduction) projects, on time in full, by following best practice in packaging
• Liaise with packaging convertors and material suppliers in the development of packaging components
• Deliver packaging which not only meets the required quality and technical standards, but also delights the consumer and builds brand love, through using Unilever’s Packaging Excellence best practices
• Developing and executing a testing plan for primary and secondary packaging, ensuring packaging is “fit for purpose” compatible with SC, Product properties, Consumer, Brand needs and legislation. The testing plan can include laboratory tests (at TeaCo, at our convertors, and at 3rd party labs), factory trials, and distribution trials.
• To complete the content of technical specifications for packaging components.
• Where relevant, to deliver, as a member of a cross functional project team, solutions to agreed projects, on time in full
• Identify and implement potential cost saving activities across the category packaging portfolio.
• Attendance of project meetings and deputise for manager when required.
• To interface with other functions in support of project delivery (e.g. brand development, supply chain, procurement)
• To manage and deliver their own agreed work plan
• To comply with the Code of Business Principles and all SHE and QA policies, including the support of product claims, risk management and environmental awareness

About you:

• Experience working within packaging, ideally within an FMCG environment.
• The candidate is expected to have relevant qualifications in an engineering/packaging related area at further education level
• Basic awareness in packaging expertise of a range of packaging materials
• Working knowledge of the key materials for the category - Paper Board & Flexibles
• Able to work effectively in multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural teams
• Flexibility in work style to be able to manage several projects simultaneously
• Understand risks and manage & mitigate those as appropriate
• Able to tailor communication effectively with teams and senior leadership
• Ability to influence new thinking with stakeholders and within team 
• Excellent spoken and written English

The qualities we look for in you:

The Tea business is made up of a special blend of individuals which make our teams exciting and diverse. To be part of our tea family we are looking for individuals who think Green and are environmentally conscious, who understand the power of simplicity and who are accountable for their actions. We want those who infuse mastery and passion in everything they do to create great products and unforgettable experiences for our consumers.

What's in it for you?

We believe that growth is for everyone, we believe in growing leaders and making space to grow an owner’s mentality and like nature we  adapt, we change and we grow. We believe in connections over hierarchies and (work)levels. We have a 'corporate start-up' approach; we act with speed and agility and we have the strength and scale of a large corporation. We are building a better world of wellbeing and a better you.

Tea Business: At this exciting time, we have announced our intention to separate the Tea Organisation into an independent business. As part of this separation process, we anticipate that this role will transfer to this independent business.

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.

What We Offer

Not only do we offer a competitive salary, but also our pension scheme, an annual bonus, a free gym, a staff shop and shares. You’ll get the opportunity to work directly with our renowned and exciting brands in a flexible and agile environment. We strive to achieve a family-friendly culture and to, above all, create possibilities for all.

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.