UK graduates

Great quality, innovation and insights are what Bakkavor are known for with our customers. The Product Development passionately works to identify the best products for customers and works closely with our Marketing and Commercial teams to partner with the customers.

An understanding of Manufacturing and the capabilities of the business are essential, to ensure the products are commercially viable and support the longevity of the customer partnership.

You are likely to work as a Development Technologist on the 2-year programme, working across two different locations with different customers or product categories as a part of a customer-focussed team, turning your passion for food, ingredients and ideas into products for the nation. You could be focussing on idea generation, recipe development, product trials and launches.

The target role for when you come off the programme is a Senior Development Technologist, on a career development plan towards a Product Manager role.

Applications for 2020 programmes are now closed. 2021 applications will open from Autumn 2020.

Commercial supports the business success and drives engaging, valued partnerships with our customers, identifying opportunities for maximising key measures such as revenue, margins & long-term partnerships.

You will work within a customer-focused team of individuals, with a real passion for business. Sound category management and accounting skills are crucial, as are commercial skills such as negotiation. The Commercial Programme is 2 years in length, and you will work as a Commercial Graduate across two customers and/or product categories to support your learning and breadth of business skills.

The target role for when you come off the programme is as a Commercial Manager for one of our key customers. Within 5-7 years of starting, you should be aiming for a senior role as a Commercial Controller.

Applications for 2020 programmes are now closed. 2021 applications will open from Autumn 2020.

Our two-year HR graduate programme gives you valuable, practical work experience across our food manufacturing business – from factory located roles to our Shared Service Centre. We offer all this while supporting you to achieve the career-defining CIPD qualification – and preparing you for future HR leadership.

Without great people and skills, the business would not be as successful as it is. Supporting the strategic development and engagement of colleagues is an essential core element of the HR function, to ensure Bakkavor is well placed to respond and drive business success. The HR function works in a centralised model, with local HR Business Partner experts within our factory locations who are supported from the Central Functions – My HR Shared Services, Resourcing, Talent, Reward & Payroll, Systems and L&D.

The HR Programme is 2 years in length and is likely to see you work both within a factory location and within the central HR functions to provide you with the breadth, behaviours and skills necessary to enter into future senior HR roles. You can expect exposure to Resourcing, Employee Relations, L&D, Performance and Talent Management, HR Analytics, Employment Law, Reward Management and Systems.

Your target role when you come off the programme depends on the area you would like to pursue to continue your career development towards a Senior HR Business Partner within 5-7 years from starting. You could be working within the sites as a trainee or junior HR Business Partner, or within one of the central functions in a Supervisory or Projects role.

Applications for 2020 programmes are now closed. 2021 applications will open from Autumn 2020.

This CIMA affiliated scheme encourages people to look past the basic accountancy skills and get involved in the wider decision making in the business.

This programme provides interaction with different business units, to help gain a more rounded understanding of the group. The roles will cover the core skills including, management accounting, financial management, risk management and process evaluation and redesign. The Finance Programme is aimed at providing long term succession planning within the finance function. It is based around the CIMA qualification. The scheme is therefore a 3.5-year scheme, broken down into 2 elements;

• Years 1 to 2– Study and core experience
• Then 1.5yrs – Higher level experience and personal development

All members of the finance scheme will be expected to complete 3 placements. The first placement being 18 months, followed by two 12-month placements. These could be at any site in the UK and it is essential that you are flexible regarding location in the first 3.5 years.

After the 3 mandatory placements a personal development plan, you and the Graduate Champion will highlight the experience required and the placements for years 4 and 5 of the programme. At this time Graduates are no longer expected to be flexible in their location, although it is an advantage in order to secure the most optimal opportunity.

Applications for 2020 programmes are now closed. 2021 applications will open from Autumn 2020.

We use materials, labour and equipment to create thousands of products every day. Your challenge… to get them all together in the right place, in the right quantity, to be delivered at the right time. If you are looking for a career that gives you real accountability and an incredible level of variety our Manufacturing Graduate Programme could be just right for you.

The beating heart of our business. Operations covers a broad core part of the organisation, and are responsible for delivering high quality, innovative products to our customers on a massive scale! The programme is 2 years in length, sat within our Manufacturing Career Path and most likely based within the factory for a majority of the time, across 2 different locations. You are likely to have supervisory responsibility from the very beginning and need to learn the importance of being a great team manager who engages their colleagues, whilst maintaining and setting high standards for operational excellence, food safety and health & safety.

Your target role for when you come off the programme is a Section Leader or Manager, on a development plan towards a Senior Section Manager. Within 5-7 years of starting, with strong focus and development, it is likely you will enter a Factory/Operations Manager role.

Applications for 2020 programmes are now closed. 2021 applications will open from Autumn 2020.

If you are interested in the scientific and technical aspects of food manufacturing, join our Food Technology Graduate Programme. You will find yourself working with teams across our business to ensure we develop and manufacture safe, high-quality products day in, day out.

Product safety and quality are the backbone of our operations, and essential to the business and our customers. The Technical function supports ownership from all functions and suppliers in doing manufacturing correctly, safely and to the expected high standard.

This programme works closely with all areas internally and externally and is based both within the factory and the office, depending on the role. Working with our customers is essential, in addition to facilitating the company to have the right systems and process in place, to meet the customer and industry standards or codes of practise. The Food Technology Programme is 2 years in length and is likely to involve working with either with the Quality, Technical Services, Process or Raw Materials teams. Bakkavor have an essential Central Technical team who drive governance and standards across the group, and this area also contains future career opportunities.

Your target role for when you come off the programme depends on the area within Technical you would like to pursue to continue your development towards a Technical Manager equivalent role within 5-7 years of starting. Typically, you can expect to be in roles such as QA Supervisor or Senior Technologist on a development plan towards Quality Manager, Process Manager, Technical Services Manager.

Applications for 2020 programmes are now closed. 2021 applications will open from Autumn 2020.