Supply Chain Graduate Program - Taste The Future, UK
Mondelez International · Birmingham, West Midlands
Our estimate of how close this job is to decisions about what protein a business sources, specifies, buys and serves. How we score
Why this role matters
How close this job is to real sourcing and menu decisions.
This is a graduate training scheme, not a sourcing or buying seat, so there is no lever here yet that reaches what gets bought or how it is specified. What it offers is a foothold inside one of the world's largest food manufacturers, with rotations spanning Food Manufacturing, Plant Operations, Logistics, and potentially Procurement or Quality. If your final placement lands in Procurement, you would be close to the people who write specifications and supplier requirements for ingredients including dairy, which is where sourcing standards eventually get decided. Three years of cross-functional credibility at a company of this scale is a genuine asset if you want to move later into a category or supplier-standards role with real influence over what gets specified and bought, and over the standards suppliers are held to.
Where this role can take you
What this job teaches you, and the jobs it can lead to.
What you'd build
- Cross-functional supply chain exposure
- Food manufacturing operations knowledge
- Logistics and customer service experience
- Potential procurement or quality exposure
- Leadership and project delivery experience
Where it can lead
- Procurement Graduate
- Supply Chain Manager
- Category Buyer
These roles typically hold more direct standing over ingredient specifications and supplier requirements, including for dairy and other raw materials in a manufacturer's range.
About the role
This is Mondelēz International's three-year Cross Functional Supply Chain Leadership Development Graduate Scheme, branded "Taste The Future". Over three 12-month rotations, graduates gain breadth and depth across Supply Chain functions: the programme explicitly covers Food Manufacturing and Plant Operations, Customer Service and Logistics within the commercial head office, with a final placement offering experience across Engineering, Procurement, Quality or the company's Operations Centers. Each graduate is supported by a line manager, a buddy and a leadership mentor, alongside a structured learning curriculum of workshops, online courses and leadership training sessions, and is expected to take on real operational responsibilities and work on projects contributing directly to the business. Candidates should hold a recent degree or equivalent in Business, Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Logistics, or another relevant discipline (the list is not exhaustive). Relevant internship experience is advantageous but not essential. The role requires confidence to try new and challenging experiences, enthusiasm for learning, ambition to grow into leadership, and strengths in proactivity, agility, problem solving and communication. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK, as the role does not meet minimum salary requirements for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. The programme starts in September 2026, with a starting salary of £33,000 plus a £2,000 sign-on bonus. Benefits include bi-annual pay reviews, a performance-related bonus, 35 days annual leave (including bank holidays), flexible working, contributory pension, life assurance and a flexible benefits programme. Applications close at midday Monday 12th October 2026, with an in-person final-stage assessment centre at the Bournville offices on Wednesday 7th December 2026, with reasonable travel expenses covered. The role operates within a regional business model defined and managed by Mondelēz Europe GmbH, Switzerland.
This is an extract. Read the full advert on the employer's site.
Key terms to include in your CV and cover letter
What this employer is asking for, in their words. Applications are often screened by software looking for exact phrases, so if these describe your experience, use their wording.
- supply chain management
- food manufacturing
- plant operations
- logistics
- customer service
- procurement
- quality assurance
- engineering
- operational leadership
- project delivery
- problem solving
- communication skills
- agility
- stakeholder collaboration
- leadership development
How to position yourself
The language that works with hiring managers for this kind of job.
Frame your interest around supply chain resilience, operational excellence, and the breadth of exposure the rotations offer across manufacturing, logistics and procurement - this is what a graduate scheme interviewer wants to hear. If you can, signal interest in the Procurement or Quality final placement rotation, since that is the route most likely to touch supplier and ingredient specification; build basic procurement vocabulary (e.g. CIPS) ahead of the assessment centre to support that preference.
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