R&D Graduate St Albans 2024

Type: Graduate
Region: Eastern

We are FBC UK, Fox’s Burton’s Companies! ??And we bake the UK’s most incredible biscuits (we might be slightly biased, but we will leave that for you to judge).

FBC UK was a match made in heaven, with two of the top UK biscuits manufacturers (Burton’s Biscuits and Fox’s Biscuits) coming together to create one unique, integrated company.

We are home to famous iconic brands, including Maryland, Fox’s, Jammie Dodger & Rocky, to name just a few. We are proud manufacturing partners to some of the biggest UK retailers and household names. We bake our incredible biscuits at eight bakeries across the UK, located at Isle of Arran, Livingston, Blackpool, Llantarnam, Edinburgh, Kirkham, Batley & Dorset and our HQ in St Albans. Together, we employ circa 4,000 amazing colleagues across all our locations.

Company description

We are currently the second biscuit manufacturer in the UK market with a strong ambition of becoming UK Market Leader.

Whilst we know that we have delicious products we also know that that the key ingredient to our success is our people, and the passion we have for our brands. You could be the jammy to our dodger, party ring to our Fox’s or the choc-chip to our Maryland?! We knead people with innovative ideas, an entrepreneurial spirit, and the commitment to drive FBC UK to success.

We are committed to building an inclusive workforce that feels empowered to build a fulfilling and successful career. By embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) we create a supportive environment for people to thrive and strive to have more positive impact.

We understand that having formal and on-the-job learning opportunities is key to our colleagues’ professional and personal growth. We are committed to providing an environment where everyone can learn from each other and grow through a variety of learning experiences.

Our colleagues make our business special. With strong community values, we believe FBC UK is a more prosperous and fun place to work when people feel free to be themselves. We believe in the power of being authentic, entrepreneurial and supporting each other whilst meeting our business goals.

About the role

This is a full-time, 1-year fixed term contract position based at our headquarters in St Albans. This rotational programme consists of three 4-month rotations across the pillars of packaging development and industrialisation.

As a member of the Research & Development team, this role offers a varied, fast-paced environment where you will gain exposure across the function.

You’ll be hands-on, supporting FBC UK R&D teams in delivering sustainable packaging concepts, working with multiple stakeholders to develop, fine-tune, validate and trial products to support our new product, process & quality improvement and risk mitigation programmes.

Main responsibilities

• Assist in gathering and translating our customers’ sustainability strategies into actionable deliverables.
• Support in simplifying packaging legislation into clear and simple points for the business.
• Support the team in assessing our current position and identifying necessary actions to address any gaps.
• Support in the proposition of solutions aimed at improving our position.
• Assist the validation of new material through trials, conducing shelf life analysis, material and product testing, consumer research and stakeholder approval panels.
• Lead analysis of key packaging trends to identify areas for the business to prioritise to accomplish its No1 position in Biscuits.
• Collaborate closely with suppliers to bring to life the relevant packaging trends in an inspirational and educational way.
• Support the presentation of analysis to stakeholders in the business, bringing trends to life with examples of packaging projects that will support the packaging strategy and growth ambitions.

Who we are looking for

• Be a recent graduate relevant to the Research & Development function, seeking to acquire experience, practice, skills and exposure
• Analytical skills and ability to transform data into insights
• Attention to detail, methodical and results-oriented
• Curiosity, self-motivated and a can-do attitude
• Ability to build positive relationships and engage with different stakeholders
• Creative and problem-solving skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Have an interest in the FMCG marketing sector, staying up to date with global trends

Diversity statement

FBC UK is committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture in which all employees feel welcomed and appreciated and have the same opportunities. We believe all of our people are equally talented in their own way.

In nurturing the curiosity and natural abilities of our employees, we provide them, generation after generation, the means to succeed personally and professionally, enabling them to craft their journey at FBC UK. The diversity of our talents is what makes our work environment multicultural, innovative and highly rewarding.