Global Procurement Assistant, Fragrances, Home Care Review

Working as part of the global team you will learn how to buy the best fragrances, at the best price, and with the lowest impact to our planet. Involved in supplier negotiations, business tenders and cost-saving opportunities through problem solving and critical thinking. Alongside your global role, lead of Europe Home Care portfolio, implementing our global strategy. Drive our Sustainability agenda in fragrances with R&D, as we work towards 100% biodegradable products by 2030

Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including XLOOKUP, pivot tables etc Proficiency in Microsoft Power BI Negotiation Training Understanding exchange rates and inflation mitigation Understanding fragrance technology and consumer testing Creation of legal contracts Recruitment process for replacement team members Managing contracts and pricing

As lead of a regions entire portfolio a lot of the responsibility was mine during my placement. I am responsible for keeping in the loop with multiple teams across the organisation so I can support and keep my global procurement team up to date with the latest on European projects etc

First month of placement is a handover onboarding period with the previous years placement student, this guidance was very useful so you werent alone Once a week I had a 121 with my manager, covering how I was finding the placement and updating her on my work agendas each week. During this I could raise queries, ask for more support etc

Company culture is definitely very present, with lots of whole company calls and sessions that promote a lot of Unilever's purpose. Although this is definitely present, in the location I was based this culture was not felt in person at the office, the atmosphere is quiet and unmotivated. I have heard this is not the case at the global hubs like London

I enjoyed my placement a lot. Although I know I do not want to continue in this field the skills/experiences from the role, especially with the company Unilever name linked to it, will look impressive on my CV. The enjoyment was very variable throughout the year, especially as the work load varied a lot week to week. Busy weeks were fun and motivating, quiet weeks were long and boring.

Yes

Research the company well, especially regarding its purpose and how they align with yours Research the role thoroughly Improve your basic skills on key platforms such as excel, powerpoint etc you will get additional training on these but does not take long to learn the beginner ropes Utilise any previous work experience you have to talk about your skills in action