Food Technology Placement Programme

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Why Greencore?

Following the combination with Bakkavor in January 2026, we're one of the UK's leading creators of convenience food, driven by a simple purpose: to make every day taste better.

As a vibrant and fast-moving business, we’re proud to employ over 28,000 talented colleagues across 36 manufacturing sites and 21 distribution depots in the UK and the US. Together, we bring delicious food to life. Our products cover every meal occasion from breakfast through to dinner and dessert, with lunch and snacking in between. In FY25, our shared passion helped us achieve combined revenues of approximately £4bn.

Our extensive direct to store (DTS) network, with 17 depots across the UK, allows us to deliver fresh and frozen food both our own and from trusted partners to thousands of stores every day, ensuring consumers enjoy the very best, whenever and wherever they shop.

What You'll Be Doing

If you share our passion for great food, this placement offers you opportunities, development, and guidance to help you learn and grow. You will gain skills in areas such as food safety, microbiology, internal auditing, raw materials, technical systems and factory hygiene. This entry level placement is ideal for those studying a food-related or food science degree, aiming to enter this field upon graduation. 

You will be based at one of our manufacturing sites engaging in a broad range of activities and projects. The placement structure includes working within different functions within the technical department, these may include: 

• Technical Factory QA: Collaborate with our manufacturing operations to ensure high quality and food safety as part of the Quality Assurance team. You'll engage in technical tasks such as GMP audits, taste panels, and micro-sampling while working within the factory environment. 
• Technical Systems: Working with our technical systems team to help develop robust technical systems that comply with food safety, legal and customer requirements.  This could include tasks around HACCP, code of practice reviews, quality management systems and KPI’s. 
• Raw Materials and Specifications: Working in the raw material or specifications team to monitor and evaluate raw material safety through risk assessments and generate product specifications, including artwork and legal compliance checks. 
• Process: Working within our process teams to ensure the smooth transition of products from concept to launch. You will engage in factory trials, organoleptic sampling, shelf-life reviews, verifying data and product quality attribute generation. 

Food technology placement roles will require you to spend a high proportion of your day within a factory environment.

What We're Looking For

• Undergraduate currently studying a food science (Food related) or science-based degree (Must be mid degree, not mid Master's) 
• Experience working as part of a team 
• Existing right to work in the UK (we are unable to sponsor visas for this placement) 
• A clear motivation to learn more about the food industry 
• A desire to learn how food manufacturing works and to get into detail of:  
  
  • What makes food safe  
  • How factories consistently produce great quality food time after time  
• An ability to demonstrate good attention to detail  
• A full UK driver’s licence and own transport is preferred, as our locations and suppliers are not always readily accessible by public transport  
• A curiosity to explore, learn, and show initiative 
• At Greencore we put our people at the core. We celebrate their differences and help everyone to be themselves at work. Together we make every day taste better.

All placements are subject to successful right to work checks, and eligibility to work in the UK. 

If this sounds like you, join us and grow with Greencore, and be a part of driving our future success.

What you’ll get in return

• You will work with an experienced line manager, early careers manager and technical champion who will conduct regular performance reviews and support you through a skills checklist to ensure your development. 
• Assuming everything progresses as planned, Greencore will assist you in identifying the right career opportunities upon completing your degree. This could include direct entry roles or positions within our Graduate programmes. 
• From day one, you will take responsibility for your work area and personal development, with comprehensive on-the-job training and development opportunities to further your career

What’s next:

Once you have submitted your online application, it will be reviewed to ensure you meet the required criteria. If you meet all the requirements and are selected to progress, you will move on to Stages 2 and 3: an automated online video interview and online aptitude testing.

Once both stages have been completed and reviewed, successful candidates will progress to the final stage: an in-person assessment day, held at one of our sites or another designated venue.

Assessment Centre Date/Location: Thursday 10th December 2026 at our Spalding site.

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