Job Description:
Our general Graduate Programme: The Mars Leadership Experience (MLE), is the perfect grounding for a career in business leadership. You’ll manage projects, lead teams, take on roles with local and international exposure and make decisions with real consequences. The work will come thick and fast, preparing you for the challenges tomorrow.
The MLE comprises three 12-month placements. As a guide, you’ll typically follow a path through the three years with exposure to very different areas of our business. You could have placements that cover, but are not limited to, the following areas: Demand (Sales, Category Management, Marketing), Supply (Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Logistics), and Digital (Data & Analytics, Project Management, Functional Applications & Strategy).
What will you do?
- 3 x 12-month placements, giving you visibility to find the right career path for you.
- Opportunities to manage teams and projects, allowing you to develop every day.
- Join our global trainee community, create friends for life, and join a Global business.
Who are we looking for?
- You’ll have obtained a degree in any subject, graduating next summer or graduated within the last 2 years.
- Mobile within the UK. Your home sites for Year 1 could be Waltham (Leicestershire), Slough, Paddington, or Castle Cary and we ask that you are flexible during your time on the program.
- You’ll be passionate about your future career as a leader and open to learn and develop yourself outside your comfort zone.
- You’ll bring an out-the-box thinking to Mars.
What are the benefits?
- Starting salary £33,000 and joining bonus of £2,000.
- We’ll give you access to inspiring mentors and coaches to help you grow.
- Flexible, hybrid working.
- Dogs in the office (depending on the office).
What can you expect from Mars?
- Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
- Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
- Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
- An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
For more information, please visit careers.mars.com/UK/en/students-graduates
Skills Required
- Degree in any subject
- Graduating next summer or graduated within the last two years
- Mobile within the UK
- Flexibility to work at different UK sites during the programme
- Passion for a future career in leadership
- Willingness to learn, develop, and work outside the comfort zone
- Out-of-the-box thinking
Mars Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Mars and has not been reviewed or approved by Mars.
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Healthcare Strength — The benefits package is positioned as comprehensive, with broad medical coverage and additional protections like life insurance and short- and long-term disability. Mental health support is emphasized, including free mental health services and wellbeing programming under initiatives such as Mars Be Well.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is highlighted as market-leading in the U.S., with an example of 18 weeks fully paid for both parents. Additional family-related leave types such as sick time for caregiving and bereavement leave are also described as part of the overall package.
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Retirement Support — Retirement offerings are described as strong, including 401(k) matching (with a 6% match cited) and pension plans in some cases. The broader package also references retirement savings options and contributions aligned to local market practice, supporting long-term financial security.
Mars Insights
What We Do
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ 133,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, ORBIT®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, SKITTLES®, WHISKAS®, COCOAVIA®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world’s pets through our pet health services AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, Pet Partners™, and VCA™. We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive.
