Arla – Production Management Graduate Programme

Om programmet

Are you interested in an international career at our state-of-the-art production facilities, where we produce renowned dairy brands such as Lurpak, Arla, and Castello? Are you prepared to be involved in essential business projects from day one? As a Production Management Graduate, you will accelerate your career towards a leadership position at one of our production sites.

The Production Management (PM) Graduate Programme offers exposure to various challenges in a high-volume production setting. Through 3 rotations at our dairies in Europe, you will gain hands-on experience and problem-solving skills while leading dynamic teams. This opportunity lets you apply your leadership potential with your production knowledge, accelerating your career toward a key leading role at one of our sites to help shape our future of sustainable dairy. Your PM Graduate journey begins on 1 September 2025.

About our Production Management Graduate Programme

The PM Graduate Programme is a fast-track leadership programme at our production sites. Each rotation offers hands-on learning and strategic projects, and you will also spend a year as a team lead to develop leadership skills. This programme provides comprehensive personal and professional growth, leading the way for a dynamic career.

”My PM journey was a unique opportunity for both professional and personal growth, filled with challenges, rewards, fun, and intensity. In the first year, I led sustainability and digitalization projects at our Upahl and Jönköping sites. In the second year, I advanced to team leader of a process department in Upahl. These rotations prepared me for a management role, where I now apply my learnings to drive change in my new area of responsibility.”

– Kira Schwarz, Production Management alumni, Site Logistics & Planning Manager, Upahl Dairy

How you will make an impact as a PM Graduate

The PM Graduate Programme will take you through 3 different rotations at 2 of our European dairy sites – either in Denmark, Sweden, United Kingdom, Germany, Finland or the Netherlands. We will assign you to the local sites where we see the best fit for your development opportunities. You will work on exciting projects – for instance related to sustainable production, digitalization and lean optimization, and in the last rotation work as a team leader for a team, to gain real leadership experience. The rotations are structured as follows:

• First rotation (6 months – Primary location): You will work on a strategically important project at your primary location alongside the other PM graduates at your respective sites.
• Second rotation (6 months – Abroad in one of our core countries – UK, SE, GE, NL, FI, or DK): In this period, you will work abroad on a shared strategically important project with other PM graduates at your individual locations.
• Third rotation (12 months – Primary location): During the final rotation, you will lead a team of about 10-15 people, ensuring smooth operations and team satisfaction. This will be at the same site as the first rotation in your primary location.

As part of our PM Graduate Programme, you will receive a variety of development opportunities every step of the way. To ensure your professional and personal development, you will benefit from:

• Experience with real responsibilities from day one enabling on-the-job learning
• Tailored leadership development camps, taking place in different markets
• One-to-one mentoring and coaching from senior leaders
• Supportive graduate community

What will make you a successful PM graduate?

To apply for the PM Graduate Programme, please ensure that you can tick off the following boxes:

• Candidates should either be in the process of completing, or have completed, a bachelor’s or master’s degree – preferably within dairy, food science, engineering or a production-related subject – between September 2023 and September 2025. Alternatively, candidates who graduated a few years ago with 1-2 years of work experience are also encouraged to apply
• A strong interest in production, processes, and the broader end-to-end supply chain perspective is essential. General business acumen and commercial interest is seen as an advantage
• International experience (minimum 4 months) gained from working, studying or volunteering abroad
• Preferably minimum one year of relevant work experience from student jobs or minimum 6 months of internship
• Being globally mobile and wants to go on one rotation abroad during the 2-year programme
• Are fluent in English – furthermore, it is an advantage if you speak Danish, German, Swedish, Dutch or Finnish

In addition, we are looking for personal qualifications that include leadership aspirations and an ambitious ”conquer the world” mindset, which combines strategic thinking with a passion for results. A global and curious mindset is essential, as is the ability to build positive relationships and strong influencing skills. The ideal candidate should be curious and open to change, demonstrating resilience, while also being humble, self-aware, and open to feedback.

Arla Futures – our global graduate universe

As a graduate in Arla Foods, you become a part of Arla Futures – our global network across all our graduate programmes in the organisation. Together, you will embark on an exciting journey towards an impactful career in Arla Foods.

We offer a comprehensive platform designed to kick-start your professional growth, featuring structured development camps, invaluable mentorship, and an extensive network of fellow graduates. You will play a significant role in shaping our future and guiding the organisation in the right direction.

Important information before application

The application period for the PM Graduate Programme runs from 18 November 2024 to 5 January 2025. Before applying, please make sure that you have already prepared your CV, cover letter and transcript in English. You will be asked different questions on the application page, thus we recommend that you start the application process from a computer instead of a mobile phone.

For additional information, read more about the PM Graduate Programme on our website. Here, you can get inspiration from some of our previous and current F15s and learn more about the programme.  You can also read more about what to expect from the recruitment process.

We have a purpose for Good

At Arla, we strive to unlock the highest potential in each other while working together to create a sustainable future of dairy. We call it  Stronger People Stronger Planet and it is deeply anchored in our organisation and founded on our commitment to respecting human rights, increasing access to healthy dairy nutrition, inspiring good food habits, and improving the environment for future generations. In order to succeed we need to hire people with a sustainable mindset. Could this be you?

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