Apprentice Digital Scientist

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Research Scientist (several positions available, across a range of pay grades)
Secondary: Hive, Wageningen, NL – hybrid
Benefits: Competitive salary, annual bonus, pension, private healthcare, company share incentives, continuous professional training and development opportunities.
Unilever is seeking LCA research scientists who have a passion for environmental sustainability to join a growing team of experts in our Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre (SEAC). This is an exciting opportunity for anyone wishing to use their scientific expertise to make a significant positive impact, whilst working in a supportive, team-based environment. These pivotal roles will enable you to work on tackling some of the key global environmental challenges of our time, such as climate change, packaging waste and biodiversity loss. This is a science role. As an LCA research scientist in Unilever, a large part of your role will be focused on conducting collaborative research to help advance life cycle assessment and related approaches. Science is an international and multi-disciplinary endeavour; you will partner with leading universities, governmental and non-governmental organisations and industrial groups around the world to deliver new methods, models and data. Publication and presentation of research at international conferences will be expected, and there will be opportunities to engage in various technical advocacy activities.
Research outcomes will be targeted for industrial application. As such, translation of new scientific approaches into direct business application will be a key part of the role, allowing for improved assessment of Unilever’s product portfolio across our business groups (Nutrition, Ice Cream, Home Care, Beauty & Wellbeing and Personal Care) to help deliver our ambition to be the global leader in sustainable business.
Scientific development of Life cycle assessment and related approaches ( e.g. Application of digital capabilities to enable cutting edge approaches in this area, e.g. LCA software (e.g. SimaPro, GaBi, Brightway or OpenLCA), Input/Output (I/O) modelling, Machine learning (ML), python, R, MAtlab. GEE, GIS, and ability to leverage emerging Earth Observation data.
External engagement with universities, research groups, trade associations and suppliers.
You’ll need to be able to work effectively and with impact in cross-disciplinary teams and in multi-cultural environments and be flexible and willing to adapt within a fast-changing business environment.
Have a relevant Masters or PhD, ideally with several years of industrial/consulting/post doc experience.
Strong experience in the development, application and evaluation of Life Cycle Impact Assessment or footprinting methodologies and potentially associated standards, protocols, or databases.
Strong knowledge and experience in LCA modelling, using software such as, SimaPro, GaBi, OpenLCA, Brightway or novel computational approaches for LCA and data gap-filling.
GIS, InVEST, AWaRe, USEtox and /or Input/Output (I/O) analysis.
Be able to communicate complex scientific information and rationales on environmental sustainability to individuals from other disciplines or from non-technical backgrounds as well as via publications.
If you have the following skills, that’s a bonus but not essential:
Broader sustainability expertise in any of the following areas: bio-based systems, agriculture, green chemistry, circular economy, industrial ecology.
We COLLABORATE to build our networks to unlock creativity & deliver innovation
We strive for open, honest & TRANSPARENT communication
We EXPERIMENT & LEARN in a safe space to meet Unilever’s needs
We are guided by our collective purpose & passion for PIONEERING new science to protect people & planet
we are SUPPORTIVE, we embrace flexibility, jump in to help out & ask for help when we need it
Colworth Science Park is a vibrant scientific ecosystem with around 800 employees (500 from Unilever R&D) based on site from over 30 nationalities, with 88 PhDs, 8 Professors, 50 apprentices. On site there are various facilities including a restaurant, a nursery and a gym. There are many social and recreational activities to take part in such as going for a lunchtime walk or run in the beautiful surrounding countryside, the Colworth choir, and netball team to name just a few. The scientists at Unilever’s Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre (SEAC) play a key role in ensuring that our products are safe and our business is environmentally sustainable. SEAC’s world-class reputation for safety and sustainability science plays a key role in Unilever achieving its purpose, by working across the business to build safety and environmental sustainability into everything we do; find out how at SEAC.unilever.com .
ABOUT UNILEVER
At Unilever we make products that people love – and that make a difference. Nutritious foods. Household care essentials. Indulgent ice creams. In fact, we make around 400 much-loved brands. That's why our purpose is to make sustainable living commonplace, built around the three core beliefs: brands with purpose grow; Find out how we're harnessing our brands, our people and our partners to tackle the issues our consumers and stakeholders care deeply about, such as climate change, plastic pollution and inequality to deliver our ambitious sustainability agenda.
Unilever is the place where you can bring your purpose to life through the work that you do, creating a better business and a better world. You will work with brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. #