As I completed my master’s degree at University of Nottingham, I knew the next career step for me was to embark on a degree placement within a food manufacturing business.
I saw the Technical Graduate programme at Greencore, and this programme really stood out to me as there was the opportunity to rotate across different sites and experience a variety of manufacturing processes.
Since joining Greencore in 2022, I’ve had many development opportunities, these have been a blend of on-the-job experiences, as well as formal learning which has increased my knowledge and confidence.
As part of my programme rotation, I’ve had exposure to many different roles within Technical, from Hygiene to Technical Services, and so much more. All of this experience is helping me to shape my career, and there’s so much development on offer at Greencore.
I’ve met some brilliant colleagues at Greencore who have been very supportive and encouraged me to actively drive my own development.
What’s been great is having regular conversations with my line manager and identifying areas which I want to focus on, and together we build a development plan centred around my next steps and what goals I want to achieve.
I’m now a mentor to one of the other Technical Degree Apprentice, I’m sharing my knowledge and experience that I’ve gained with others. The process has shown me how much I’ve developed personally, and it’s hugely rewarding to support someone else as they start on their career with Greencore.
As you consider a career with us, my advice is to make the most of the opportunities that come your way, as you develop your career, be open to exploring new experiences to support your development.

I joined Greencore in 2016 as Manufacturing Manager at Crosby site and chose Greencore because it gave me confidence there was a genuine opportunity to progress to General Manager, and to achieve my career goals.
Just a year into my career, that started to take shape and I took up the opportunity to complete a degree and underpin my lived experience with leadership and management theory. I started my level 6 Chartered Management Degree in 2017 and was supported all the way by Greencore, my colleagues, peers, and leaders.
Whilst studying I was given the opportunity to step up, and apply some of that new learning, moving into a Head of Operations role, and soon after met my career goal, being promoted to General Manager in 2018. I graduated with Nottingham Trent University in 2021.
Since then, I have solidified my learning, and remained open to opportunities, taking on reverse mentoring opportunities, and coaching and mentoring others. I am now grateful to be helping others tread my path, and am supporting our Talent, Development, and Inclusion team to create opportunities for growth and progression through development centre activity. Our development centres help prepare colleagues with potential to become a General Manager, through a 3-month programme of self-discovery, learning, feedback and development focus, so now I can help mentor others.
I remain committed to learning, it's so important you keep an open mind, be that in the development or inclusion space. Now as a leader of a site, I recognise how important it is, to help others make those steps, and open opportunities for growth. Others believed in me, and opened those doors, so now I take enjoyment from doing that for others. No leader should consider themselves ‘the finished article’ and Greencore are great at providing new and different facets to learn and explore.
As you consider a career with us, my advice is to ensure you take control of your development, no one is better placed to lead it than you, and you’ll certainly find the tools, support, and opportunities here – the key is taking them, don’t miss an opportunity that comes your way.

My journey began with Greencore, when I joined through an agency in 2018 as a Production Operative, and soon after I moved into the Hygiene team as a Greencore colleague. I work well with my Team Leader, who noticed that I was a hard worker committed to my role and recognised my potential.
I really enjoy working at Greencore, they understand that my priority is to best support my family, so they are flexible with me, and they know just how important having a healthy work life balance is for me. I enjoy being able to see the results of my work, everyone I work with is friendly and I enjoy their company.
Throughout my career at Greencore, team leaders and line managers have supported my development. I was fortunate to be invited to join our Line Coordinator Programme and have recently completed my 12-month learning journey, which has helped me to engage my team, recognise potential in others, and deliver in my role. It’s given me skills, knowledge and confidence, and I highly recommend it to others. I am still keen to develop and am always looking for ways to grow my skills. Greencore is a place I know I can move further towards my career aims.

I chose Greencore as a place to build my career, recognising the scale of opportunities that would be available. I wanted to learn, work and build a career that gave me exposure and experience not just an academic route. The degree apprenticeship really appealed to me, the chosen university Nottingham Trent also attracted me, and I could see how the programme would give me everything I was looking for.
I joined on the commercial pathway, and have really enjoyed the variety of the programme, the support and the experience it has given me. I didn’t know what I wanted to do in my career, so the rotations, variety of different teams and different roles has enabled me to make a set of career choices. I have spent time in consumer insight, as an account executive and in procurement, and it’s all helped me decide that procurement is where my passion lies, and I’m now an NPD buyer.
I’m ambitious, and the pace, flexibility and variety at Greencore has helped me learn and develop, I’m confident in my career growth here. I want to be a role model for others, so many people are invested in me, I want to show others that the only barrier holding you back is yourself. I have truly been supported to achieve my personal and business goals, and the people are what make the difference here. The guidance, time and effort many of my colleagues have afforded me have been fundamental to shaping my journey. We have a culture where leaders are unselfish with their time, they encourage me to ask questions, seek to understand and they are giving with their time.
I know my colleagues want me to do well, they are invested in me, we help each other develop. There are tools, support, programmes and people who all help you to see that the opportunities are endless here. My advice to those considering a career with us, is our people are so special, there is never any judgement, you’re made to feel part of an ambitious community of people who want to make a difference.

When starting out my career in the beauty industry, I didn’t anticipate myself working in a food factory for 13 years, let alone loving it! Based at Greencore Consett site, I have undertaken a variety of roles, progressing from food preparation, to a Warehouse Shift Administrator role, then a Food Safety Technologist, followed by Warehouse Supervisor. I have gained valuable knowledge, skills, and experience throughout these roles, growing my resilience and drive to succeed. I have recently stepped into a new role as Stock Manager, a position I am excited to fulfil.
My time at Greencore has been full of career highlights, one of which being when I helped recruit our stock counting team and embedded a more robust counting system which works alongside our system admin team to provide site with a reliable and robust material usage variance (MUV), a measure for determining the efficiency of our material usage throughout production. I am so proud of our team’s year-on-year improvements and results, achieved through cross functional collaboration and support.
I have been lucky to have been offered many development opportunities at Greencore, including undertaking the Process Leader Level 4 Apprenticeship at present. Re-entering the world of education was initially daunting for me, but I am enjoying learning new skills and gaining valuable knowledge that I can incorporate into my daily tasks and share with others.
Last year, I was also nominated by my line manager for our internal development centre, where I took part in activities to determine my strengths and areas for future development. I have reflected on the day and have since refined my ways of working to support my team and my personal growth as a manager and leader. The development centre also gave me the chance to network with senior leaders from around the business, one of which I am now being coached by.
I have put a lot of time and commitment into my career, and it has been challenging at times. I would have not got to where I am today without the support of my line managers and peers who believe in me and have helped me to build my confidence over time, making all the above possible.
I believe there is something out there for everyone at Greencore - I would encourage anyone to apply if you are considering working with us! Greencore is a great organisation, with even greater individuals within it.

I found Greencore on my career search, after having decided university full time wasn’t for me. I was attracted by the flexibility and variety on offer and the wide range of experiences I could take up. I didn’t know what I wanted to do in my career, so being able to try different roles was an ideal way to help me decide.
Since joining on the Degree Apprenticeship Programme, in Commercial I have experienced so many different facets of the function, from starting out in new product development and opening my eyes to the world of food, to shopper marketing and understanding more about consumers, and finally into sales and how we work with customers. It has helped me find my passion, and I am now pursuing a personal and professional passion of social media marketing.
I have been provided lots of development opportunities during my time, our Grow with Greencore offer is excellent, and I have been able to learn through education, experiences, role rotations, through to working with others and learning from them. I have been given lots of opportunities to build my confidence, a highlight was hosting our company annual awards ceremony, as well as getting involved in our group wide I&D catalyst groups and contributing beyond my role.
The aspect that’s helped me grow the most has been the opportunity to take on more responsibility, I have been encouraged and supported through mentorships to take on projects, activities, and get involved, each of these adding to my confidence, experience, and overall ability.
There is just so much on offer here at Greencore, the pace and nature of our work means there is always something you can learn from, and learning and growing is central to our DNA.
As you consider a career with us, it's great for you to know how inclusive we are, Greencore is a place for everyone, and you get to make your career what you want. The support, tools and investment is there for you, if you want to progress you have the choices, opportunities and platform to shine.

I joined Greencore as a Production Operative in September 2021. After working there for three months, I spoke with my manager and expressed a desire to develop, so I was trained to become a Machine Minder. I enjoy my work and my manager encourages people to learn new things and they understand how people work best. They show their appreciation towards my hard work and support me to progress in my role and career.
Everyone here is really nice to work with and I enjoy spending time with people whilst also learning new things. I have learnt lots of new skills in my role, and I aspire to become a Quality Auditor one day which I am confident Greencore will support me in that goal. My advice is to join Greencore and make sure your manager knows you want to go further at Greencore. If I can do this, then you can develop too.

I joined Greencore in 2018. Having worked in the food industry, I knew about Greencore and colleagues I had worked with highly recommended them. I knew they were known for supporting development and I felt I could grow my career.
I joined as a Finance Business Partner at our Crosby site. It was not long before I moved from a site-based role, into a multisite role supporting our Direct to Store logistics operation. I had a great grounding in the role, and in a Finance focused role, I could see the opportunities and challenges for the operation.
Others saw my potential and talked to me about considering a lateral move into Operations, where that knowledge and insight could make a real difference. They helped me see that my in depth understanding of the numbers would help the operation, and before long I was taking another career step.
I have been fortunate during that time to benefit from our development centres, and along with feedback, exposure, and opportunities, I have really developed my career. Greencore have been instrumental in my progress. They take their commitment to helping you grow seriously. I have been provided with guidance, constructive feedback, exposure to networks, resources, encouragement and learning opportunities; they have really set me up to succeed.
The senior support for investing in our people, and their development is evident to see, and my most recent experience at a development centre for a potential GM of the future is testament to that. Seeing the senior leadership team give up their time before, during and after the programme, and the wrap around support from the development team have been superb. As a result, I am now stepping into a secondment to help give me further exposure, as I plan for my next steps in my career.
As you consider a career with us, I would say, go for it, we are serious about development, we’re a high performing team and business, and with such a large footprint, there are opportunities to grow your career.

I joined Greencore in 1995, at our Warrington site in a Quality Assurance role, taking responsibility for product quality. I was attracted to the position, as I could see the opportunity to develop and advance my career within the Technical department, and in line with the disciplines I acquired from my Food Sciences Degree. I soon moved into a Process Technologist role, which primarily involved upscaling of new products developed in the kitchen, taking them through factory trials and then to subsequent launch.
3 years later, I transitioned into supplier auditing, which involved a significant level of travel, but also close collaboration with our procurement team. It wasn’t long before I found myself taking another career step, and a move into the Purchasing department; firstly, in a team coordination and support role, then assisting with the set-up of a then newly formed the Indirects’ buying team and before long I became a Buyer.
As I look back, there have been several senior leaders who have advocated for me, seen my potential, and encouraged me to progress and step up. Those line managers and mentors have had a positive impact on my growth, not only by inspiring me to be ambitious and have belief in myself, but also empowering me to take on additional responsibility, whilst being there alongside should I need guidance and support. They were instrumental in the unlocking of my potential, and I am grateful for the role each has played in my career progression, and the confidence I have subsequently built.
I am almost at my 30 years’ service, and one thing that is true during all this time, is that this business is constantly evolving and does not stay the same for long. There are always new challenges which results in plenty of opportunity to both excel and grow your career. I absolutely know that whatever you strive to do or level you want to achieve, Greencore can support you to get there. What has kept me here?; the people, the connections, encouragement and support, all create a culture and environment that I have enjoyed being part of.
As you consider a career with us, my advice is to consider the opportunities to progress that will come your way whilst working in such a diverse and supportive business.

I joined Greencore having spent years working in the food to go industry supplying food service clients, I'd heard a lot about Greencore as a competitor and took the opportunity to move into a bigger business with more opportunity for growth.
I started out in our technical team and having expressed an interest in broader leadership and management, was selected to take part in our programme of development centres. These programmes, help you to understand your strengths, development areas and you receive targeted and meaningful feedback, mentorship, and support to build a development plan to help you reach your career goals. The process was very engaging and the usual feelings of imposter syndrome through change were lessened by the exposure and opportunity to grow, learn, and develop in a structured and supported way. The surrounding leadership team wanted me to do well, and this was evident in the time and investment around me.
For me this involved taking up the invite to embark on a management degree, sponsored by Greencore. In tandem, I started to get more experience in the day to day by moving out of my specialist area and into a broad leadership role. The development, and exposure really made a difference, and before long I was leading a site.
Once I moved into the General Manager role, my development continued, and I now lead a more complex site. I was supported to a different site, whilst staying in my chosen home, and they support me to balance the time and travel commitments.
My learning hasn't stopped there, I'm now part of developing the programme for our next generation of talent! It is so rewarding to be an alumni, able to share my experience, wisdom, and advice to those now taking a similar path. I really believe in this programme, its unique, and is delivering great results. I've also taken part in mentoring, reverse mentoring, and I’m a coach, all opportunities I have been offered to help me be an even better leader. I’m personally not done yet, I'm soon to be embarking on a level 7 qualification.
As you consider a career with us, my advice is to take the opportunity, we have award winning training programmes and multiple opportunities to grow and develop your career. Greencore is a real platform for self-led learning, and they have proven to match my growth and development aspirations as evident in my fast-tracked career development.

As of 2025, I will be celebrating 10 years at Greencore, and what a journey it has been! I joined as a Technical Graduate on our Early Careers programme in 2015, having some prior knowledge of food manufacturing from my Summer placements during my Microbiology degree. Since then, I have been able to grow my knowledge, skills and behaviours, experiencing many different roles around the country, including at Atherstone, Manton Wood, DTS and Leeds sites, to name a few.

In my current role as Technical Controller at Leeds, the home of our Yorkshire Puddings, I have been particularly fortunate to mentor two Technical Graduates on programme, one of which is just starting their Greencore journey and the other having recently finished their programme. Mentoring these colleagues has been a great way for me to develop my leadership skills and has led me to reflect on my own experiences and how far I have come since completing my Greencore qualifications.

A recent passion of mine has been leading the Leeds Inclusion Catalyst group, a community that has helped build a more positive working environment for our site colleagues. Those involved have helped to deliver our annual calendar of inclusion events, represent a variety of views, and aim to raise awareness for inclusion and diversity across Leeds site. Our goal is to host at least one event each month to support our agenda, and I look forward to continuing to help the team achieve this.

During my time at Greencore, I have been fortunate to have been supported by great mentors who have encouraged me to go for new roles by giving me the confidence to believe in my abilities. One of my biggest achievements to date was in 2020, when I lead my first 2-day technical audit, and we received a green rating. I wouldn’t have achieved this without the support of my mentor and the engagement of my team throughout the preparation period.

My advice to those considering a career at Greencore is to be prepared to step outside of your comfort zone, think about your aspirations and what you need to do to achieve this, and finally, be open to having a mentor who will support you in overcoming the first two. Greencore has a fantastic cohort of coaches and mentors who can help guide you to achieve your short and long-term goals.

I got my first job at Greencore in September 2018. I was a Picker at DTS Hatfield and had only planned to stay in England for a few months. Now, 7 years later, I have had the privilege of excelling my Manufacturing career through 6 roles across Operations, Logistics and Commercial at different sites, working with amazing peers and managers along the way.

After a short time in Hatfield, I quickly exceeded site targets that left me wanting more challenging projects. I shared my hunger to grow, develop and take on a different role and Greencore helped me accomplish this. When Tamworth Depot opened in 2020, I became a Warehouse Administrator and then I stepped into the Stock Controller role, before quickly progressing to Admin Team Leader. A new factory environment with different colleagues all helped create new learning experiences that accelerated my career growth. It was also the first time I had managed a team.

As someone who is ambitious and driven, I knew I wanted to develop my skills and knowledge further by broadening my portfolio. I was interested in exploring the world of Finance and had transferable excel and data analysis skills from my time in Administration. However, I had no direct finance experience. As a result, I was offered a trial secondment in Logistics as a Finance Analyst, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I learnt about the complexities of the wider business world and the impact that our fluctuating market has on food manufacturing. It was at this point I realised that finance was for me. I applied for the permanent Finance Analyst role, which I was offered, and then Greencore invested in my CIMA Accountancy qualifications.

When I became Senior Finance Analyst in DTS, I tried to give back to Greencore by aiding the development of others. Many of my previous peers still contact me today to ask for help or advice and I am happy to take the time to support them, just like my line managers and peers have done for me. I am now at the start of a new learning journey as Senior Finance Analyst in Commercial and look forward to embedding myself into a new team.

My end goal is to be Chief Financial Officer at Greencore. I know I have development needs to address, but with the continued learning opportunities that Greencore offers and my tenacity, I know it is possible.

If you are considering a career with us, know that Greencore recognises hard work and individual efforts and will, in return, give you the tools and opportunities to succeed in a safe space. I am a believer that you can do anything if you put your mind to it and Greencore helps make this possible.

(Peter, Paul’s son and Jake’s father) I started working at Greencore in 2003 at the age of 18, spending the first few years learning many of the roles in the low-risk department at Greencore’s Wisbech site. I often found myself reviewing processes to create more efficient ways of working, whilst delivering the same result. I was offered a step up as team leader in low risk and, eventually took on various leadership roles, including running the department. I accepted a planning role about 6 years ago, taking the same approach to increase process effectiveness. I was given the time, tools and prerogative I needed to start making changes to the systems in planning and procurement, the impact being significant.
Now, in my 23rd year, I've seen the company evolve into one focused on quality and a culture of trust and excellence. I’m proud to witness this firsthand as my son shares his excitement from his work experience in the development kitchens, often coming home with stories of new recipes, techniques and lessons learned.
(Paul, father of Peter, grandfather of Jake) Before joining Greencore, I was a steward in the merchant navy working on a ferry running from Felixstowe to Holland for about 10 years, then spent 10 years at Bernard Matthews, followed by 20 years working for Bakkavor. Having been at Greencore for 2 years in the despatch team, I enjoy sharing my ideas and solving problems with the support of my son, Peter, as we both work across Supply Chain. We tend to both be curious in our approaches, often asking why, with an urge to find a solution. With my experience and Peter’s IT skills, we make quite the pair. A big attraction piece for joining Greencore was that we get to drive change from the bottom up and the team are so welcoming.
(Jake, son and grandson) I am currently undertaking my college work experience at Greencore, operating as a chef under the guidance of Chris, our head development chef. I am quite meticulous and can sometimes get in a muddle if something doesn’t go to plan, but the team give me the reassurance that making mistakes is all part of the process. I had a (positive) culture shock when I began at Greencore, the atmosphere is different to a professional kitchen. I feel very supported and have been given the opportunity to lead on making things like jam and Pearl Barley Risotto. I’ve learnt a lot about time management and have been able to put my learnings from here into practice at college, which is a huge bonus.
Collectively, we believe there are a lot of prospects at Greencore, it is why working here has become a family affair. We would advise anyone starting out their career to come with a vision, but to not put too much pressure on themselves - acknowledge the bigger picture but embrace the short and medium term first.