What it does: Makes iconic food brands
Staff stats: 36,000 plus across the globe
The good bits: The ability to work all over the world
The not so good bits: Limited work-life balance
Hiring grads with degrees in: Engineering, Maths, IT & Computer Sciences; Finance, Accounting, Economics & Business Administration; Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences; Sciences
As the name suggests, the Kraft Heinz Company came into being following the merger of Kraft Foods Group and Heinz in 2015. Kraft was founded by a Canadian-American cheese seller called James L. Kraft in 1903. By the time of the merger, it was a giant American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate headquartered in Chicago. Its products were sold in over 170 countries. Twelve of the brands it owned – Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, Lefèvere-Utile, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oreo, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident and Tang – generated over US$1 billion of annual sales each.
Heinz was founded by Pennsylvanian entrepreneur Henry J. Heinz in 1869. By the time of the merger it was, like Kraft, a behemoth, manufacturing food products on six continents and selling its famous brands – Golden Circle, Greenseas, Heinz, HP Sauce and Weight Watchers – across 200 countries. The merger resulted in a food industry leviathan with a commanding grip on the beverage, convenience food, dairy food and snack food industries. The company is now segmented into five zones: North America; Europe; Asia Pacific; Latin America and Russia/Middle East/Africa/India. In 2016, Kraft Heinz had assets of US$120 billion and revenues of US$26.5 billion.
Kraft Heinz Company is enthusiastic about diversity believing it enhances “creativity, innovation and growth”. Kraft Heinz is committed to fostering a meritocratic culture. Whilst Kraft Heinz isn’t a suit and tie organization, they rely on employees being passionate about putting the consumer first. It embraces a non-discriminatory philosophy whereby, “All personnel decisions, including those relating to recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, compensation and benefits, will be based solely upon an employee’s or applicant’s qualifications, skills, performance, and abilities and without regard to any condition or characteristic.” To get an inside peek into the culture at Kraft Heinz, read the ‘Day in the life of’ article here.
Kraft Heinz places a high value on integrity and transparency in everything it does. It aims to market, advertise and label its products accurately and transparently and never “mislead our consumers with incorrect or incomplete information about our own products or anyone else’s”.
Post-merger, Kraft Heinz decided to focus its corporate social responsibility initiatives on three areas: global hunger and malnutrition; supply chain sustainability and the environment. Accordingly, Kraft Heinz has partnered with non-profit organisations to provide one billion nutritious meals to the hungry by 2021. It will only buy palm oil produced in an ethical and environmentally sustainable manner and animal products that have been produced in a humane way. The company is seeking to cut the greenhouse gas it emits and the energy and water it consumes by 15 per cent by 2020.
Instead of narrowing its applicant pool to those with particular degrees, Kraft Heinz seeks to recruit “fresh thinkers – graduates who are entrepreneurial, self-motivated and enjoy working collaboratively”.
The Kraft Heinz graduate program is aimed at those aspiring to be a “CEO, CFO, Zone President or beyond.” This grad program involves an intensive leadership program. One designed for “top talent who seek a performance-based culture built on meritocracy”.
As mentioned, applicants with any undergrad degree are encouraged to apply. However, you’ll need to be ambitious, hard-working, passionate, self-starting and willing to move across functional areas and relocate to different cities or countries. You should enjoy a challenge, like learning new things and aspire to be a future leader.
When you apply, you can expect to take part in a video assessment, logical testing, an engagement centre day and one-on-one interviews with executive leadership. The process starts with an online application.
Kraft Heinz doesn’t provide any public information about the salary and benefits its trainees can expect. Judging by the reports of other employees, you should expect to earn a salary at or above the industry average and have access to bonuses or a profit-sharing scheme (if not immediately, then later in your career).
Kraft Heinz is serious about its claims to be a meritocracy. If you work hard and perform strongly you can expect to rise quickly and, quite possibly, find yourself working all over the world. On the other hand, if you’re not willing to put the necessary effort in, you should be prepared for your career to stall.
If you’re a go-getter with an ownership mentality, you should find the Kraft Heinz workplace culture exciting to be part of.
"The H.J. Kraft Heinz Company, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been producing high-quality foods for 145 years [more than 150 years]. Famous for our iconic brands on all continents, Kraft Heinz provides delicious, nutritious and convenient foods for families in 200 countries around the world.
Kraft Heinz is synonymous for ketchup. We sell 650 million bottles of Kraft Heinz ketchup every year. For millions of families the world over, “if it isn’t Kraft Heinz, it isn’t ketchup.
Kraft Heinz is segmented into five global zones: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA), and Latin America (LATAM). Our commitment to providing a variety of wholesome foods, with an unwavering emphasis on quality, makes Kraft Heinz like no other company on earth.
Our vision is to become "The Best Food Company, Growing A Better World" and we are rooted in five values:
Our Talent gets BIG Opportunities - We believe in taking chances on those that deliver results.
We realize that the only sustainable advantage that we have is our people! This is a culture that encourages growth for anyone that delivers! Whatever your role, wherever in the world, the opportunity is there to do something special and be part of something big! We have openings across various functions within our business; Supply Chain, Operations, Sales, Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, Quality, Research and Development, Legal and Audit.
We offer a 12-month fast track program, placing our graduates into a role that will provide them with exposure to all business functions. Graduates are immersed in real jobs with measurable KPIs and business targets. We provide an intensive, challenging and rewarding experience that will set our graduates up for a high-profile career.
At Kraft Heinz, we believe that you will gain experience unlike anywhere else. If you deliver results, you will be given opportunities much earlier in your career than you could have imagined. You will work with inspiring people who share the same vision “To be the best food company, growing a better world”.
A game-changer in the industry, always committed to our communities, with leading brands and the highest quality products.
If you share a passion for our company vision and values with a drive and determination to succeed in a dynamic industry, this is the graduate program to be part of!"
Research and Development Technologist at Kraft Heinz at Kraft Heinz Company Australia
Management Trainee – National Account Executive at Kraft Heinz at Kraft Heinz Company Australia
Field Sales Graduate at Kraft Heinz at Kraft Heinz Company Australia