How does Unilever work, and where would you fit in?

Quick quiz.

If Amy is an account manager on Domestos, is she:

1. working for Domestos?  
2. working for the Home Care business group?  
3. employed by Unilever?  
   
   

The answer is… all three. 

Here’s why. 

Think of Unilever like an evergreen tree. The roots and trunk are Unilever itself, the foundation that supports everything. The branches are the business groups, and the leaves are the brands you probably already know. 

That means Amy works on Domestos (the brand), within Home Care (the business group), but she’s employed by Unilever.  

Who are Unilever’s leaders and what do they do?

Unilever is led by an international leadership team that helps shape the future of the company and its people. Together they set the business strategy, overseeing our business groups, brands, and teams, making sure our people across the world are working towards a shared vision. But it’s not just about setting direction from the top. Their role isn't to manage every decision. Instead, they provide direction, set priorities, allocate resources and create the conditions for people and teams to succeed. They help connect long-term business goals with the day-to-day work happening across the business. 

That doesn’t happen behind closed doors. You’ll regularly hear from the leaders at company-wide events where they will share updates on performance, priorities, and what is coming next, whether that’s quarterly results or changes in strategy. 

Ultimately, this means you’ll be working in a business where communication is open, priorities make sense and you can see how your work fits in with the big picture.  

What is the difference between business groups and brands?

Unilever has hundreds of brands, so to make things manageable, they’re divided into business groups that manage similar product types, such as Home Care, Personal Care and Beauty and Wellbeing.  

However, much of the business focus sits within our 30 Power Brands including many familiar names such as Dove, Axe, Vaseline, Persil, Domestos, and Cif.  

Together, these brands drive most of the business, accounting for about 78% of turnover in 2025. And the great thing is that, because of the way Unilever is structured, there are real opportunities to work across multiple global brands.   

Would I work for a brand, a business group or a corporate team?

That depends on your role. 

If you’re working on a Unilever brand such as Dove or Persil, your job will focus on shaping what’s next, whether that’s building social campaigns, developing fresh ideas from consumer insights, or testing and launching new products. 

If your role sits within our wider business group and not a specific brand, your focus will be broader. You might be helping shape strategy across multiple brands and markets, spotting opportunities for growth, or building tools, ideas and ways of working that connect experts across the globe. 

Business groups set direction, connecting teams and expertise to drive performance while providing opportunities for people to grow with our brands. Our brand teams turn that into reality, working closely with markets and local teams to deliver ideas that connect with real consumer needs by staying one step ahead and shaping what’s next. 

But neither works in isolation. It’s the combination that makes the structure work. 

And then there is a third level: corporate. Here you will be working across brands and business groups, providing expertise in areas such as communications, human resources, Research and Development, finance and technology. 

What jobs are available at Unilever?

Unilever’s scale offers opportunities across hundreds of brands, markets and countries. From brand storytelling and marketing to scientific research, technology and product development, you’ll be working with committed teams on a global scale. 

Whether you are just starting out or bringing years of experience, Unilever is a place where career paths are rarely linear and are always evolving. 

Here’s a snapshot of what you can expect from the teams themselves, but it is worth bearing in mind that none of these functions works in isolation. A marketing manager may collaborate with Research and Development for a product launch. Customer Development may need the expertise of Supply Chain to ensure a new route to market. 

Marketing