Kepak Marketing Graduate Programme 2026 - Ireland

Role Purpose

The Graduate Scheme is designed to provide a broad and comprehensive experience across various departments within the company, and across the different areas of Marketing, such as Digital, Customer, Communications, Brand. The program aims to identify and nurture your strengths, offering opportunities to explore different facets of the business. This role is perfect for enthusiastic individuals who are passionate about the food industry and eager to develop their skills in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities

•Cross-Department Interaction: Work closely with various teams across the business, gaining exposure to multiple aspects of the company.

•Campaign Support: Assist in briefing agencies, receiving feedback, and implementing marketing campaigns. Contribute to internal activation, ensuring cross-departmental collaboration to bring campaigns to life.

•Performance Tracking: Work with agencies to monitor campaign performance, track KPIs, and provide insights for future improvements.

•Project Management: Take ownership of projects from start to finish, including managing supplier samples for NPD projects, conducting internal tests, gathering feedback, and communicating results to suppliers.

•Budget Management: Oversee project budgets, ensuring efficient use of resources.

•Continuous Learning: Get involved in any team activities, demonstrating a proactive attitude and eagerness to learn.

Key Competencies

•Adaptability: Ability to apply skills across different areas, demonstrating flexibility and a willingness to learn.

•Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills, with a preference for face-to-face interactions.

•Creativity: Bring creative solutions to challenges, showing initiative in problem-solving and project management.

•Resilience: Handle a heavy workload and frequent travel with a positive attitude, learning from failures and continuously improving.

•Teamwork: Ability to collaborate effectively within a large team, fostering a supportive and cooperative working environment.

Other Role Information

•Work Style: Enjoys traveling and facing different challenges in diverse locations. Embraces a "work-hard, play-hard" ethos.

•Culture Fit: Aligns with the company values, values work-life balance, and contributes positively to the workplace culture.

•Travel Requirements: Participate in customer-facing activities, attend shows, trade exhibitions, and travel between different company locations in the UK and Ireland.

Our Graduate programme allows dynamic, motivated, hardworking, and passionate Graduates an opportunity start their career with one of Ireland & UKs leading meat businesses. The programme lasts 2 years.

You can expect:

To be fully immersed into our Culture from day 1, working alongside key industry experts and Kepak leaders
An opportunity to work in various departments across the business with a rotation plan tailored to your development, the rotations plan will vary by site
Gain an in depth understanding of our brands and products, and our relationships with customers and consumers
To learn key aspects of our business, whilst you develop your skills and knowledge
The opportunity to develop personally and professionally through exposure to key projects, tasks and development activities that challenge you, all supported by a detailed learner journey and training plan
A dedicated mentor and development program to support you both on the programme and into a role that best fits your skills

Start date: September 7th 2026

Starting Salary - €32,000 with an up to €2,000 increase at the start of Year 2 to €34,000

Role Location - Kepak Blanchardstown, Dublin, Ireland

Read more about our programme and hear from some of our Graduates:https://www.kepak.com/careers/graduates/

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for hardworking and ambitious Graduates, who want to learn and grow in a challenging and fast paced environment, by performing real roles as part of your rotations.

You must be mobile and willing to travel throughout the programme to undertake development activities at any of our sites in the UK and Ireland.

We will consider undergraduates from all disciplines and backgrounds.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

•Education: Ideally, a degree in Business Studies, Marketing, or a related field, but not essential if the candidate has relevant experience or passion for the industry.

•Experience: Experience in retail or hospitality is a plus.

•Skills: Proficient in Excel and other database tools for market research (e.g., Nielsen, Intel). A strong curiosity for market research, customer/consumer insights, and understanding macro trends.

•Industry Knowledge: Awareness of food trends, understanding of consumer behavior, and ability to evaluate product performance.

Personal Attributes

•Ambitious and Driven: Aspires to grow within the company, with the potential to reach senior management levels.

•Outgoing and Energetic: Confident, enthusiastic, and a team player with a "can-do" attitude.

•Analytical and Methodical: Approach tasks with an organized and systematic mindset, ensuring thorough analysis and attention to detail.

We will be looking for alignment with our Core Values:

Responsibility – Ability to work on your own initiative and take accountability for your actions

Ambition – You will have the willingness and confidence to challenge yourself to be the best you can be and be driven to succeed

Passion for Food – this is at the heart of everything we do, you must be passionate about every aspect of our industry

Teamwork – ability to build positive relationships quickly with people from all cultures and career stages is pivotal

Employee Discount Scheme
Service-Related Annual Leave
Discounted Health Insurance
Educational Assistance/ L&D
Discounted Meat Products
Cycle to work scheme
Employee assistance programme

Kepak Marketing Graduate Programme 2026 - Ireland

Benefits

Job Description