Commercial Trade Assistant – Unilever Food Solutions

Join us as Commercial Trade Assistant – Unilever Food Solutions
Reports to: Key Account Manager Trade & eCommerce
Scope: Netherlands – Foodservice industry
Location: Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Local employment conditions apply, full-time
Are you commercially driven, customer-focused, and a true connector? Do you take ownership, embrace challenges, and stop only once sustainable solutions are found? Are you eager to learn from experienced Key Account Managers while rapidly developing your commercial skills? Then we would love to meet you.
About Unilever Food Solutions
Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) is the 2nd largest Business Unit of Unilever, one of the 3 Power brands of the Foods Business Group, and a global market leader in Food Service. We are an independent Global Business Unit that operates in over 76 countries, and employs ~4000 employees. We have a unique B2B business model focused on serving chefs and our purpose is to free them to love what they do.
We at UFS have a bold and clear ambition and strategy in place for 2030 with a bold ambition on turnover and profitability, by being the best solution provider to our growing operator base. We plan to do this via a product first focus on superiority, by becoming the leader in AI powered Customer experience and by nurturing a Winning culture. We have had a history of delivering with excellence and resilient performance in the past few years. We also strive to stay 3 steps ahead in the industry. For example, our Future Menus Report identifies emerging culinary trends, making us a trendsetter for inspiring innovative solutions for chefs worldwide.
We have a culture of caring deeply not just for our business but also for our people. We foster an entrepreneurial culture built on speed, simplicity, trust, and a deep hunger to grow. Our people thrive on their roles being empowered and end to end - across all functions. We also invest heavily in building future skills and leaders. Our People agenda of Accelerate-Grow-Thrive consistently helps us lead in employee engagement, with scores exceeding Unilever scores across all dimensions and being one of the most engaged teams at Unilever.
Here, you will continuously learn, unlearn, and relearn, challenging yourself to accelerate your development in an end-to-end business and in end-to-end roles. If you're dreaming of contributing to Unilever’s 2nd largest Business unit, a fast-growing business, where you're empowered so you can play to win and thrive as part of One Team with One Goal, then come and join us!
About the team
At Unilever Food Solutions, teams work closely together with one shared goal: enabling chefs to focus fully on their guests. We engage customers on-site, communicate through our own and partner channels, and work closely with Route to Market partners to ensure optimal product availability.
As Commercial Trade Assistant, you are, together with your colleagues, the first point of contact for our wholesale partners. You work closely with key players such as Sligro, Bidfood, Makro, and Hanos. By deeply understanding their businesses, you proactively identify opportunities and contribute to sustainable partnerships and mutual growth.
This is a versatile internal sales role with extensive internal and external interaction, offering strong development opportunities and real commercial impact.
About this job
Within Customer Development, we are looking for a Commercial Trade Assistant for Unilever Food Solutions.
In this role, you support and strengthen Account Managers within the Foodservice channel and are jointly responsible for the commercial success of our brands Knorr and Hellmann’s. Together, you represent Unilever Food Solutions towards customers and actively contribute to revenue growth, promotional execution, data-driven insights, and effective collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
You connect analysis with action and thrive in a dynamic environment where multiple customers, projects, and disciplines come together. No two days are the same.
Key responsibilities

• Supporting Account Managers working with Foodservice wholesalers

• Independently managing promotion planning, online content alignment, and commercial administration

• Analyzing sales performance, promotional results, forecasts, and market data, translating insights into concrete actions

• Maintaining and updating systems, reports, and commercial data

• Collaborating closely with Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Finance

• Building, maintaining, and strengthening customer relationships

• Actively contributing to projects, customer activation, and market execution

• Ensuring excellent execution and high customer satisfaction together with the Account Manager

About you

• Bachelor’s degree (HBO level) in Marketing, Business Management, International Business, Commercial Economics, or similar

• Preferably around two years of experience in a commercial or sales support role, or relevant internship experience

• Strong analytical skills and capable of working in a project-driven environment

• Affinity with FMCG and or Foodservice

• Solid skills in Microsoft Teams, PowerPoint, and Excel

• Self-starter, proactive, and strong communicator

• Able to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously

• Passion for great food

• Fluency in Dutch and proficiency in English are a must

Preferred qualifications

• Entrepreneurial mindset with ambition to grow within Sales

• Energized by change and dynamic environments

• Experience with SAP is an advantage

Additional information

• You will become part of the Trade team in the Netherlands, consisting of approximately six colleagues.

• You will work in a hybrid setup, with three days per week in the Rotterdam office and remaining days flexibly.

• Unilever offers an environment with strong opportunities for development, entrepreneurship, and long-term career growth.

WHAT IS IN IT FOR YOU?
Unilever is the place where you can be yourself and bring your purpose to life with the work that you do – creating a better business and a better world. We offer an exciting & dynamic work environment where you can make things happen. Furthermore, we offer some great reward and benefits!

• Attractive total remuneration package: excellent company pension, bonus, share scheme

• Flexible cross-disciplinary career opportunities and a wealth of training opportunities & wellbeing resources whenever and wherever

• Plenty of company-paid holidays to further ensure your work-life balance is maintained

• We encourage an inclusive culture, which comes to life with interchangeable public holidays, paid paternity leave of 6 weeks and our transgender policy

• Under the Hybrid Working principles, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% in the office or at customers, suppliers or partners to connect and collaborate. For the time you work from home, we will ensure you are well equipped. When you are at the office, you can enjoy our tasty canteen with prepped food and own products

• Informal culture and being the first one trying our new products

• My Fitness Plan (deduction on your Fitness Subscription)

• Home working allowance

• Company laptop and mobile phone

• Green Mobility Policy

EXCITED?

Join Unilever and our team! To apply, please do so online. Please do not forget to upload your CV and a cover letter. Your application will be reviewed against our requirements, and we will be in touch shortly after the closing date to provide you with an update on the status of your application.

Looking forward to meeting you! 

Please note this is Direct Search led by Unilever. Applications from agencies will not be accepted, nor will fees be paid for unsolicited CVs.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Unilever is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, disability, age, parenthood, pregnancy or any other basis protected by applicable law, and will not be discriminated against.

By highlighting the gender diversity at the workplace, Unilever encourages applications from all genders. If you are looking for a job after a long career break or after any type of leave, do not hesitate to apply.