Explore & Discover

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

You’ll need a degree or postgraduate qualification and several years’ relevant experience, for example in engineering, chemistry or medicine.

You’ll also need to understand research methods, data analysis and development processes.

2. Skills required

You’ll need:

the ability to solve problems

leadership and motivational skills

project management skills

communications skills

IT skills

3. What you'll do

Your day-to-day duties may include: 

recruiting staff

assessing staff performance

coordinating the team’s work

analysing data and presenting results

making sure work meets safety standards and other relevant legislation

managing budgets

reporting to senior managers

4. Salary

Starter: £25,000 to £32,000

Experienced: £34,000 to £50,000

Highly Experienced: £55,000 to £65,000 or more

You may receive a bonus and profit share on top of your basic salary.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll usually work up to 40 hours a week.

You could be based in a factory, laboratory or a university. There may be some travel to meetings and conferences, and this could be overseas.

6. Career path and progression

With experience in industry, you could become a senior project manager or research director. 

In higher education, you could become a senior research fellow or professor.

Role Description

You'll work in a variety of industries, from electronics to synthetic textiles, on projects as diverse as the redesign of consumer products like mobile phones to the construction of motorcycle parts.

Your day-to-day duties would depend on the project, but could include:

• research (using mathematical modelling to work through new developments and innovations)
• design (turning research ideas into technical plans for prototypes using computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-assisted engineering (CAE) software)
• testing (collecting and analysing data from prototype testing)
• modifying designs (ahead of manufacture or installation)
• reporting (writing or presenting to project managers and clients)

Role Description

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• removing or repairing broken tiles or slates (stripping)
• checking roof timbers
• fitting felt sheets to roofs
• measuring and cutting materials
• covering roofs with slates, tiles or cladding
• cutting and fitting lead 'flashings' around chimney stacks and walls
• sealing roof joints with mortar

You'll usually work on jobs with other craftspeople, like joiners and plumbers.

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no set requirements, but some employers may ask for a marketing, business or finance degree.

Other employers will want you to have strong numerical skills and experience in retail, especially an understanding and interest in stock control levels.

The Fashion Retail Academy runs a number of short courses like a 3-day Introduction to Merchandising.

The Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply also has details of procurement and supply qualifications.

Both graduates and non-graduates need to apply for entry-level posts, usually as an allocator, distributor or merchandise administrative assistant. 

Doing a college course in retail operations or fashion retail could help you prepare for this job.

You could also get into the retail industry through an apprenticeship.

Retail Careers and The Retail Appointment has more information on how to become a retail merchandiser.

2. Skills required

You’ll need:

excellent number and data analysis skills, using spreadsheets and computer modelling

good decision-making skills

an understanding of what motivates customers to buy products

confidence when leading negotiations or presenting at board meetings

good interpersonal and communication skills to build useful working relationships

strong leadership skills and ability to influence others

excellent organisational and planning skills with ability to prioritise

3. What you'll do

You’ll use your high levels of product and customer awareness to predict demand. 

You’ll usually specialise in one area like fashion, food or home wares.

Your day-to-day duties might include:

planning product ranges and stock plans with buyers

planning budgets, forecasting sales and profit margins

presenting forecasts to managers

visiting manufacturers with retail buyers to learn about production cycles

negotiating prices and orders with suppliers, and agreeing delivery terms

tracking stock deliveries, making sure goods arrive on time and meet quality standards

setting prices and sales targets for individual stores

helping visual merchandisers to plan store layouts to promote key lines

promoting special offers and marketing initiatives

analysing sales figures and trends

staying aware of how competitors are performing

identifying and sorting out production and supply problems

managing, training and supervising staff

You may be called a product manager in a large retail chain and deal only with one or two product lines. In smaller companies you may be responsible for both buying and merchandising.

4. Salary

Starter: £16,000 to £18,000

Experienced: £22,000 and £25,000

Highly Experienced: £40,000 to £60,000

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll usually work between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. You may need to work longer at busy times, like during special sales promotions or the opening of a new store.

You’ll be office-based but will also spend time visiting stores or suppliers, which could be in other parts of the UK or overseas. 

A driving licence and vehicle may be useful.

6. Career path and progression

You could be promoted to senior merchandiser and responsible for sales and budgetary control of a multimillion-pound department and managing a team of people. It’s typical to have reached senior merchandiser level within 7 to 8 years.

You could also become a merchandise manager, head of merchandising, merchandising director, retail business analyst or self-employed retail consultant.

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no entry set requirements, but a good general secondary education would be useful. 

Experience of working in a kitchen, in hospitality or a catering service may also be helpful.

You could complete a college qualification in catering, but this isn't essential.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

2. Skills required

You'll need:

the ability to carry out tasks quickly and competently

the ability to pick up detailed instructions quickly and follow them closely

good spoken communication skills

3. What you'll do

Your day-to-day duties could include:

supporting chefs in a specific work section

washing, peeling and preparing food items

using a variety of kitchen equipment such as mixers, special knives and cutters.

unloading deliveries

organising the storeroom

washing kitchen appliances, work surfaces, floors and walls

4. Salary

Starter: £11,500 to £12,500

Experienced: up to £16,500

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You'll usually work shifts, evenings, weekends and public holidays. If you're based at a factory or catering business, your hours are likely to be more regular than in a restaurant. Part-time, casual or seasonal work may be available.

Your working environment will often be hot, busy and noisy. You may find this work unsuitable if you suffer from certain skin conditions.

You'll usually be provided with a uniform.

6. Career path and progression

With experience and further training, you could become a trainee or junior chef. You could also progress into management or move into bar work or food service.

Role Description

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need a foundation degree, HNC, HND or degree in a relevant subject, like applied chemistry, applied physics, materials engineering, materials science, or technology.

You could also do a degree specialising in a group of materials or their commercial use, like biomaterials, metallurgy, polymer science, or sports and materials science

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship, and then work your way up

The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining has information about careers and qualifications in this field.

Skills required

You’ll need:

creative problem-solving skills

maths, science and IT skills

communication and presentation skills

the ability to prioritise and plan effectively

What you'll do

You’ll research materials used in industry, like carbon fibre reinforced plastic, polymers, ceramics or alloys, and test their behaviours under different conditions.

You’ll usually work in a particular area, like metals, coatings or chemicals. 

Your day-to-day duties could include:

researching new ways to combine materials

analysing test data, using computer modelling software

developing prototypes for new products

designing manufacturing processes that use new materials

investigating the reasons behind component or structural failures

supervising a team of technicians

writing reports 

You’ll use non-destructive testing methods to investigate materials, like electrical conductivity, or tolerance to heat or corrosion.

You might work with nanomaterials like graphene and phosphorene, and identify where their properties could be put to use, like in computer electronics or biological sensors.

Salary

Starter: £20,000 to £26,000

Experienced: £26,500 to £40,000

Highly Experienced: over £45,000

These figures are a guide.

Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll usually work 35 to 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday, with some overtime to meet deadlines.

You’ll be based in an office, laboratory or manufacturing environment. 

You may have to travel between sites.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could move into project management or technical sales. You could also specialise in a particular material, or work in research and consultancy.

Role Description

As a Data Quality and Insights Manager you will be accountable for ensuring the integrity of the data, production of actionable insight reports, timely delivery of client-specific data solutions, and syndicated data products. 

This role is focused on providing commercially viable channel-specific insights to the independent convenience channel participants (FMCG manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers) through gathering and synthesising EPoS and other relevant data. 

This role is a great step forward for an experienced Analyst looking for the next step in their career with a company who can match ambition through continued growth and development of the current role. 

Role Description

Your day-to-day duties could include:

• carrying out and writing up pre-installation surveys
• marking out ventilation, wiring and pipework ducts in walls, and sealing openings, like air vents
• working out the volume of space to be filled, and the amount of insulation needed
• drilling holes into the walls of a building
• injecting insulation materials into cavity spaces through the holes in a specific order
• re-filling the holes and re-pointing mortar
• checking all airbricks and flues are clear
• making sure materials and methods used meet building regulations