Internship - Brand Management

Colgate-Palmolive is looking for a Brand Management intern to join the Netherlands team. The role sits within the Benelux Consumer Experience group, with a hybrid work setup and a base in Almere, Netherlands. This is a great fit for someone who wants to work with well-known brands like Colgate, Elmex, Palmolive, Ajax and Sanex, and who wants to see marketing ideas come to life in a big consumer goods company that emphasizes caring, inclusivity and courage.

The internship is designed for an ambitious student ready to dive into the practical side of marketing. It starts in February 2027, with the start date open to discussion, and there’s a real possibility to combine the internship with writing a thesis. You’ll be treated as a full member of the marketing team from day one, gaining hands-on experience in a fast-moving FMCG environment and having your own ideas put into practice.

In this setup, you’ll be working on a mix of core brand activities and retailer-specific initiatives, giving you a taste of what it’s like to manage a brand in a competitive market. The experience is designed to be varied and hands-on, so you can see the impact of your work across different channels and touchpoints in the Dutch market.

The daily rhythm of a brand started from scratch

On typical days you’ll build trade presentations that help introduce new products to customers, shaping the story and the data behind them. You’ll also steer the process for promotions at major retailers in the Netherlands, taking ownership from concept through to execution and measuring the results along the way. You’ll collaborate with an agency to develop advertisements for print and online, and you’ll help create product, brand and activation campaigns for online and offline channels in partnership with that agency. Keeping the social calendar up to date and coordinating with magazines or publishing partners will round out your responsibilities, while you analyze the business and monitor market trends to inform monthly reports. It’s a hands-on mix that gives you a real sense of what it takes to be a junior brand manager.

Must-have requirements that fit the role

• You’re a WO or HBO student pursuing a Bachelor or Master degree with a clear link to marketing or sales, including product development, communication or activation work
• You must speak Dutch fluently and have a solid command of English
• You bring energy and drive to the role, with a proactive mindset and a clear communicator
• You combine creativity with an ability to analyze data and insights
• You’re capable of working independently and taking ownership of tasks
• You’re motivated by hands-on learning and can handle a dynamic workload

Nice-to-haves aren’t specified in the posting, but the focus is clearly on practical, initiative-taking candidates who can handle multiple moving parts in a fast-changing environment.

Pay, benefits and practical details you’ll care about

The internship includes a monthly allowance of 750 Euro, reflecting the experience and responsibilities you’ll gain from day one. The role is embedded in the Dutch marketing team, with a base in Almere and a hybrid work setup. There’s a note that February 2027 onward is the start window, and there’s a possibility to combine the internship with writing a thesis, which can be a meaningful way to tie academic work to real business projects. The arrangement also includes a degree of flexibility, such that Fridays can be worked from home to support a better work-life balance.

Advice for applicants you can use right away

Lead with your marketing focus. On your resume, place your WO/HBO status and the specific marketing or sales orientation at the top, and call out any product development, activation or communications coursework or projects you’ve completed. This signals that you’re aligned with the core needs of the internship from the start.

Show how you meet the must-haves. In your examples, illustrate Dutch language proficiency and strong English communication, a track record of proactive collaboration, and instances where you balanced creativity with analysis to drive a result. Short, concrete stories beat generic statements here.

Prepare to discuss end-to-end campaigns. Expect questions about how you’d manage a retailer promotion from concept to completion, including coordinating with an agency, developing creative assets, and measuring the impact with a monthly report. Have a plan ready that demonstrates ownership and a clear workflow for cross-functional collaboration.

Ask a smart, specific question. A good one would be about how the team envisions combining the internship with a thesis and what success looks like in the first six months, especially in terms of the promotions and campaigns you’d lead for Dutch retailers. This shows you’re thinking about both the immediate impact and longer-term learning.