NEXT GEN @ Hearst UK 2026 – Early-Careers Scheme – Content, Commercial, Customer and CEO’s Office

Main Duties

If you’re serious about building a career in media and want to learn from the people shaping it, NEXT GEN @ Hearst is where you start.

Following the success of our 2025 cohort, Hearst UK – home to Esquire, Men’s & Women’s Health, Elle, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s Bazaar, Digital Spy, Cosmopolitan and more – is opening applications for NEXT GEN @ Hearst 2026.

This isn’t a standard early-careers scheme. Over 12 months, you’ll rotate across four key areas of the business – Content, Commercial, Customer and the CEO’s Office – working directly with senior leaders and gaining a front-row view of how a modern media business operates.

You won’t be on the sidelines. You’ll join real teams, contribute to real projects and see how our brands grow audiences, build communities and drive commercial success.

At Hearst, we back people with energy, ideas and ownership. Our values – Passion, Creativity, Authenticity and Entrepreneurship – shape how we collaborate, challenge ourselves and get things done.

So, if you’re curious, proactive and ready to step in rather than stand back, you’ll fit right in.

You’ll move across four high-impact rotations, each giving you a different lens into how Hearst UK operates, from how we create content and build audiences to how we grow revenue and shape business strategy.

Content
Work with some of the most recognisable brands in media. You could be supporting editorial teams, shaping creative ideas with HearstMade, or helping bring branded storytelling and social-first content to life – including video, audio, print, and social, while demonstrating confidence and versatility both on and off camera.

Commercial
Get into the engine room of revenue. You’ll work alongside commercial and client-strategy teams, supporting advertising partnerships, campaign thinking and the work that connects our brands with clients.

Customer
Understand what drives audience engagement and loyalty. From membership and events to brand marketing and audience insight, you’ll see how we grow communities and connect with people beyond the page.

CEO’s Office
Work close to the heart of the business on priority initiatives. This could mean supporting strategic projects, exploring new opportunities or helping to shape how the business evolves at the highest level.

Across all rotations, you’ll get hands-on quickly, contributing to real work, supporting live projects, building presentations and materials, and collaborating with teams throughout the business. You’ll learn how ideas move from concept to execution, stay close to trends in media, culture and audiences, and bring fresh thinking to content, partnerships and new opportunities.

By the end, you’ll have built a strong network across Hearst UK, developed a well-rounded understanding of how a leading media business works, grows and keeps evolving – and, ideally, you’ll have found the area where you want to build your career, with the potential opportunity to transition into a permanent role at Hearst UK.

Skills and Experience Required

At the core, we’re looking for genuine drive. You’ll need:

• Real hunger to build a career in media – you show genuine curiosity about how brands, content, audiences and revenue connect.
• Confidence and ownership – you get stuck in, ask smart questions, take responsibility and look for where you can add value.
• Energy and resilience – you adapt quickly, work well across different teams and keep moving when things change.
• A grounded, proactive approach – you show up prepared, communicate clearly, build strong relationships and care about doing good work.

And importantly:

You treat everyone with respect, regardless of role or title. You understand that culture isn’t a slogan, it’s how people show up every day. You take pride in your work, your environment and the impact you have on the people around you.

Disability Confident Employer

We can confirm that we are a Disability Confident Employer (Level 1-3) who can welcome a wide-range of disabled applicants within our level of training.

Equal Opportunities Statement

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds, regardless of their race, disability, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion and belief, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and caring responsibility. We are committed to offering a working environment where everyone is valued and feels appreciated.