Group Manufacturing Leadership

Due to an overwhelming number of applications our Group Manufacturing Leadership programme is now closed. If you would like to be considered should any places become available at a later date, please complete our expression of interest form.   

At a glance

• Entry criteria – 2:2 honours degree in any discipline and at least 200 UCAS points excluding General Studies or international equivalent

• Previous project or people management experience is essential

• Closing date for applications – 31st March, 2010

• Locations – UK Wide – geographic mobility is a pre-requisite

The force that keeps the wheels turning
Running a large-scale operation like ours is no mean feat. To break it down in numbers: every minute of the day, we have to authorise over 7,000 sale transactions, process 1,400 ATM transactions, mail over 800 statements, give 450 customers access to their online accounts, and answer 131 telephone calls at our contact centres. None of this would be possible without Group Manufacturing. One of our core support functions, Group Manufacturing is also at the forefront of reducing our overheads and speeding up our business recovery.

One of our most diverse areas
Group Manufacturing is arguably one of the most diverse areas of our business. It supports virtually the whole organisation. Across the globe, every payment we process, every call answered in our service centres and every ATM withdrawal made by our customers is supported by the work Manufacturing does. Group Manufacturing also manages our portfolio around the globe and takes responsibility for most of our purchasing.

Real projects, real challenges
The Group Manufacturing Leadership programme is designed to prepare you for a future leadership position in any one of a huge number of areas. This is about developing your generalist management potential, so you’ll need to be able to apply your skills in different contexts and environments. From an extremely early stage you’ll be given leadership responsibility, typically for a team of up to 12 people from week four of the programme.

Two years. Three placements
Over the course of the programme you’ll typically undertake three placements, each lasting eight months. One might be in Operations as a Team Manager or in a similar people leadership role. Another will see you working in a project management environment, involved in change orientation. And the third will be in a specific business area – such as Property, Technology, Security or Sourcing & Vendor Management.

A partnership approach to development
Throughout, you’ll enjoy a partnership approach to your development that will reflect your aspirations. You’ll have the chance to work alongside senior managers on a regular basis, to broaden your networks and to gain a real insight into our business. We’ll give you the scope you need to make a difference from the start, to build on your successes and to quickly progress through the organisation. And the opportunity to engage, inspire and deliver through people. In short, you’ll get to experience management in the widest possible sense and explore the entire organisation before finding your niche.

Wide variety
The different areas within Group Manufacturing each have their own distinct cultures. In our Operational Service centres, the pace of change is incredibly fast whereas in Group Change Management, the work is more project based. But wherever you’re working, you can expect to face a range of challenges. We’ll look to you to influence our senior management, to drive large-scale change and to contribute to our strategic projects. You’ll also facilitate at least two work-out programmes a year, contributing to process improvement by engaging both your own people, and people from other teams.

What we’ll be looking for
Competition for this programme is intense, so we’ll be looking for more than just a good honours degree. You will need to have acquired some relevant business experience already, in a role which has seen you manage either people or projects. A first-rate communicator, you’ll be a natural when it comes to engaging with others. Resilience is also essential here. You’ll be working with people from different business areas and managerial levels, and it will be fall to you to identify priorities and influence key stakeholders.