Procurement Graduate Programme 2012 British Airways

Our Procurement team buys over £5bn of goods and services each year from an international supply base. On our Procurement Programme, you’ll be in a position to significantly influence our profitability by effectively managing our external cost base and making sure we drive maximum value through our suppliers.

We will be investing a further £5bn into our products over the next five years and Procurement will be involved in all those major projects from buying aircraft to the latest enabling technology for our customers. Three placements in different areas will see you make a key contribution to that.

You may find yourself buying our fuel, working with our customer design teams, procuring new seats or negotiating new contracts for IT systems for the airline. One thing is for sure: you will be exposed to the commercial realities of buying and managing global suppliers for one of the largest airlines in the world, which will help you towards your goal of becoming a future leader.

The MCIPS programme will support your professional development and make sure you develop the capability to represent the business at the very highest level. Your line managers will support you too, while a structured mentor and ‘buddy’ programme will help you work on your commercial acumen. You’ll also have a range of external development and chances to network.

Besides a 2:1 degree (or equivalent), you must have the right to live and work in the UK. This programme involves working full-time and may involve travel across the world for short periods. There is also a requirement for you to pass a Criminal Record Check at an Enhanced Disclosure level.

Procurement Graduate Programme 2012
Ref: UKLHW2219
Region: UK - Heathrow
Location: London - Heathrow - Waterside

Job Description
Graduates like you have made such a difference to our business, it’s no wonder we’re looking for more. People of your high calibre are helping drive an organisation that carries over 32 million customers to 145 destinations around the world in around 230 aircraft. In fact, graduates play a key role in the transition of the company.

If you have not already done so, please visit our Graduate Careers microsite for further informationwww.britishairwaysgraduates.com

Would you like to join the British Airways team responsible for buying over £5bn of goods and services each year from an international supply base? The airline industry is a dynamic, exciting and challenging environment. The Procurement department directly contributes to the financial performance of the airline by delivering a competitive cost base for the goods and services we require to be the world’s leading global premium airline.
The Procurement graduate programme is designed to identify and develop our Procurement leaders of the future. We will offer a structured training programme for three years with a series of placements across the department, combined with study for formal qualifications.

You will have the opportunity to work in areas as varied as IT, catering, ground operations, hotels, engineering, fuel and corporate services.

All placements are real jobs, with real responsibility and accountability.

You will obtain a breadth of experience across Procurement business areas to develop your portfolio of skills and capability. It will be your responsibility to fully exploit the wide range of development opportunities available to you during your programme.

Successful candidates can expect:-

• A comprehensive induction programme
• A tailored learning and development programme to develop business awareness and interpersonal skills
• Opportunities to gain professional Procurement qualifications (CIPS)
• Support and guidance from a senior Procurement manager
• Structured networking opportunities across business areas
• Benefits from working for a global premium airline

By the end of the programme, you will have developed a valuable set of key skills and experience from which to launch a successful management career within British Airways.

Our Recruitment Process
If successful at the application stage you will then be invited to take part in further assessments, which will include online and paper based psychometric, numerical & personality tests, a group discussion, a work related exercise and an interview at The Rivers, Heathrow.

Once assessments have been completed, we will make offers for places on the Procurement graduate programme subject to references and confirmation of qualifications. The programme will start in July 2012.

Requirements

Job Purpose

• Manage and be accountable for the effective operation of the Strategic Sourcing process and associated financial controls within given areas of responsibility.
• Ensure BA achieves value for money with due regard to total cost of ownership for all its Procurement requirements.
• Influence colleagues to follow BA’s Strategic Sourcing process.
• Demonstrate flexibility by delivering projects across each Procurement placement over the course of the scheme.

Job Dimensions/Measures

• Operational expenditure up to £25m per annum, Capital spend up to £10m

Responsibilities

Principal Accountabilities

• Develops and delivers Sourcing Strategies across supply base for all spend in area of responsibility in association with all relevant Finance and line colleagues.
• Builds and maintains effective, efficient relationships within BA and its suppliers in delivery of Procurement objectives.
• Delivers and negotiates appropriate supplier agreements for all goods and services for given areas of responsibility to meet spend, risk, service and performance level requirements.
• Delivers cost reduction through sourcing and supplier management in accordance with external spend targets, as defined in the Financial Plan.
• Ensures that all procurement activity in own area of responsibility is conducted in line with Corporate and Procurement governance principles.

Key interfaces

• Managers and Senior Managers across relevant Finance and line colleagues
• Externally with suppliers to Managing Director level

The Individual
Knowledge & Qualifications

Essential

• Graduate with, or predicted to have, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree, or equivalent, in any discipline
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Analytical skills and financially astute
• Must have the right to live and work full-time in the UK indefinitely without sponsorship from British Airways OR be able to provide evidence that you can achieve this independently

Personal Credibility
Able to represent both Procurement and wider British Airways interests in dealings with internal stakeholders and suppliers

Impact & Influence

• Is able to express themselves effectively with stakeholders at all levels
• Is able to influence and persuade using well thought through positions
• Recognises the agendas of others and tailors own response to increase leverage
• Actively contributes to discussions
• Builds effective working relationships and makes some use of networks
• Leads by example and recognises high performance

Self-Management

• Demonstrates high integrity and self confidence
• Demonstrates good personal organisational skills
• Invests time in own self development/builds new skills and seeks new learning

Thinking Agility

• Able to think conceptually and over the longer term
• Able to evaluate and solve complex problems
• Thinks through plans and interventions to avoid surprises
• Is comfortable in ambiguous situations

Delivering Results

• Meets expectations in terms of quality, timescales and budget
• Recognises the need for urgency/pace, when required
• Can demonstrate competent team leadership by making decisions and talking accountability
• Is able to demonstrate effective project management skills
• Monitors own performance and seeks feedback
• Shows competence and intuition in basic IT applications to deliver solutions
• Seeks to develop others when given the opportunity

Business Mastery

• Displays understanding of business performance and can identify trends and issues
• Can name competitors and define their competitive position in comparison to the business
• Is able to define the key risks associated with the business and identify innovative mitigation strategies and contingency plans

Leadership Behaviours
Communicating a Common Vision

• Inspires and engages teams by creating and communicating a compelling vision.
• Communicates key messages in a confident and credible way.
• Gears communication to the audience and values the contribution of others.

Agreeing Accountabilities

• Translates vision into plans making links with other initiatives.
• Takes ownership for delivery and makes clear who is accountable for what.
• Recognises situations when they need support and has the confidence to ask for it
• Maintains focus and develops people in their team.

Motivating and Inspiring Others

• Self aware and leads by example.
• Maintains focus and momentum to optimise performance.
• Recognises, celebrates and rewards high performance – and manages underperformance
• Encourages continuous improvement and innovation.

Key Role Requirements
Desirable

• Should be willing to work in different locations and business functions, which may involve travel, unsociable hours and shift work.
• Interest in Commercial Contract Law
• IT literacy including Microsoft Excel

Application Process
To apply, you will need to successfully complete a series of online questions. These questions form part of the selection process and your responses will be assessed. This includes the following questions (please note the system has a time-out security setting so we advise you prepare these offline before submitting).

• Please give the following details below. Please only give details of your 2:1 undergraduate degree (no other qualifications).

1. What is your university and programme of study?
2. Is your 2:1 achieved or predicted?
3. Is this a UK 2:1 undergraduate degree or will you provide a NARIC verified 'statement of comparability'?

• What interests you about the Procurement Leaders for Business programme and why? (200 words maximum)
• As a Procurement Leader for Business, you will be joining British Airways in a dynamic and challenging time. In no more than 450 words, please:

1. Describe the challenges currently facing the airline
2. Identify the skills and qualities needed for leadership during this time
3. Give example(s) of when you have demonstrated these skills/qualities

• How can the Procurement department support and influence the business in these challenging times? (200 words maximum)

If successful at the application stage you will then be invited to take part in further assessments, which will include online psychometric, numerical & personality tests, a telephone interview and an assessment day at The Rivers, near Heathrow Airport. The assessment day will include a group problem solving discussion, an interview and work related exercise/presentation and validation of your online testing scores.

Please note the following dates where you may be invited for specific times/appointments:

• Telephone Interviews January – February 2012
• Final Assessment February – March 2012

Once assessments have been completed, we will make offers subject to references, confirmation of qualifications and medical requirements. The programme will start on Monday 23rd July 2012.

We will be reviewing applications on an ongoing basis and the campaign will close as soon as we have found suitable candidates. Therefore we encourage you to submit your application at the earliest opportunity to avoid any disappointment.

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