We’re looking for Industrial Engineering Graduates to join our Central Operations Supply Chain Graduate Program in September 2024. Our graduates sit within our Packaging Solutions business and will ensure we have the right materials in the right place, at the right time and at the right price. Within Operations, we aim at optimizing the way the orders are launched : on one side via the Supply Chain processes and on the other via the industrial processes and especially the tooling. The team link our sales team to our operational team to maximize use of stock and avoid waste, ensuring everything we do is cost effective, efficient and most of all… safe. At times there may be barriers which our Supply Chain team need to overcome to ensure our product is smoothly moved from suppliers to site and beyond. On the other side, Operational Excellence are working on industrial processes and especially the tooling on which we aim at implementation best practices among all the plants. You’ll work on continuous improvement projects to see where we can maximize opportunities at every step of the journey.

You will spend your placements in different locations to build a better understanding of our business, have diverse experiences (human, technics, customers, IT system, etc.), and gain different perspectives, therefore national geographical flexibility will be required for this role.

Who are DS Smith?

We’re the leading provider of sustainable packaging solutions, paper products and recycling services. We’ve been around for over 80 years and operate in over 30countries across the UK, Europe and the United States. From food and beverage packaging in your local supermarket to every parcel which arrives at your door, DS Smith has created packaging, which is innovative, secure and kinder to our planet.

About the programme

In today's complex, connected world, our customer’s supply chain can give them a competitive advantage and help them stand out. We understand the challenges our customers are facing, including lower consumer spending, a changing retail landscape, digital transformation and increased pressure on financial returns. To succeed we need to rethink traditional models and find new capabilities that can unlock opportunities across the total value chain. Our streamlined, innovative approach gets to the heart of the situation quickly and uses Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) methodology to deliver real benefits in end-to-end value chain optimisation. Our Operations  colleagues adopt a customer-centric mindset and focus their attention towards optimization, using data to gain insights and implement new supply chain solutions which drive cost reduction, efficiency and innovation.

And this is where you come in. You’ll spend your first placement in one of our Box Plants, where you’ll help us improve our management processes by challenging real customer consumption vs our forecasts, and how this impacts safety, stock, replenishment and production quality. You’ll work with our customers to understand the demand, identify risks and opportunities, review ways we can continuously improve our processes and ensure we’re in line with key performance indicators. You’ll work with our internal sales team and our production teams to understand the constraints of our production routines and ensure the proposition between customer and product are realistic, cost effective and sustainable. Alongside this, you’ll be linked to a global project which aims to reduce our finished goods stock through the reviewal of lead-times, accurate forecasting and reviewing replenishment cycles. 

Your second placement will be in a different packaging site in France. This will give you a different insight into DS Smith and our processes. You’ll be exposed to functions such as operational excellence, learning best practice in tooling designs or validating the impact of our processes on waste and productivity. Wherever you end up, we’ll develop your process and product knowledge, material preparation and project management.

As the placements will take place in different locations across France throughout the program, we will require full flexibility from applicants with regards to their geographical location.

Development

Alongside your on-the-job training, you’ll go on the DS Smith Graduate Journey where you’ll have a roadmap of development to support your career. When you join us, you’ll be given a full induction to the business, including a tour of some of our paper, packaging, and innovation factories.

In year one, you’ll learn about Self Leadership and Personal Effectiveness, while in year two, you’ll learn about leadership, stakeholder management and influencing. Finally, when the program ends, you’ll deliver a presentation about your learnings, celebrate your success with a graduation dinner and work with your Talent Lead to find the best permanent home for you.

But don’t worry, you won’t be doing this alone. You’ll have a network of graduates to bounce ideas off, be given a mentor and a former graduate will be there for guidance and support throughout your journey.

About you

To be considered for this role you must have as a minimum:

• A degree in Industrial Engineering (or due to complete this by September 2024).
• Be able to start in the business full time on 2nd September 2024.
• Speak fluent English and French (minimum B2 level).
• Hold the relevant right to work within France.  
• Be fully flexible and geographically mobile as there will be different placements across the programme.

Benefits

So what’s in it for you?

• A starting salary of €40,000.
• 25 days holiday.
• Profit sharing scheme.