Here at Saint-Gobain Glass and Solaglas we not only believe in developing our existing managers, but consider it essential to introduce ‘new blood’ into the business who have the potential to become our leaders of the future. This is why each year we recruit a number of graduates onto our Managers Development Programme who we believe, within five years, will have gained sufficient experience, training and confidence to manage a specific part of our business and then continue upwards to general management. Achieving this can be through a variety of paths, which could include a combination of Sales/Commercial, Marketing, Engineering and Production roles. All career paths are valid and the company needs a mix of experience - if you are to be a true General Manager, you will eventually have to be competent at a broad range of activities.

What can you expect?

During your first five years with the company, your career will be managed carefully in consultation with you to provide a broad foundation that will be of use to you later in your career. You are likely to have three real jobs at any of our sites across the UK, so mobility is an essential.

It’s not just an acquaint either, the first job will typically be up to 12 months with you really getting to grips with what the company does and start to make an impression, and the next two of between 12 and 24 months where you will start to manage and your reputation will be formed. During these periods you will be expected not only to deliver in, but also learn about some, but not necessarily all, of the following:

• How to make the organisation work for you both formally and more importantly informally.
• Influencing people at all levels in the organisation to achieve results.
• Listening to people to gain ideas and develop creative solutions.
• Practical and systematic problem solving.
• Planning skills.
• Understand glass component production, equipment and people capabilities.
• Cost estimating for sales purposes and making commercial judgements upon this.
• Production cost estimating as a basis for improvements or investments.

It’s worth remembering that we have a predominantly flat management structure and the demands placed upon our managers are broad as well as deep. This means that regardless of where you are in your career with us, your responsibilities will cross many boundaries and rely on excellent inter-personal skills and professional working relationships across, up and down the company.

What we expect from you

Basically, a lot. From the moment you complete your induction, you will commence a real job with real responsibility and a real effect on the bottom line. You will be expected to: look, listen, learn, speak up, sit quiet, discuss, argue, be successful, make some mistakes, enjoy yourself, get depressed (only a bit), pick yourself up, come back fighting, have the courage of your convictions, take risks, say yes, say no, say I don’t know, shout for help, shout to help..... but above all be yourself. Nowhere there does it say be academically brilliant, have more letters after your name than in it or believe that four years at university is all you’ll ever need to know.

So, we’re looking for someone special. Yes, you must have a degree but more important than the discipline is having a good business head on your shoulders - perhaps gained through a placement year or some other commercial or engineering experience. This is why we make sure that before we offer anyone a position, we’re sure that we’ve had a good look at you and we like you, and that you’ve had a good look at us, and you like us.

What we offer

Challenge, support and development, dynamism, change of scenery – oh yes, and money. As a company, we will start you off on above the average salary for graduates leaving university.

To support you in the challenge of your job we will give you the specific training in each job to develop your professional practice together with the management training to give you the skills, tools and techniques to apply in any managerial situation. You won't stand still either; we review your progress and salary throughout the first four years every six months. For 2009 the starting salary will be £25,500 for 2009 intake but could be higher for exceptional candidates with relevant post graduate experience. Equally importantly, within the first 5 years, as a result of your drive, initiative and general performance we would expect you to up your salary by £6K- £10K over that period, and that's in addition to inflation. If you deliver, we deliver!!

Saint-Gobain testimonies

To hear what an array of recent graduates have to say and to gain an appreciation of the size of company that you will be part of, please see the profiles at the top right of this page.