Warrior – Tracked Infantry

A fast track to a business leadership role

Placements

At the heart of Sigma is the placement process. This is designed to give you functional competence combined with an understanding of the wider business, and the opportunity to manage complex issues and drive change.

You will undertake a series of challenging assignments, at least one of which will be international. The first placement will last around six months, although subsequent placements will last longer to give you incremental responsibility and accelerate your development, with the final placement lasting between 18 months and two years.

These placements will be hands-on positions encompassing both strategic and operational roles. You will gain experience of a number of different sectors and cultures, spend time with customers and suppliers, and have exposure to several phases of the product lifecycle. And make no mistake, you will be expected to deliver real results against exacting objectives.

Training and support

Your hands-on experience will be backed by a comprehensive training package, tailored to your individual needs. Formal academic study will typically start with the BAE Systems Certificate in Management, followed by an appropriate postgraduate qualification.

In addition, there will be a number of short internal and external courses to expand your technical and leadership skills. And since this is a global programme, we will provide training as necessary to help you gain competence in at least one additional language.

We recognise that this is a very rigorous scheme, which is why we provide such a comprehensive network of people to support you as you progress. This will include access to a ‘buddy’ who has already been on the scheme for some time, a technical mentor and a corporate mentor (typically a senior executive). We also have a manager of the programme who has ultimate responsibility for supporting your development and monitoring your progress.

A rare talent?

It cannot be overemphasised how demanding this programme is. You cannot attain the levels the programme demands if you are not totally focused on your career with us. Selection for Sigma is based on you demonstrating your exceptional leadership potential and you will be expected to live up to your promise throughout the programme and beyond.

You will need to be persistent and tenacious – someone of substance who is able and willing to learn new skills and concepts quickly. You should be prepared to take business-critical decisions, however unpopular they are, and have the credibility to build effective relationships with customers and suppliers. The commitment and motivation to seize the opportunities that best meet your own career goals as well as the needs of the business will be key. As well as being globally mobile, you should value diversity and difference.

In short, we expect the very best from you. But in return we offer a future of unrivalled opportunity. And as you would expect, you can look forward to a very attractive rewards package including bonuses based on company and personal performance.