Supply Chain Graduate Review

My experience at Balfour Beatty has been incredibly insightful and rewarding. It has provided me with opportunities to develop new capabilities and skills across procurement, supplier management, and stakeholder engagement. Through building and maintaining strong supplier relationships, I have gained valuable commercial and communication experience while contributing to major infrastructure projects. One of the standout aspects of Balfour Beatty is its culture of kindness and support, where colleagues are encouraged to learn, collaborate, and succeed. The experience has not only helped me grow professionally but has also allowed me to expand my network and build meaningful relationships across the business and wider supply chain.

The aspects of my role at Balfour Beatty that I enjoy most are the opportunities to put my own stamp on my work and build meaningful relationships with suppliers. I take pride in supporting and managing the supply chain, ensuring compliance through Constructionline applications, monitoring supplier performance through KPIs, and helping maintain high standards across our supply base. I also play a role in developing and growing the supply chain by issuing RFIs and engaging with new and existing suppliers to identify opportunities and capabilities. Through this, I have developed strong supplier relationship management, stakeholder engagement, and commercial skills. Combined with Balfour Beatty’s culture of kindness and collaboration, the role has enabled me to grow both professionally and personally while expanding my network across the business and wider industry.

The culture at Balfour Beatty is one of kindness, collaboration, and continuous learning, which has enabled me to grow both professionally and personally while expanding my network across the business and wider industry. While I have developed significantly in procurement and supply chain management, I recognise that some of the skills gained through my Master's in Project Management have not yet been fully utilised. However, I see this as a personal development opportunity and am keen to explore roles and experiences that allow me to apply a broader range of those project management capabilities in the future.

I feel the graduate package is fair overall; however, I believe graduates deserve greater financial recognition for the level of responsibility and work they undertake. Many graduates contribute significantly to business outcomes while balancing their development and training, and an increase in pay would better reflect their impact and commitment.

My experience in Supply Chain Management has provided a strong foundation for a future career in Project Management. Through managing supplier relationships, monitoring supplier performance through KPIs, and ensuring compliance across the supply chain, I have developed key skills in stakeholder management, communication, risk management, and problem-solving. Working closely with both internal teams and external suppliers has taught me the importance of collaboration, planning, and maintaining strong relationships to achieve successful outcomes.

My mentor has been a huge source of support throughout my development, particularly in helping me explore and identify internal opportunities that align with my long-term goal of moving into Project Management. Their guidance has given me confidence and helped me better understand the pathways available within the business. Alongside this, my team have been incredibly supportive in my day-to-day role, always willing to offer guidance, share knowledge, and help whenever needed. This strong support network has made me feel valued and has played a significant role in both my professional and personal development at Balfour Beatty.

Yes

Yes, I would recommend Balfour Beatty to a friend. Throughout my time here, I have felt genuinely valued by my team and supported in both my professional and personal development. The culture is collaborative, inclusive, and centred around kindness, which makes it a great environment to learn and grow.
The graduate programme has provided me with the opportunity to develop a wide range of technical and professional skills, gain experience in supplier management and stakeholder engagement, and build a strong network across the business. I have particularly enjoyed the autonomy to put my own stamp on my work and take ownership of meaningful responsibilities.
I have also benefited from excellent support from both my mentor and team, who have helped me explore future career opportunities and supported my day-to-day development. Whilst there are areas where the graduate experience could be enhanced, such as greater exposure to different business functions and improved remuneration, my overall experience has been very positive and I would recommend Balfour Beatty to anyone looking to build a strong foundation for their career.

The role has matched many of my expectations in terms of responsibility, development opportunities, and exposure to the wider business. However, during the recruitment process, I anticipated that the role would have a greater focus on logistics for projects etc. In practice, the position has been predominantly centred around supplier relationship management, supplier compliance, and supply chain development. While this was different from my initial expectations, it has provided me with valuable experience in stakeholder engagement, supplier management, commercial processes, and supply chain governance.