Sherwin-Williams Commercial Graduate Programme (July 2024 Start)

Due to strong and continued business growth, Sherwin-Williams are looking for an ambitious, passionate and commercially minded graduates to embark on a 2-year rotational Graduate Programme.

The Company

We are one of the world’s leading paint and coatings manufacturers, producing household brands of paint, wood coatings, sealants and fillers across the globe, as well as delivering top-end building envelope, industrial wood, and marine coatings within our international industrial divisions.

Although you may not know the name Sherwin-Williams, there’s a good chance you’ve come into contact with something we’ve coated, protected or sealed on a daily basis. Ronseal and Valspar are just two of a number of popular DIY brands within the UK and Ireland under the umbrella of Sherwin-Williams consumer brands.

At Sherwin-Williams, our focus is on continuing to build upon over one hundred years of innovation, performance and excellence within the UK and European coatings market; delivering fantastic products to DIY and Trade consumers, while leading the way in sustainable innovation as a priority. With all this heritage and expertise across our business, we’re excited to say that we’re only just getting started!

Now you know a little bit about who we are, how do you feel about becoming part of the story for some truly renowned brands across UK and Europe? Do you want to work in a business that focusses on developing its teams and strives to help individuals achieve their career aspirations? Is the notion of working as part of a fun, energetic team your idea of job? Do you crave working in partnership with industry leading agencies? If the answer is ‘yes’, then you’re in the right place.

We have an opening for a Commercial Graduate to support on our popular Ronseal, Valspar and Trade brands within our consumer brands division.

The Role

The Commercial Graduate position works alongside our Commercial and Marketing Teams on a variety of projects in order to gain exposure to and a detailed understanding of our business operation. The role holder will develop technical expertise and build a strong career foundation through working with our commercial and marketing teams that will develop personal effectiveness and impact, commercial and financial awareness and customer focus. Other areas covered will include: Induction; Presentation Skills; Career Management and Sales Training.

The programme consists of four six-month placements in the following teams:

Commercial – Kingfisher Sales
Trade & DIY
Accounts teams
Marketing

Within each team a mentor will be assigned to support integration into the organisation and development of each graduate through the programme with the requirement to complete the following:

Be responsible for day to day activities in the role
Work on a key project
Write a report at the end of each placement with recommendations for improvement

Commercial – Kingfisher Sales / Trade & DIY / Accounts

Understand and support our partnership with B&Q through our Kingfisher team
Work within the Trade & DIY channel to understand its operation
Work alongside our Account Management team to understand their customers and operation
Understand what our competitors do
Undertake a project to review what works well currently and areas for improvement in a key area

Marketing

Channel Marketing – Instore POS and Trade Shows
Brand Marketing – Social Media and PR
Product Marketing – Competitor product analysis and packaging design
Undertake a project

What are we looking for?

We are looking for talented and self-motivated individuals with a proven track record of successfully applying themselves both academically and through work experience:

• You may have a degree in a Business related subject, or if not, then a degree in any subject with a Masters in a Business related subject.
  • You will need to be a team player, able to develop professional relationships with both colleagues and clients; a clear communicator who acts openly and honestly with respect for others.
  • You should be results orientated with a ‘can do’ approach.
  • It is important to us that you are curious and open minded, keen to use your initiative and look for opportunities for self-development.
  • You should be able to demonstrate a good understanding of the market in which Sherwin-Williams operates.
  • IT proficiency and report writing skills with excellent business English with good attention to detail are also required.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday
• Company car
• Pension scheme
• Share plan
• Life assurance
• Healthcare plan
• Retail discount platform

About Sherwin-Williams

The Sherwin-Williams Company delivers the best in paint and coatings products to the world. Every day, our more than 64,000 employees provide the energy and experience to build on our track record of success – enabling us to innovate and grow in new and exciting ways. With our people as the foundation of our Company, we offer industry-leading innovation, value-added service and expertise, and differentiated distribution to our growing base of professional, industrial, commercial and consumer customers.