McLaren Automotive Ltd
Business Office - Graduate
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What to Expect
Purpose of the Role
The Manufacturing Business Office drives delivery of the Chief Manufacturing Officer’s priorities – strategy deliverables, the Manufacturing Transformation programme, communications, reporting and OKRs, and inter-company alignment. The Business Office Graduate role is an exceptional early-career opportunity to learn how manufacturing priorities, strategy and transformation activities are translated into executed outcomes at the heart of the function.
Reporting to the Head of Manufacturing Strategy & Business Office, with day-to-day direction from the Business Office Lead, the Business Office Graduate provides analytical, reporting and communications support across the Business Office pillars – helping prepare reporting and OKRs, supporting Town Halls and leadership communications, conducting analysis and research, and supporting inter-company alignment. The role has no direct reports and is developed over time to take ownership of initiatives. This is a varied, high-visibility role for a motivated graduate with strong analytical and communication skills and a curiosity about strategy and operations.
The role is a fixed-term appointment aligned to the McLaren Automotive graduate programme, but is not rotational – the graduate remains dedicated to the Business Office throughout. The role is based in Woking and is expected to be onsite a minimum of three days per week to support collaboration, learning and engagement with manufacturing teams. During key business cycles, leadership events or transformation activities, onsite attendance may increase to meet business needs. Travel to other McLaren sites, including MCTC in Sheffield, may occasionally be required but is expected to be minimal.
What You'll Do
Principal Accountabilities
- Support delivery of the Business Office’s strategy deliverables and the Manufacturing Transformation programme.
- Prepare and maintain performance reporting and OKRs, ensuring consistent and accurate reporting to the Head of Manufacturing Strategy & Business Office and leadership.
- Support the preparation and operation of Manufacturing governance forums, helping maintain action logs, decision records and follow-up activities to support effective leadership decision making and accountability.
- Support manufacturing communications, including the preparation of Town Hall and leadership materials.
- Conduct analysis, research and benchmarking to inform strategy and decision-making.
- Support research into emerging technologies, digital manufacturing trends and AI-enabled opportunities, helping identify practical use cases that could improve productivity, decision-making, quality or employee experience across Manufacturing.
- Support the review and interrogation of financial business-case proposals.
- Support inter-company Business Office alignment (e.g. PMO and Procurement).
- Support data preparation, management and analysis across the office.
- Take ownership of discrete initiatives and ‘special projects’ as capability develops.
- Build strong cross-functional relationships, representing the Business Office positively.
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Impact
Types of roles managed by jobholder
- Directly – none (early-career role).
- Indirectly – builds influence across functions through relationships rather than authority.
Key Financial Measures
- No budget accountability.
- Supports the review of business cases and the accuracy of the performance and OKR reporting that underpins decision-making.
Key Stakeholders
- Business Office Lead (day-to-day direction).
- Head of Manufacturing Strategy & Business Office.
- Chief Manufacturing Officer and the Manufacturing leadership team.
- Finance and cross-functional partners across manufacturing and support functions.
- Project PMO (including the Project Graduate).
What You'll Bring
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
- A recent graduate (or equivalent early-career experience), ideally with a 2:1 or above; a business, economics, engineering or numerate / analytical discipline is advantageous.
- Strong quantitative and analytical skills – able to extract insight and conclusions from data and complex problems.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with an interest in strategy, transformation and communications.
- Any exposure to analysis, reporting or a structured business environment (e.g. placement or internship) is advantageous.
- Exposure to collaborating with external organisations, specialist advisors or consultancy teams through academic, placement or professional experience would be advantageous.
- Demonstrable curiosity about emerging technologies, digital transformation, data analytics or artificial intelligence and their application within manufacturing and business environments.
Preferred Qualifications
- Degree educated (2:1 or above typical).
- An interest in, or foundational steps towards, change management or project management qualifications is advantageous.
- Advanced Microsoft M365 skills, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
Business Knowledge
- A basic understanding of change delivery and strategy execution, with an eagerness to learn.
- An interest in manufacturing operations and business planning.
- Awareness of governance, performance reporting and leadership decision-making processes, with an eagerness to learn how they support organisational delivery.
- Awareness of emerging AI and automation technologies, with an interest in understanding how they can be applied to manufacturing, business processes and operational performance.
Essential Functional / Technical Skills
- Advanced operating level across the Microsoft M365 suite, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
- Strong analytical skills with attention to accuracy and detail.
- Strong written and presentational skills.
- Ability to shift between strategic discussion and operational detail.
Personal Attributes / Competencies
- Commit to Win: a motivated, outcome-focused self-starter who organises their own workload under guidance.
- Communicate with Clarity: a strong communicator able to explain concepts clearly to varied audiences.
- Create with Courage: a curious champion of new tools and ways of working, confident to ask questions, challenge established approaches and explore emerging technologies that can create business value.
- Collaborate for Impact: builds positive relationships across functions, working collaboratively and developing the ability to influence through credibility and trust rather than authority.
- Keen attention to accuracy and detail, with strong integrity and discretion with sensitive information.
- Adaptable and able to manage changing priorities in a dynamic environment.
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Complexity & Problem Solving
The Business Office Graduate works across a broad and varied remit at the centre of the manufacturing function, quickly learning to balance analytical rigour with the pace of a busy business office. Much of the early challenge lies in developing the judgement to turn data and research into clear, useful insight, and in building the relationships needed to work effectively across functions without formal authority.
With coaching from the Business Office Lead, the role develops from support towards owning discrete initiatives, gaining broad exposure across governance, strategy execution, reporting, communications, finance and transformation.
Career Path
Talent Pool for Role: Recent graduates and early-career professionals with strong analytical and communication skills and an interest in business management, strategy execution, transformation and operations.
This is a two-year fixed-term, non-rotational appointment offering broad exposure across governance, reporting, transformation, communications, finance and business-office operations, providing a strong foundation for careers in Business Office leadership, strategy, transformation, PMO or operational management.
What We'll Do for You
We Offer a Wide – Ranging Benefits Package, Which Includes
- Structured career development framework
- 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days
- Enhanced company pension scheme
- Discretionary annual bonus award
- Private medical insurance and health cash plan
- Life assurance benefit
- Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years’ service
- Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
- Generous parental leave policies
- A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice
Who Are We?
No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.
It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks.
McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey.
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