What is your job role at DHL Supply Chain, and can you tell us a bit about it?
As an IT management graduate in the Life Sciences & Healthcare (LSHC) Business Unit, I get to work directly under the Head of IT for Pharma and Medical Devices who also happens to specialise in project management. This has had a direct impact on the way that my role has evolved as with his guidance and assistance from his team, I get to observe and help with the implementation of new IT solutions as well as the process of acquiring new business by designing a custom IT solution as part of a business proposal for prospective clients. Occasionally, I am tasked to provide support with the maintenance and optimisation of existing IT systems although said support is not traditional IT support, as this would not fit under the responsibilities and duties of an IT manager.
One aspect of the role that is unique to LSHC is the opportunity to work alongside IT managers for Testing and Compliance as well as Quality Validation managers to test changes made to the configuration of our IT systems to ensure that Patient Safety and Product Quality remain intact and unaffected. Although other business units also do testing before implementing changes or new IT systems, LSHC is notorious for how thorough it is with the testing, validation and documenting of computer systems before the pilot stage is even reached. The reason for this is that we are regulated and licensed to operate by the MHRA and most importantly, we share responsibility about the safety of the patient who will use the pharmaceutical products and medical devices that we warehouse and transport as LSHC. As a result of this, people across all our departments in this business unit tend to be motivated to get up in the morning and come to work since it feels rewarding to be part of something with purpose as we all have our personal stories of how the healthcare industry has played a vital role in our life or the life of our loved ones.
On another note, my role is also heavily focused on training and learning as this is a graduate scheme. Part of the programme is the APM qualification which I am doing alongside my work and training to help shape my career and acquire new skills. Training comes in all forms including in person and online courses and even though there’s a lot of mandatory training in my job, I would not call it overwhelming. Learning in this role is a combination of first-hand experience, the APM qualification and other available qualifications but in my opinion, the most crucial part of my learning journey in DHL comes from my interactions and networking with experienced colleagues and senior management.
Overall, I would say there is no set routine for my role which I find ideal as there is constantly something new to be excited about, whether that is a new project or IT system!
What is the best thing you enjoy about being a graduate at DHL?
My favourite aspect of being a DHL employee is how much support I am provided with in every way possible. As graduates with minimal to no experience in the corporate world, it can feel quite daunting to even apply to jobs, let alone start work but in my case, DHL has delivered on the promises it made to support me.
The support offered starts with Emerging Talent, a HR team dedicated to supporting all graduates and apprentices. We are all additionally assigned to an HR team or HR Business partner depending on our job role. Together, Emerging Talent and the HR Business partners organise events catered to us and arrange for us to be invited to other important events in DHL Supply Chain so that we can explore everything the company has to offer. It is worth noting that many of these events focus on Mental Health talks and discussions on Diversity and Inclusion which I personally deeply appreciate as a foreign woman in IT whose family lives thousands of miles away.
An additional layer of support is provided by none other than our line managers and respective teams/sites. I have found that everyone is willing to help the graduate out and I can always get support on projects from the person I am working with as well as constructive feedback. My line manager is always doing his best to support me with every project or personal request I make as well as my learning and career development journey. What has made the biggest impact since I started is the safety net I have because of my line manager which has allowed me to gradually learn without feeling stressed or like I have been left completely to my own devices as I work in an environment where all questions are welcome and my line manager is more than happy to schedule in extra time to explain in detail how operations, systems and everything else works. Everyone else in the business unit has been equally accommodating and as such, I have been able to spend whole days at different sites and get hands on experience to better understand how our supply chains work.
Lastly, DHL and its values transform into support via benefits and admittedly, I was very pleasantly surprised when Emerging Talent first presented all of the benefits, we have access to as the new starters in the business. Even though I have yet to feel the need to use any of the services offered, many of which are regarding physical and mental health, it feels in a sense, comforting to work for a company which provides support in tangible ways that can be extended to family or partners.
All of this is reflected in the work culture as I am allowed to be human and encouraged to seek help for anything troubling that is going on in my personal life or at work from whoever I feel most comfortable approaching.