Industrial Placement - Aftersales / Supply Chain Management

About the Placement

As part of Bentley’s annual Early Careers intake, you’ll join a community of around 93 trainees including Industrial Placements, Graduates, and Apprentices. During your placement, you’ll be based at our Bentley Campus "Dream Factory". Alongside hands-on work experience, you’ll also benefit from:

• CSR and outreach activities
• Opportunities to participate in charity events, community projects, and social committees
• Masterclasses, development workshops, and social events
• Inclusivity networks and peer support groups
• Placements and rotations across different areas of the business that interest you

About the Role

As an Industrial Placement Student at Bentley, you will play a key part in Bentley’s journey to extraordinary vehicles for our customers. Based out of our state-of-the-art headquarters in Crewe, you will:

• Take responsibility for maintaining a reliable and uninterrupted supply of parts to Bentley’s global retailer network.
• Develop valuable experience in negotiating with senior business leaders while contributing to customer satisfaction and delivering against commercial profitability targets.

Your main responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Support the development and continuous improvement of a global supply base comprising more than 1,500 suppliers. Monitor supplier performance against delivery schedules, identify critical supply risks, and initiate appropriate corrective actions to improve schedule adherence, maintain continuity of supply, and protect customer service levels.
• Contribute to the optimisation of supply chain costs and commercial conditions by identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, deliver sustainable cost savings, and enhance profitability.
• Analyse existing reporting systems and develop improved solutions that identify trends, highlight performance gaps, and support opportunities for operational improvement.

About the Department

The department is responsible for establishing accurate demand schedules across all suppliers, ensuring they are aligned with business objectives and customer requirements. Working across the end-to-end supply chain, the team translates demand forecasts into clear supplier schedules, monitors capacity and delivery performance, and proactively identifies and manages risks that could affect parts availability. The department collaborates closely with suppliers and internal stakeholders, including Purchasing, Logistics and Commercial teams, to resolve constraints, improve schedule adherence, optimise inventory, and maintain a reliable flow of parts to Bentley’s global retailer network, through effective planning, data analysis and supplier engagement.

What we are looking for:

The successful candidates will be on track to achieve a 2:1 in the following degrees: Purchasing, Supply Chain Management or Economics.

Skills required for the role:

• Data analysis and digital skills – Ability to use tools such as Excel, Power BI and reporting systems to interpret demand, monitor supplier performance and identify supply risks.
• Communication and negotiation – Confidence in working with suppliers and internal stakeholders to resolve issues, agree corrective actions and maintain effective professional relationships.
• Problem-solving and organisation – The ability to prioritise competing demands, respond quickly to disruptions and develop practical solutions that protect parts availability and customer service.

What we offer:

As an Industrial Placement you will have access to the following benefits:

• A starting salary of £25,500
• Support from our Early Careers team and 121 manager mentorship
• 35 days’ holiday inclusive of bank holidays
• 10% pension contribution with life assurance benefits
• Learning and development opportunities

Right To Work:

To be eligible for an Early Careers programme you must have a legal right to work in the UK for the duration of the placement or graduate scheme. We welcome students who have Settled Status, a Tier 4 Visa, or a Graduate Visa. We are unable to offer sponsorship for our Early Careers positions.

Application Process:

• Submit your application, including your CV and Cover letter,
• Applications will be screened by our HR team and the Hiring Manager,
• Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by our recruitment team and invited to attend an online Assessment between 9th – 27th November,
• Candidates successful at assessment stage will receive an offer shortly afterwards.
• All applicants will be kept informed throughout the recruitment process