GRADUATE PROGRAMME
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CONTENTS
ABOUT PORTWEST
ABOUT PORTWEST 4 OUR MISSION & OUR VALUES 6 PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT 10 COMMERCIAL 12 SUPPLY CHAIN 14 GRAPHIC DESIGN 16 MARKETING 18 IT & DIGITAL 20 FINANCE 22 HR 24 INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE PROGRAMME 26 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS 28 CAREER PROGRESSION 30
PORTWEST IS A GLOBAL MANUFACTURER AND DISTRIBUTOR OF WORKWEAR, SAFETY FOOTWEAR AND PPE. ESTABLISHED IN 1904, PORTWEST IS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING WORKWEAR COMPANIES IN THE WORLD WITH A GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION NETWORK AND SALES IN OVER 130 COUNTRIES With bases in UK, Poland, USA, Australia, Ireland and UAE, Portwest is a rapidly growing and progressive business. With a focus on continuous improvement and constant research of the latest industry trends, the team at Portwest is pushing boundaries to provide the best workwear and PPE.
6 Global Warehouses 6 Regional Sales O f fices
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COMPANY HISTORY
1904
Char les Hughes opens his fir st foot wear and dr aper y shop in Westpor t
1945
Fir st fac tor y commences produc tion in Westpor t
1984
T he Por t west br and is bor n
1988
Por t west enter s the UK Mar ket
1992
Por t west commences produc tion in China due to globalisation
Charles Hughes, son of a small farmer on the Wild Atlantic coast, was determined to have the best workwear and footwear when he founded his business in 1904. Over 100 years later his core principles of exceptional design, quality, value and service still apply today.
2003
Sales E xpand into the European mar ket
2007
Fir st European warehouse opens in Poland
2012
Opening of the fir st Por t west fac tor y in Bangladesh
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OUR AWARDS
2014
New distribution centres open in the UAE and USA
2017
Por t west enter s the Austr alian mar ket following the acquisition of Prime Mover Ltd
2018
2 new fac tories commence produc tion in Bangladesh and Myanmar
EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award IBEC KeepWell Mark Award Elevation Award - Irish Business & Finance Awards Exporter of the Year Award Deloitte Best Managed Companies Award
2018
Prime Mover Por t west acquires the Huski E xplorer br and
2020
Por t west launches premium 4th gener ation gar ment collec tions
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OUR MISSION To be the world’s best supplier of workwear through customer focus, innovative products, fantastic service and value, all delivered with a smile, passion and belief.
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OUR VALUES Customer is King
Be Innovative
Be Efficient but Effective
Open and Clear Communication
Be Ambitious
Fairness and Understanding
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OUR TEAMS
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PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT OUR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IS CREATIVE, INNOVATIVE AND FAST-PACED
1,350+ PRODUCTS PRODUCED BY PORTWEST
Their main focus is design, product management, technical and quality control. The typical graduate will have studied garment design & technology or industrial product design. The role of a designer or product manager is to research, design, create, develop and deliver products within an assigned product category to meet the company’s core value proposition and objectives.
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WHAT WE DO Create conceptual mood boards, colour sketches and drawings of product designs Calculate costs of new products by benchmarking Be knowledgeable of target market selling prices Manage the creation of prototype samples Present ideas and products to senior management and sales representatives Make recommendations for the final selection of new products Continue to manage the products for the duration of their life cycle
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PRODUCT RANGES
Catriona McNally Product Development
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WHAT OUR STAFF SAY
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I really enjoy working in P ortwest’s product department because I find the role to be a rewarding mix of creative and commercial aspects. It is really satisfying to see a range of products which I have designed and developed become commercial success. Also, because we are in the protective workwear industry, I also get huge job satisfaction from knowing that some of the work I do is helping to protect and maybe even save lives!
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COMMERCIAL OUR COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OPERATION OF ALL MARKETS WHERE PORTWEST HAVE A PRESENCE The focus of this team is growing sales and ensuring that all business operations are working efficiently to support growth in each market, be that through key account management or working with other departments across the business, including supply chain, HR, marketing, accounts and sales.
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SALES MANAGERS WORKING GLOBALLY
The commercial team, as the main contact point between the field sales team and the HQ, work closely with area sales managers to understand the needs of the different markets and identify opportunities.
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GLOBAL PRESENCE LOCAL FEEL The commercial department is split into 3 areas; The Americas, Europe and Rest of World. A senior market manager is assigned responsibility for each region. The typical graduate will have studied a business related degree and a language is advantageous.
6 Global Warehouses 6 Regional Sales O f fices
Emma Doyle Commercial
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WHAT OUR STAFF SAY I joined Portwest in 2016 and since then I have gained a wealth of experience across various departments. As part of the commercial team, I get to deal with people from across the world on a daily basis and learn about the different markets and how they operate. The role is very diverse and there is always a challenge. No two days are the same. There is a great dynamic amongst the commercial team and the Senior Managers are always on hand to mentor, guide and assist you. It’s great to work for a family run, global, progressive company in the West of Ireland.
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SUPPLY CHAIN THE ROLE OF OUR SUPPLY CHAIN TEAM IS TO ENSURE WE ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH STOCK TO SATISFY CUSTOMER DEMAND The focus of this team is to ensure that we always have enough of each product in stock in each of our global warehouses and to satisfy customer demand whilst minimising the cost to the business. We have 15,000 SKU’s, 6 Global warehouses and approximately 100 different suppliers that we source product from.
30,000
GARMENTS PRODUCED EVERYDAY IN FULLY OWNED FACTORIES
We have warehouses in UK, Poland, USA, Australia, Ireland and UAE. Our target is to have 95% of what the customer wants at any given time and each warehouse is measured daily against this target.
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OUR FACTORIES We have a vertical supply chain in that we own 4 factories in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Ethiopia. We manage each factory’s supply chain from raw materials through to finished goods.
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WHAT WE DO Forecasting our customers’ requirements on all SKU’s up to 5 months ahead Placing the required orders to meet that forecast with our suppliers Managing the vertical supply chain for our own factories Negotiate revised shipping dates where required to meet changing requirements Distributing stock between warehouses to maximise customer service Managing efficient and cost-effective logistics from supplier to warehouse
We work closely with the 6 warehouses, the product development team, the commercial team and the area sales managers around the world, in supporting the company’s target of 25% annual growth. The typical graduate will have studied business with supply chain, planning or logistics modules or similar.
Karen Brennan Supply Chain
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WHAT OUR STAFF SAY
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I joined Portwest supply chain in 2014 as a planner for the footwear and glove ranges. Since then, I have had the opportunity to learn many new skills through internal and external training provided by Portwest. This has helped me to grow within the team and I now have an important and responsible role managing the Australian and Sharjah stock requirements for all products, which has given me the opportunity to travel to some of our global warehouses.
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GRAPHIC DESIGN THE GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DESIGN OF ALL PROMOTIONAL AND PACKAGING MATERIALS AT PORTWEST The graphics department are responsible for the design of all promotional and packaging materials at Portwest, from user sheets and email newsletters, to our latest 688-page catalogue which is printed in 28 languages. Our dynamic team of designers is always looking for new and innovative design ideas. The graphic design team is comprised of seven talented designers and head of graphics. The typical graduate will have studied graphic design, digital media or a similar discipline.
688 PAGE
CATALOGUE IN 28 LANGUAGES ALL PRODUCED IN HOUSE
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WHAT WE DO Creating innovative design solutions for flyers and catalogues Ensuring brand guidelines and tone is adhered too across multiple channels Capturing, editing and enhancing video content to sell our products and services Creation and management of all label, usersheet documentation and product packaging Template driven large catalogues that match brand guidelines and ethos Management of translations through script automation and extensive style guides Photography and image manipulation
Ronan Hughes Graphics
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WHAT OUR STAFF SAY
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I joined Portwest in January 2010, as a junior designer on a 6-month contract, over 9 years later I am head of graphics, managing a team of talented graphic designers who each bring their own skills to the table. Since starting in Portwest I have seen an increase in the demand for high quality design.
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MARKETING THE PORTWEST MARKETING DEPARTMENT IS A CREATIVE AND FAST PACED ENVIRONMENT
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MARKETING CAMPAIGNS IN 28 LANGUAGES ACROSS 130 COUNTRIES GLOBALLY
The typical graduate will have studied marketing, business or a marketing related discipline. The main objective of the marketing team is to research market trends and create marketing campaigns that align with customer value propositions and marketing objectives, while delivering on business targets.
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Sarah Burke Portwest
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WHAT WE DO Execute marketing campaigns that generate leads, brand awareness and engagement with potential customers and key stakeholders Provide support to business development teams by generating marketing and sales collateral for proposals, presentations and events Develop customer value messages that feed into all customer touchpoints Generate engaging and dynamic customer focused content for online/offline platforms Conduct market research to understand market requirements and to use findings to inform future marketing campaigns
WHAT OUR STAFF SAY
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What I enjoy most about working for Portwest is the fast-paced environment which means that day-to-day tasks offer broad diversity and projects are constantly moving on to the next. I particularly enjoy seeing the success of a campaign after its launch. There is an added bonus in having a great work-life balance working for a global multinational company based in the west of Ireland.
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IT & DIGITAL THE IT DEPARTMENT OVERSEES THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND DAILY IT FUNCTIONS OF PORTWEST GLOBALLY The IT functions of Portwest are split into two linked but distinct environments, the digital environment and the IT department. This division resulted as a consequence of Portwest’s desire to provide our customers with a more pleasurable and focused experience in their day to day dealings with Portwest.
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IT SUPPORT ACROSS 6 SALES & DISTRIBUTION SITES GLOBALLY
The digital team focuses on a better customer experience using our websites and apps and the IT team provide Portwest staff with the required infrastructure to help them deliver a first class customer experience.
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DIGITAL SERVICES TEAM The digital services team manages the digital functions of Portwest including all customer facing websites, new app development and inter-departmental interactions. The team is continually looking for new and innovative ways of improving the digital customer experience of our ever-increasing global customer base.
IT DEPARTMENT The IT department oversees the infrastructure and daily IT functions of Portwest globally including security, end user support, application support, database administration, ERP support, Office 365 support, business intelligence and data backup & recovery. The IT team also researches and evaluates new and emerging technologies looking for new ways of providing Portwest with a competitive edge in a very demanding marketplace.
Maria Quinn IT
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WHAT OUR STAFF SAY
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Working in the IT department of a rapidly growing company, that relies heavily on computer and digital technologies to conduct business, during a time where technologies are constantly changing, has provided me with many challenges and opportunities. Such challenges include learning about new systems and technologies, maintaining systems already in place and being involved in the development of new systems. As each area of the company grows and expands, IT is required to grow and expand along with them, in order to be able to support each process. There are always ongoing projects to get involved in and new opportunities to further develop existing skills and develop new ones.
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FINANCE THE ROLE OF OUR FINANCE TEAM IS TO ENSURE THE CORRECT MANAGEMENT OF COMPANY CASH FLOWS The finance team at Portwest headquarters has four distinct areas:
Accountants/Trainee Accountants Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable Additional Duties
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FINANCE TEAMS ACROSS 7 COUNTRIES
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ACCOUNTANTS/ TRAINEE ACCOUNTANTS TEAM
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE TEAM
The accountants/trainee accountants team is responsible for completing accounts for different companies, checking accounts which are completed by accountants in different companies and consolidating accounts for all divisions and reporting to board of directors.
The accounts payable team is responsible for creating and authorising payments, processing supplier invoices for all divisions and completing month end reports for each division.
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE TEAM
ADDITIONAL DUTIES TEAM
The accounts receivable team is responsible for invoices from larger companies. Invoice runs are issued daily at headquarters and figures are reviewed by the finance director. All cash received relating to debtors are entered on to the debtor’s ledger and allocated daily.
The additional duties team is responsible for writing up cash books and completing bank reconciliations. The team processes wages for headquarters and gathers information for government/statistical reports e.g. (VAT, VIES, Intrastat).
Deirdre O’Malley Finance
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WHAT OUR STAFF SAY
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I joined Portwest accounts department in 1998 as operations accountant. Since then, I have had the opportunity to learn many new skills through internal and external training provided by Portwest. Due to my knowledge of the majority of jobs in the accounts department, I now work as group operations accountant and manage the accounts team.
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HR DEPARTMENT THE HR FUNCTION AT THE PORTWEST HEADQUARTERS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THAT EMPLOYEES ARE BEING NURTURED AND SUPPORTED This is achieved through the creation and management of programmes, policies, and procedures, and by fostering a positive work environment through effective employee employer relations.
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NEW HIRES AT WESTPORT HQ IN 2019
Deirdre Clarke HR
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WHAT WE DO Manage recruitment, selection, and promotion Develop and oversee employee benefits and wellness programmes Develop, promote and enforce personnel policies Promote employee career development and training Deliver orientation programme for new hires and manage the onboarding process Provide support with HR law issues
WHAT OUR STAFF SAY
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I joined the Portwest group in September 2017 as HR manager at our Portwest headquarters in Westport. This was a very exciting time to join a vibrant, energetic company with such significant growth across all divisions. The role quickly developed into a global HR role and I now enjoy leading a HR team of 6 personnel, supporting 4,500 employees worldwide. Every day brings a new challenge and a new set of opportunities, with a diverse and dynamic global operation. It is so rewarding to work for a west of Ireland company that invests in employee well-being and boasts a healthy balance of work and home life as endorsed by our IBEC KeepWell Mark.
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INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE PROGRAMME OUR PORTWEST INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE PROGRAMME HAS BEEN A GREAT SUCCESS IN RECENT YEARS The chosen candidates initially spend time at Portwest HQ (typically 6 months) where cross-functional training is provided. Following this induction, the graduate relocates to one of our international sites, with a view to holding a junior managerial role within that site. Our current roles are focused on our warehousing and operations facilities in the USA, Australia and UK.
Structured Graduate Training Overseas Opportunities Competitive Benefits Package Work-life Balance Clear Career Path
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GRADUATES HIRED ANNUALLY FOR OUR INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE PROGRAMME
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Chris Cunningham Operations Manager Australia
TESTIMONIAL
Since joining Portwest as a graduate, I’ve had the opportunity to work with the company on three continents, from Westport to Melbourne, via Louisville. I’ve experienced first-hand contrasting cases of the company implementing its international growth strategy, having overseen the company start from scratch in the US and build itself up from zero sales and customers to becoming the established business it is today. Whereas Down Under, Portwest acquired two well-known local brands (Huski & Prime Mover) and overnight had an established presence in Australia. I’m thankful for the opportunity I have been given with Portwest and for the trust the company puts in young people and the responsibility and autonomy bestowed upon them. As a native of Roscommon, I’m proud to represent this west of Ireland company on a global stage and I look forward to being part of its growth going forward. The graduate programme with Portwest was an excellent way for me to navigate the journey from university to the working world, has allowed me to live and work in some great countries, facilitated a post-graduate diploma for me and ultimately accelerated my personal and career development considerably.
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OUR BENEFITS FOR OUR EMPLOYEES The introduction of many new benefits make Portwest a very attractive employer. Portwest are committed to fostering a culture of worklife balance and support healthcare initiatives such as the private healthcare and health screenings.
Graduate Leave 28
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Long Service Leave
Competitive Pension Scheme
Wellness Programme
Health Care
Portwest Discount Card
Subsidised Healthy Lunches 29
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CAREER PROGRESSION We recently introduced an internal career development programme at Portwest. We feel this is an excellent way of establishing clearer progression pathways. As this is a new initiative, we look forward to seeing the results as our managers develop and train our staff to progress in their careers at whatever pace they feel comfortable with.
Emma Doyle
COMMERCIAL MANAGER Richard Jones
GLOBAL SALES DIRECTOR
2016 Operations and Marketing Manager Portwest UK
Marketing Manager Portwest UK
HR Administrator Corrib Gas Project
1996
BA Personnel Management
Supply Chain Planner Portwest
2012 2011
Marketing Sheffield Hallam University
Commercial Manager Portwest
2018 2016
2005 1998
A-levels, Law, History, English Sheffield College
Junior Commercial Manager Portwest
2010 2008
Marketing Executive Portwest UK
Global Sales Director Portwest
2019
MSc Industrial Relations & HRM
2009 2007
Bachelor of Commerce
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Peter Glendon
Chris Cunningham
SUPPLY CHAIN EXECUTIVE
OPERATIONS MANAGER AUSTRALIA
2018 Senior Supply Chain Manager Portwest
2016 2013
Commercial Logistics Manager CMS Peripherals
Retail Banking with Lloyds Bank UK
Operations Manager Portwest USA Supply Chain Manager Portwest
1978 1978
Executive Marketing Intern IDA Ireland
Graduated from St Albans College
Graduates 4 International Growth (G4IG) Portwest via Enterprise Ireland Programme
2013 2013
International Business Manager Lloyds Bank UK
Operations Manager Portwest Australia
2014 2013
Postgraduate Diploma in International Business Development Irish Management Institute
1999 1985
2018
Supply Chain Executive Portwest
Executive Assistant Value Propositions Division IDA Ireland
2012 2009
Business Studies and French Trinity College, Dublin 31
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GRADUATE PROGRAMME CAREERS@PORTWEST.COM +353 (0)98 26411
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