From France to Australia, how I kick-started an international career in Supply Chain at Schneider Electric

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Everything started with an apprenticeship 

My international career in Supply Chain at Schneider begun two years ago as an apprentice in France as a Downstream Planning Supervisor Junior.  

I’ve never thought that this opportunity would have brought me so much, on a professional and personal level. Kick-starting a career in a company like Schneider Electric is not always easy.  It’s a huge organization with its set of complexities. You even need to get used to new vocabulary and acronyms! It was challenging but with motivation and curiosity, step by step, I became more and more comfortable in my job.  

I had the chance to have an excellent tutor and team who allowed me to learn every day at my own pace. With time, I got more responsibilities and became more autonomous. This first experience gave me the sense of teamwork: It’s only by working in a spirit of collaboration that you can carry out your missions and act for customers.  It made me want to go further, I wanted to become a driving force. 

I met wonderful people with whom I spent many moments outside of work: gatherings after work, dinners, hiking, ski, paddle, boat & wakeboard and many more… It was really hard to leave this team, even if the Australian opportunity I got was everything I ever wanted.  

My International Assignment in Australia, another big step in my career

Since my college years, my goal has been to work abroad. Hence, my greatest accomplishment so far is to get the opportunity to continue my adventure with Schneider Electric in Sydney, Australia.

I’ve proudly joined the Pacific Supply Planning team in October 2023. Here, I embrace a new Supply Chain environment and its set of challenges. They differ from a region to another. For example, the lead time which is the duration it takes for a production process or a project to be completed is different here is different here. In Europe, we work with a lead time in days, while in Pacific we need weeks or months since the upstream links are not based in Pacific.  

It’s also the opportunity to discover a new work culture and to be part of a multicultural team.  

Our Supply Chain has “many faces”. It goes from factory jobs to headquarters ones

When I moved to Australia, I got a new position in Supply Chain, but I also changed my working environment. In France I was working in a Factory as junior downstream Planning Supervisor and here in Sydney, I’m working in one of our headquarters as a Supply Planner.  

This new position allows me to get a different perspective of Schneider’s Supply Chain.  

My main responsibilities include forecasting demand, managing stock levels, coordinating with suppliers, optimizing logistics flows, and resolving supply-related problems. I’m collaborating with a lot of different teams: finance, marketing, sales, logistics and all together, it’s very fulfilling.  For me, Supply Chain is the vertebral column of the business, and the other departments are vertebras. The only way to success is the collaboration between all stakeholders, it’s another example of teamwork achievement.  

I wouldn’t be honest if I told you that this opportunity was a chill path in the last 8 months. I had to learn new processes, tasks, technical skills and much more, not to mention the full English environment. But comfort and growth can’t ride the same horse, right? 

Hopefully, my manager understands all those challenges as I’m still junior. I really appreciate that he is supporting me and really contributes to my professional development. He gives me a framework & thanks to him, I am feeling more and more comfortable in my position. I am still learning every day from everyone, and I am very grateful to evolve as it is.  

From Mountains in Savoie to beaches in Sydney 

Moving abroad means you must build a new life for yourself: new friends, apartment, routine, and position. I knew that the first days were not going to be easy. Finding a new support system is the key. 

Fortunately, I have a very strong connection with my new friends. They play a big part in my new life balance, we are all growing and discovering things together. We are living unforgettable moments together such as surfing, travels, hiking, beaches but we are also present in difficult moments.  

 My Schneider adventure in few words 

I am very proud and grateful to start my career at Schneider Electric. The company gives the chance to young collaborators to pursue their career in different directions, whether it’s abroad or in another team. It’s also a huge chance as an early career to evolve one of the best supply chains in the world with such a very high level of maturity in terms of process, transformations and digitization. We are trained with the best standards of Supply Chain and in a very positive environment where people are cultivating a continual learning mindset. 

Each new position you take is a new professional and personal adventure. Let the Schneider adventure goes on! 

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