Testimonial
Junior Managers Program

Controlling

My name is Clara, and I am in the Junior Managers Program (JMP) for controlling at Bosch Rexroth. Once I had finished my degree, I was looking for an exciting opportunity to commence my professional career and was lucky enough to find the JMP. Over the past two years, the program has given me some fascinating insights into different corporate functions, projects, and working methods.

What did you study?

How long have you been with the company?

My Bosch Rexroth journey began in September 2018 after I had successfully completed the Assessment Center for the JMP in the preceding summer. Since you have to apply for the JMP directly via Bosch, I was not actually familiar with Bosch Rexroth at the time. Due to my profile and the need for a controlling trainee, I was introduced to Bosch Rexroth after the Assessment Center and had a final interview with my subsequent mentor and the responsible colleague in the HR department. This proved to be a very positive experience and my traineeship began just a few months later.

Which placements did you complete as part of the JMP?

Placement 1: Horb am Neckar
During my 24 months in the program, I completed a total of six placements. I started in plant controlling at one of our production locations in Horb am Neckar. Here I learned about the basics of controlling – such as cost center controlling, product cost calculation, and the activities involved in an inventory – and was involved with a number of projects, including the introduction of a new management information tool and special BI software for creating reports.

Placement 2: Lohr am Main
I then switched to the Bosch Rexroth headquarters in Lohr, where I was able to participate in an exciting logistics project involving the consolidation of our intralogistics across multiple locations. I was also able to help the team with the project costing thanks to my newly acquired controlling knowledge.

Placement 3: Beijing, China
For my next placement, I travelled to Beijing, China, where I implemented a number of different projects in the areas of sales and logistics, and was given valuable insights into the working life of a plant manager by my superior. My time in China was an amazing cultural experience, from both a professional and personal perspective. I was very fortunate that a number of other trainees were there at the same time, and we spent a great deal of time together exploring this fascinating country. We also enjoyed a lot of meals and activities with the Chinese trainees, who were eager to introduce us to their country’s many cultural and culinary specialties. All in all, my placement in China was a truly unforgettable experience.

Placement 4: Elchingen
Back in Germany, I returned to the world of controlling, this time at business unit level in Mobile Hydraulics. I worked on strategic controlling topics, supported the activities for the annual financial statement, and assisted with the planning for the coming year. As during previous placements, I was also given independent responsibility for a number of project duties, such as switching a sales report from Excel to Power BI.

Placement 5: Ludwigsburg
On my next placement, I was able to spend time with grow, the Bosch start-up incubator. grow welcomes applications from associates who have their own business ideas. These can be turned into start-ups in order to tap into new business fields for Bosch. My job was to devise and implement a concept for consolidating the quarterly reporting of all start-up teams. In this role, I got to know the teams in Latin and North America, China, Singapore, and Germany, and was able to work closely with the management team.

Placement 6: Schillerhöhe
I am currently completing my final placement in central controlling at the Bosch site in Schillerhöhe. I will then be returning to Bosch Rexroth to start my first job after the program.

What fascinates you about controlling?

Controlling is the ideal area for me since it allows me to put both my analytical and my social skills to very good use. Our role is to collect, analyze, and prepare important information and data from the company before making it available to management as a basis for informed decision-making. As a result, we are always well up to date on the current state of the company. Since we rely on data from all areas of the company, controlling requires effective collaboration with colleagues from other departments. This interfacing aspect of my job is something that I particularly enjoy as I am often required to view things from the perspective of logistics, production, purchasing, or sales, for example. In this regard, the trainee program was invaluable for me, since my various placements involved work in different areas and projects, thus allowing me to see things from many different viewpoints.

What else did you enjoy about the trainee program?

As well as the work itself, I particularly enjoyed the very supportive network. From the outset, there has been a fantastic bond between the trainees, and we help one another with many different aspects of the program, such as planning our placements. We also organize a number of groups to foster mutual exchange. A few months ago, the female trainees formed a group, which meets regularly to discuss management issues and other aspects of daily work. This has been a valuable source of support for all of us. We have also established a controlling community involving active and former controlling trainees. This group convenes on a regular basis to discuss such issues as the requirements for controlling in the digital age, and we also exchange ideas with trainees from other Bosch divisions.

During my time in the JMP, I was able to gather experience in six placements, two countries, three functional areas, and many exciting projects. In my future management role, these detailed insights will no doubt be of great help to me when it comes to adopting different perspectives and seeing things from other people’s point of view, and this will allow me to make a positive contribution to collaboration within the company.