Summary
- Sarah Head joined Schneider Electric in 2025 as a mechanical engineering graduate and quickly found herself working across tender management, marketing, and employer branding
- An early site visit to commission devices for a new hospital gave her hands-on product knowledge and the confidence to work and problem solve independently
- Schneider Electric’s approach to graduate development actively encourages exploration beyond your degree, matching people to opportunities based on strengths and interests
- The skill Sarah didn’t expect to need most: storytelling, and it’s now central to how she works across teams and with customers
Sarah Head didn’t arrive at Schneider Electric expecting to end up in marketing. She came in with a mechanical engineering degree, ready to do engineering things. What she found instead was a company that looked at her as a whole person, and then opened doors she hadn’t thought to knock on.
18 months in, she’s moved through tender management for building management systems, stepped into external marketing, and is now moving into employer branding. The path has been anything but linear. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
A day that doesn’t look like any other
Ask Sarah to describe a typical day and you’ll get a different answer every time. On one recent day, she started at home coordinating promotional materials with the marketing team for an upcoming national webinar series. By midday, she was in the city, helping a colleague run a lunchtime training session at a customer site; setting up, engaging with attendees, learning alongside the people Schneider serves. Back in the office by afternoon, she wrapped up by uploading events to a new internal engagement platform and updating offers in the specification tool.
Marketing. Training. Technical operations. All in one day.
It’s a breadth that would unsettle some graduates. For Sarah, it’s exactly why she loves the work.
What a hospital site taught her about trust
Early in her role, Sarah was sent to commission devices for a new hospital. Long days. Often working independently. A long way from the support structures of university.
It was also one of the most formative experiences of her career so far.
“I learnt way more about our products than I would have in the office. It also gave me room to troubleshoot and figure things out myself before asking for help.”
– Sarah Head
When she moved onto a new project in its design phase, she already knew what could go wrong on site. She could anticipate challenges before they arrived. That kind of knowledge only comes from being trusted enough to do the real work early.
The skill no engineering degree prepares you for
Sarah’s biggest professional development surprise? Storytelling.
University teaches you that communication matters. What it doesn’t always prepare you for is learning to translate complex engineering solutions for different audiences, to stop thinking about what a system does and start asking why it matters to the person in front of you.
It’s made her sharper in stakeholder conversations. It’s helped her build credibility across teams. And it’s a skill she’s developed entirely on the job, through the variety of work Schneider has put in front of her.
Growth you can actually see
Imposter syndrome is real, especially in the early months of a grad role. Sarah knows this.
What’s helped her most is the structure Schneider puts around its graduates: regular check-ins with her manager, a dedicated buddy, and the consistent opportunity to take stock of how far she’s come.
“When I take a step back, whether in a check-in with my manager or a conversation with my buddy, I can clearly see the growth I’ve had. I know that me in university would be proud of me now.”
– Sarah Head
That kind of reflection is built into the organisational culture.
Schneider Electric also encourages graduates to contribute beyond their rotations. Sarah has helped shape a new internal engagement program and participated in volunteering activities, connecting with people across the business she’d never have met otherwise. The result is a network built naturally, through work that actually means something to her.
Find out if Schneider Electric is the right workplace for you.
