Global Graduate - Business Development

SKF•Waukegan, IL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

As a Global Graduate at SKF, you will have the opportunity to get involved in a wide range of industries, business functions, and applications. Whether you want to make the world more sustainable, find innovative solutions for businesses, or be at the forefront of technological change, SKF is the place for you! Together with 40,000 inspirational and motivated SKF colleagues around the world, you can make a lasting difference. The introduction and program gatherings, in which you will get training within several areas (such as leadership, project management, and business knowledge), are spent together with the full Global Graduate group. Upon completion of the Global Graduate Program, you will have a solid platform to leverage a career within SKF. This role focuses on business development plus technology for data management. You will be accountable for integrating/consolidating all parts (commercial, operational, etc. projects and goals) of our strategy and articulating them in a clear, end-to-end tracking tool—like OKRs or an X Matrix—so we can track progress, alignment, and execution more effectively.

Requirements

Master’s degree or equivalent within engineering, management, business administration, finance, entrepreneurship or IT in combination with extracurricular activities.
Demonstrated entrepreneurial and innovative mind-set and/or experience
International- and cross-culture experiences
Preferably 0 - 2 years of working experience post-graduation.
English working proficiency.
Drive and energy to make a change.
Business oriented mindset
High flexibility, willing to travel.
Demonstrates a sense of ownership and empowerment
Ability to work well with different people in different cultures
Demonstrates a high level of integrity
Strategic Systems Thinking: Connect commercial, operational, and project goals into a single end-to-end strategy map (OKRs / X Matrix / Hoshin).
Business Development Acumen: Market analysis, pipeline building, partner management, value propositions, and commercialization.
Data Architecture & Governance: Define data models, master data standards, ownership, and quality controls across functions.
Analytics & Tooling Proficiency: Advanced use of dashboards (Power BI/Tableau), workflow tools, and OKR/X Matrix platforms; ability to automate tracking.
Program/Portfolio Management.
Change Leadership & Communication: Drive adoption, craft clear narratives, facilitate alignment rituals (quarterly reviews), and influence senior stakeholders.
Execution Discipline: KPI definition, targets, baselines, cadenced reviews, and corrective action management.
Cross Functional Collaboration: Navigate Sales, Operations, Finance, PX, and IT to resolve trade-offs and maintain alignment.

Responsibilities

Integrate the Strategy End to End: Consolidate commercial, operational, and project objectives into a unified OKR/X Matrix with clear ownership, metrics, and timelines.
Build the Tracking System: Design and deploy an automated, single source of truth tracking tool (dashboards + workflow) to monitor goals, progress, and dependencies.
Run Governance Cadence: Lead quarterly/Monthly Business Reviews (MBR/QBR), status rituals, and anchor decision meetings; publish scorecards and actions.
Enable Execution & Course Correction: Identify slippage or misalignment early; run root cause analyses; implement corrective actions and rebaseline when needed.
Stakeholder Alignment: Facilitate cross-functional alignment sessions; reconcile trade-offs between growth, cost, and service; provide executive-ready updates.

Benefits

An 18-month learning experience with permanent employment at SKF in the US
Several individually designed, local and international, cross-functional rotations
The opportunity to participate in, or manage, real projects in a global environment
Vast professional development and growth throughout the whole program
Extensive project management & leadership training and experience
A solid professional network – both locally and globally
Gatherings with lots of fun together with your Global Graduate colleagues
Generous PTO policy
13 paid holidays
Comprehensive healthcare options
Company paid life insurance, STD, LTD
Supplemental benefits include critical illness coverage
Tuition reimbursement
Employee discount programs
Short Term Variable Salary (STVS) or Sales Incentive based on company performance
401K program with 10% employer contribution: 100% match up to 5% of your elected contribution (100% Vested) plus an additional 5% company contribution