About this role
Are you ready to step into a leadership role in one of the world's most fast-paced, customer-obsessed operations? This is your opportunity to earn a fully funded degree from a Russell Group university while leading in the heart of Amazon's operations - from day one. Amazon is looking for ambitious, driven individuals to join our Future Operations Leader Degree Apprenticeship. You'll earn a fully funded BSc (Hons) in Leadership and Project Management while working on the ground in one of our fulfilment centres or operational sites, solving real business challenges alongside experienced leaders.
This is a hands-on role, not a desk job - our sites are vast (some the size of several football pitches), and you'll be out across the floor where the action happens, covering real distance as you lead teams, drive change, and make a tangible impact. At its core, this is a people role. Yes, you'll work with data, processes, and technology - but the heart of operations leadership is people. You'll learn how to motivate a team at 3am, how to have difficult conversations with empathy, how to recognise when someone's struggling, and how to create an environment where people want to do their best work.
If you're energised by working with others and want to build your career around leading teams, this programme will give you the foundation to do exactly that. This role involves shift work, including days, nights, and weekends, because our operations run around the clock and great leaders need to understand every part of that rhythm. You'll rotate through different shift patterns, which means early starts, late finishes, and yes, night shifts. It's a demanding, fast-paced environment with a lot to juggle – you'll need to prioritise quickly, stay composed under pressure, and keep the most important things moving.
It's a real step up, and we're looking for people who expect that challenge and are ready to run with it. It's a physical, on-your-feet role - you'll be out on the floor, not behind a desk. It's not for everyone, but if you thrive where no two days feel the same and you want to understand operations from the ground up, it's one of the most valuable parts of the experience.
A day in the life can involve
- Starting with a team stand-up or shift handover, reviewing priorities, performance metrics, and issues from the previous shift
- Shadowing or supporting a team leader or manager on the floor, getting stuck into real-time problem solving
- clearing a bottleneck, supporting a team member, or managing workflow across the site
- Working on a project linked to your degree
- building a business case for a process improvement, mapping stakeholders for a site change, or analysing quality and risk data to present back to leadership
- On university weeks, attending masterclasses or webinars and completing coursework, then bringing what you've learned straight back onto the floor
As you progress, you'll build relationships across the site, develop your own leadership style, and take on increasing responsibility.
- This could be for you if you're the person who captained a sports team, coached younger students, led a group project, completed your Duke of Edinburgh, volunteered in your community, organised something no one asked you to, or put your hand up to be a prefect.
- Or maybe you've spent a few years in the workplace and found yourself naturally stepping up - training new starters, leading a team, improving a process, or taking ownership of something bigger than your job description.
- Leadership isn't about a job title; it's about what you do when no one's told you to.
- If that sounds like you, this programme is your next step.
Over 37 months, you'll develop the knowledge and skills to lead in a complex operational environment, including:
- Business strategy and how organisations operate
- Project planning, scheduling, budgeting, and delivery within time, cost, and quality constraints
- Leading and managing diverse teams, building trust, and driving performance
- Financial controls, business case development, and performance reporting
- Stakeholder engagement, communication, and influencing at all levels
- Organisational change management
- preparing teams and operations for change
- Risk identification, quality assurance, and continuous improvement
- Commercial awareness, procurement, and contract management
- Digital innovation, data-driven technologies, and AI in a business context What you'll achieve:
- BSc (Hons) Leadership and Project Management
- Level 6 Project Manager Degree Apprenticeship
- CMI Level 5 Certificate in Project Management (dual accredited)
- International Project Management Association (IPMA) Level D qualification Four qualifications.
Fully funded.
- All earned while working.
- This is a blended learning programme.
- Each module follows a 14-week cycle combining pre-reading and preparation, in-person masterclasses at the university, online learning and webinars, and individual study and assignment writing.
You'll be supported throughout by a dedicated Academic Mentor, with progress reviews every 12 weeks involving your Line Manager, plus full access to university resources including library services, wellbeing support, and student societies.