About Raytheon
Industry: Aerospace and defense
Location: Waltham, Massachusetts
Company size: 182,000+ employees
Website: www.rtx.com
Meet Bill Forbes, Senior Director of Global Supply Chain at Raytheon
Q: Do you work directly with Northeastern corporate residents?
A: Yes, I usually work directly with several students interested in supply chain management, and Raytheon Missiles & Defense also hires residents in many other functional areas, such as material program management, procurement, subcontracts, and logistics. I make a point to connect with all the residents while they're working with the company.
Q: What qualities do you look for in a resident?
A: Communication skills. Confidence. Poise. We need our residents to be self-starters. Their work background is less important—we've had great residents who had no supply chain experience whatsoever. One student had a background working in City Hall in New York City and did a wonderful job, and one of our best residents ever came from the Peace Corps. She's still with us, doing high-level work on a program not many people get the opportunity to join.
Q: What stands out to you about the typical Northeastern corporate resident?
A: Northeastern MBA students are always prepared and professional—they speak the right language. They have the digital skills and tools they need to do the job, and they're good communicators. The fact that they already have mentors in their chosen industry to guide and prepare them is a huge advantage also.
Q: What types of tasks do you entrust to residents?
A: We typically immerse them right away, and we give major responsibilities to students when it's a good fit. For example, we worked with a resident this year who already had a logistics background, and we put him to work managing a third-party logistics organization. He's done a fantastic job. Another resident is actually leading a team negotiating important deals. Some of our students manage material content for different programs, acting as the liaison with supply chain and management. They get great on-the-job training.
Do you offer full-time positions to your residents?
A: Most of the time we do, and it's worked out well for us. We look at the residency as a training and evaluation period. All of our residents get the certifications we'd normally require of a first-year employee, like Six Sigma training, so if they accept a position with us, their transition is smooth.
As a result of hiring so many Northeastern students, the Northeastern network at Raytheon Missiles & Defense is strong. When we hire residents, I connect them to other alumni and other networks in our community to help them start on their career path.
