With Black Friday and Cyber Monday complete and the festive season looming, Amazon has been gearing up for its busiest time of year.
Over 75,000 permanent Amazon employees are being boosted by the efforts of more than 15,000 seasonal workers this year, spread throughout the company’s logistics network in the UK.
Sean Kelly and Adam Wilson work in Amazon delivery stations and are part of the ‘last-mile’ process of the company’s logistics process. There’s little else more important to consumers at this final stage than making sure they get their goods straight to their door in a timely, hassle-free fashion.
Sean and Adam have shared their career stories in the run up to some of the biggest online shopping events of the year, to shed light on the experiences and skills needs to succeed in logistics and deliver smiles for customers.
Sean Kelly from Ardboe in Northern Ireland is a shift manager at the Amazon delivery station in Portadown.
Talking about his career before joining Amazon, Sean said: “Usually people from Northern Ireland go west when they emigrate, but I was one of the strange ones who went east. I got a job as a private teacher for a family in Russia, and stayed with that family for 10 years.
“The role evolved from teaching into staff, transportation and logistics management, and other areas of increased responsibility. It also gave me the opportunity to travel all over the world, including holidaying in Marbella every summer, which was amazing.
“When COVID came, however, I realised it was time to come home. And like most expats, when I arrived back, there were question marks over what I should do next. I saw a seasonal job posting for Amazon in Portadown and joined so I could have something behind me whilst I cleared my head and figured out a direction for my career.”
Sean continued: “I was made permanent at the delivery station very soon after joining, then quickly progressed to operations supervisor. Since joining Amazon, I’ve had the chance to train new delivery station managers in Dublin and help with logistics during Amazon’s peak season at the company’s delivery station in Limerick.
“I’ve been promoted several times, and although I’d say that you can only be as good as the effort you put in, I also attribute my success to the hugely inspiring managers I’ve met. One manager in particular jump started my belief in myself again.”
Sean plans to continue progressing at Amazon in Portadown and would one day love the opportunity to relocate to an Amazon building in Florida.
Adam is from Macclesfield and joined Amazon in 2017. He is a regional safety manager, supporting Amazon teams across the south of England.
Before joining Amazon, Adam and his wife spent four years in Thailand working as teachers. When he returned to the UK, he worked as an operations manager in the education sector, helping to match young people with the right employer to support their development. After six years the landscape of the industry had changed, and Adam decided he wanted to go in a different direction.
Adam wanted to pursue a career in health and safety, so he started working on his NEBOSH Level 3 certificate while volunteering as director of a community centre. He was soon successful in applying for a co-ordinator role at Amazon.
Adam reveals why he originally joined Amazon.
“I chose Amazon because everyone knows Amazon. I thought it was a great starting point for my new career in safety. I thought I would learn a lot, and I thought it would be a great springboard to my development – which it was!” he said. “One of my favourite things about my job is managing a team. I want people to feel empowered to own things and be recognised for doing so. I love that we have a great team culture going, and everyone feels confident to ask questions and reach out for support when needed.”
Adam has also completed the diploma in Environmental Health and Safety through Amazon Career Choice. He said:
“This was a big thing for me. Not only did Amazon pay for the majority of my course fees, but they encouraged me to do the course. They knew I could have moved on, but they invested in me and my development and I’m still here!”
“I think it’s great Amazon funds people to develop their own careers at the company or with other employers,” Adam continued. “It’s great we’re encouraged to prioritise our professional development inside Amazon but also outside. There are subjects available that are completely unrelated to what Amazon does, in completely new fields. For me, I wanted to progress my career within the company.
“I’ve not really studied since I was at university. This was a long time ago, so it was challenging to get back into that mindset of study, but I knew the importance of doing it and this qualification has set me up for life, all because of Amazon Career Choice.”
Adam has some advice for anyone considering furthering their careers through learning and development programmes.
“Find something you’re passionate about and go for it. If you’re working in something you enjoy, it stops feeling like a job and more like a pastime!”
Amazon hired for more than 15,000 seasonal positions across its UK network of receive centres, fulfilment centres, sortation centres and delivery stations during the 2024 festive season.
Pay for these operations roles started at a minimum of £13.50 p/h rising to £14.50 p/h depending on location. From day one, all employees are offered a comprehensive benefits package including private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, subsidized meals and an employee discount. Together, these benefits are worth more than £700 annually, and employees can take advantage of our company pension plan.
“We prepare year-round for the festive season, and we’re excited to have more than 15,000 positions available this year in the UK. Our seasonal colleagues play an integral role in helping us deliver an exceptional experience for our customers,” said UK Operations Director Anil Verma. “We look forward to welcoming back seasonal workers who return year-after-year to Amazon, and to welcoming new faces to the team.”
Permanent Amazon employees can also take advantage of Amazon’s pioneering Career Choice programme, which pre-pays up to 95% of tuition and fees for courses in high-demand fields, up to £8,000 over four years, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon.
To learn more about and apply for seasonal opportunities at Amazon, go to jobsatamazon.co.uk.
