Northamptonshire military veteran celebrated by Amazon team to mark Armed Forces Day

Josh Vause, who works in Daventry as a site leader, joined the company in 2019 after a career in the military. Josh has been talking about his experience of leaving the military and joining Amazon ahead of this year’s Armed Forces Day celebrations.

Before joining Amazon, Josh left school at 16 and knew he wanted to start his career in the military as soon as possible. He attended Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College, an institution of the Ministry of Defence and part of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, that provided A-Level education for male and female cadets planning to join the technical branches of the British Army.

From there, Josh studied civil engineering at Newcastle University, and upon graduating decided he wanted to join the infantry. He joined the Mercian regiment, his local regiment, where he had multiple family connections. It was with this regiment Josh spent the entirety of his military career.

Josh did tours in Afghanistan, as well as spending time in North Africa, East Africa, and Cyprus for the UN peace keeping tour. He took on a variety of different roles, including mentor and liaison officer with the Afghan national army. This involved mentoring and supporting the Afghan national army on the ground. A few years later, he had a brief spell as an instructor before becoming a platoon commander for reconnaissance and sniper platoons.

When he left his full-time service role in 2019, Josh was looking for a relatively active role with an organisation that was forward thinking and innovative. This was when he attended an insight day at Amazon.

For those wondering what skills are transferable between the forces and Amazon, Josh said:

“Two of the leadership principles at Amazon that I feel are similar to my experience in the forces are ‘bias for action’ and ‘deliver results’ - the drive to improve something or move something in the right direction translates well across both careers. When you think about it, while the risks and challenges might be different, the character needed for operational leadership is the same across the board.”

Josh couldn’t pick just one favourite thing about working at Amazon, but he did give special mention to the opportunity to coach and develop junior leaders, as well as the vision of Amazon.

He said: “What makes Amazon really stand out is the global responsibility of the company, and the vision for the future. We want to shape that and be a part of it. There are aspects of working at Amazon that seem to be truly unique experiences.”

Josh has been an active reserve since the beginning of 2023 and is supported by Amazon to take time away from work to fulfil his military duties. He spoke of the benefit of being a reserve and how he can bring the skills that he develops uniquely in the military back to the civilian workplace.

Many members of the military community join Amazon through the company’s military programme. The Amazon Military Programme offers members of the military community the opportunity to pursue a wide range of exciting new career paths. Last year over 350 veterans, reservist and military spouses joined in more than 35 different job roles including health and safety specialists, engineers and team leaders. These new employees joined more than 2,500 already employed at Amazon since it commenced its military programme in 2011.

Emma Morgan, Programme Manager, Global Military Affairs at Amazon, said: “We believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn and develop and we are passionate about extending these opportunities to veterans, military spouses and reservists. People from the military community add tremendous value to our workforce and it’s fantastic to celebrate them during this year’s Armed Forces Day events.”

Many members of the company’s military community are part of the Warriors at Amazon affinity group. Warriors at Amazon includes current and former active military personnel, their families, and employees who support them. This group provides members with a professional network, organises community outreach programmes, and assists veterans during their transition into civilian life.

Amazon has 13 affinity groups, also known as employee resource groups. They play an important role in bringing employees together and create a sense of community globally, while encouraging inclusivity and diversity. These groups include Glamazon, the Black Employee Network, Asians@Amazon, People with Disabilities and Women@.

Amazon is also a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. The Covenant, originally introduced in 2011, has a focus on helping the Armed Forces community to access the same support from government and commercial services as the public.

They first signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2013 and renewed its commitment in 2021, vowing to uphold its key principles and to demonstrate its commitment to serving personnel, reservists, veterans and families.

Josh gives some advice to any ex-military personnel who are thinking of joining Amazon:

“Have confidence in what you have done in the military and your ability to translate it. I used to look at companies like Amazon and think I couldn’t do it. I thought I didn’t know enough about warehousing or robotics – but at Amazon we can teach you much of that, and you’ve already got most of the skills you need. We are a strong learn-by-doing culture and are comfortable with teaching things on the job. Have confidence in what you already know – it will take you further than you think.”

Launched in 2021 the Amazon Corporate Military Internship Programme is one such opportunity. It offers a direct path into corporate roles in e-commerce for those transitioning from the Armed Forces. Those on the programme are supported throughout their transition to the corporate world, including a military mentor, tailored support from line management and an onboarding buddy.