Jens has worked for Scitech for 8.5 years. He joined as a Project Engineer before being promoted to Project Manager. He forms part of a small, yet highly specialised, team that form Scitech’s European arm of the business.
“Scitech Antwerp differs to the services provided by many consultants. We support the client as a team, and not just as an individual. We take on complex projects and divide the work between our multidisciplinary team according to who has the right expertise for the task in hand. It is the responsibility of the Project Manager to align between this internal and external team.”
Jens has enjoyed this approach, as it has given him the opportunity to take on more roles and gain further expertise than is typical at other organisations. “It has helped me to gain insight and learn from some of the more experienced members of our team – many of whom have 20-30 years experience,” he explains. “ We also work collaboratively with experts from our UK offices via the various digital collaborative working tools we have.”
Jens admits that it was a “big leap” to progress from Project Engineer to Project Manager. It was a large increase in responsibility that could prove daunting, but it was something that he took in his stride.
“It was a steep learning curve but the projects I have worked on have been really interesting. For example, we had a project to set up five new secondary packaging lines at a facility in the Netherlands, I have managed several laboratory renovations and overseen factory acceptance tests for clients”.
Jens’ work with Scitech has seen him travel to many different countries across Europe and also in the US. “Our consultancy work means that we regularly make on-site visits and have face-to-face meetings with clients and suppliers. For certain projects, we have to perform detailed site investigation surveys or perform factory acceptance tests, which is always nice to step away from usual office based activities.”
As a father to two young children, it is important for Jens to have a good work/life balance. “I wouldn’t want to be constantly away on overnight trips now,” he explains. “Luckily, we have a really good culture and everyone is understanding of people’s outside responsibilities – this is a real benefit. We all support each other and work together to get the job done.”
Jens has also benefited from Scitech’s career development programme which ensures that each member of staff has a dedicated training budget and a career progression plan. “There’s always opportunities for training; I try to do at least one official accreditation a year and there are opportunities to do shorter courses and training certificates.”
Jens has recently been certified as an Associate from the Project Management Institute – a training course he says he was encouraged to undertake by his line manager. He is also looking to gain formal qualifications in Business Economy.
“Everyone at Scitech is encouraged to gain new skills and to stay up to date with the latest best practice within their field. It not only benefits us as individuals, it is a huge benefit to our clients and ensures we can deliver the first class work that Scitech is known for.”
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