Being curious at Jacobs - Agile Careers and a Culture of Belonging

 Created by VERCIDA for Jacobs  

Marilina Bachmann talks about the importance of transferable skills and explains why employee networks are the cornerstone of success.

I didn’t join Jacobs via the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Maths) route, but a technical background isn’t always necessary to enjoy a career with Jacobs. I personally come from a legal background; my career journey started at the University of Buenos Aires where I achieved a first-class law degree, whilst working as a legal advisor for the government in the NGO’s liaison office. This was a very rewarding job as we got to support first-hand a large number of charities in underprivileged areas. When I finished my degree, I decided to relocate to the UK to search for new challenges. Soon after that I was able to secure a role with Jacobs and I will shortly be celebrating my six-year anniversary with the company. I can definitely say it’s been an exciting journey.

My first Jacobs experience was within Clean Energy, where I took on an operations role on one of our largest construction projects – the first nuclear power plant to be built in the UK for almost 20 years. My key responsibilities were to grow a team based in a remote client location, managing the client relationship, as well as the financial elements of the account. My experience with contracts and financials was definitely an advantage here. During my four years in the operations environment, I was able to progress into a leadership role.

Gaining some experience in operations, I was curious about project delivery. When a Project Manager opportunity came up to work on water projects, I took up the challenge. Being a Project Manager allowed me to deliver solutions for our clients who are facing critical challenges like climate change. Jacobs are at the forefront of making the world a more sustainable place and I could help to make that happen.

In this ever-changing environment, career agility is essential for individuals and business viability and Jacobs definitely recognizes this. February 6, 2023 is not only my sixth anniversary with Jacobs, it is also the day I start my next role in Jacobs after two years in project management, this time in the Growth and Sales team. I will be joining them as a Proposal Manager to work across different industries, and I’m really looking forward to it.

I also Co-Chair Enlace, Jacobs’ network for the Latino community. Enlace is supporting Jacobs’ inclusion and diversity strategy and has around 2,000 members around the world. It is definitely more challenging to get people involved outside of America, given there aren’t many employees that relate with the Latin culture in this side of the world, but as we say, you don’t have to be a Latino by blood, you can be a Latino by soul!  So, if people are interested in our language, food, or any aspect of our culture, they are welcome to join us.

Enlace is supporting Jacobs with recruitment, development, and retention of Latino talent, as well as working on the long-term plan, with initiatives encouraging the next generation to pursue careers in STEM. We also do a lot of community outreach, working with large NGOs, such as Engineers without Borders or Water For People, and also with smaller charities, such as local food banks in areas with large Latino population. We do this because as Latinos we are very passionate about causes that are close to our hearts; I find this extremely rewarding and it gives me a link to life back in Argentina.

We also have a lot of fun, organising dance lessons and cooking classes. We try to act as an open door for anyone whose first language isn’t English, offering language improvement initiatives and courses in presentation skills, public speaking, and much more.

Our goal is to make the workplace more inclusive and link our Latino communities across the world.