Life at GE : Careers : GE
I lead a team that is responsible for all IT activities, operational and strategic, at 18 component manufacturing facilities across three continents and seven countries. As IT has become a critical aspect of running the business, even a short outage jeopardizes customer fulfillment. I enjoy being a key part of an organization that works to meet customer commitments and achieve business goals.
The GE work environment is fast paced, dynamic and full of energy. Decisions are made quickly, and people are held accountable. GE rewards those who are talented, who are willing to work hard and deliver results. I like this environment, as it keeps me on my toes and allows me to exert energy on delivering results for the business.
I have been in several jobs that helped me prepare for this one. However, the one that had the most influence was the Black Belt assignment working in GE Transportation's Global Services business at the Union Pacific locomotive facility in Denver. I experienced firsthand the challenges an operations business faces and their reliance on IT systems to meet daily production targets. This experience has helped me realize the importance of reacting quickly to meet business needs.
As IT professionals, we regularly partner with functional teams to onboard new applications, systems and processes. In one instance, I was engaged in a project spanning 50-plus internal and external customers, each with their own processes and desires. The functional lead was changing jobs, so I picked up the functional responsibility as well. Overnight, I became the face of GE to our external customers. I had to deliver on our project goals as well as work through the challenge of onboarding new processes.
I have built up strong fundamentals in programming languages, software engineering methodologies and data architecture. I stay current on trends, maintain a high level of understanding of new technologies, and rely on my technical foundation to go deep when needed.
It's not always about the newest and hottest technology; the business depends on having a stable and reliable platform that they can count on to deliver results. IT always needs to be expressed in terms of value proposition for the business.
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