Pieter Gilissen
Subcontract Co-ordinator
Heerema Zwijndrecht

Having worked for two years in a small engineering company designing ship systems, I was ready for a new opportunity. Looking at the Heerema website, I found out that they offer great career possibilities in a challenging environment.

After a successful selection procedure I was offered a position as Subcontract Co-ordinator, within the management trainee program at the Heerema Fabrication Group in Zwijndrecht. A job I really looked forward to, because I wanted a position with more commercial responsibilities, but still using the knowledge I had gained with my technical background.

The primary activity in Zwijndrecht is building topsides for offshore production facilities. Since the yard cannot perform all the work on its own, many activities are subcontracted. As Subcontract Co-ordinator you choose the vendors, write the contracts and provide the communication between the subcontractors and your own colleagues.

This means that in my position, you get to see many aspects of building topsides, as you are responsible for the company that is carrying out their work. You have to make sure they stay within budget and planning, but also meet the quality requirements.

In the near future, the path laid out for me is to grow to a Subcontract Manager position and then become a Project Manager. If you enjoy working in foreign countries or seeing what it’s like at the other divisions, this is all possible within the Heerema Group. There are great opportunities at the Heerema Fabrication Group for a successful career and there will be even more in the future!

You can't imagine what it feels like to successfully complete a project and see a giant 5,000 tons steel structure roll out of the assembly hall - it's simply a rush for you and the team you operate in!