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Drawn to military aviation early on in her career, the SSBN ISS Director of Operations joined Naval Group in 2005 and hasn’t looked back since.
French SSBNs have been patrolling the waters nonstop for over 50 years. Inspections and maintenance operations are performed on these submarines on every return to the operational base at Île Longue.
“At first glance, one might find such routine rather humdrum but it is in fact quite the contrary”, emphasizes Juliette. “Each and every day is unique, further adding to the appeal of my job. This is no doubt related to the large number of people with whom I have the opportunity to collaborate at Naval Group as well as among our customers and subcontractors. My role is akin to that of a music conductor, keeping time and ensuring we’re all on the same page, culminating in a work embodying our collective synergy. This image truly reflects one of the major challenges of my job, namely bringing people together in the interest of a common goal. Anticipating, derisking, preparing and concluding a project call for a rigorous approach combined with consistent efforts.
This job position, which Juliette has held for the past four years, has given her the opportunity to take up a managerial role. A team of eight, namely contract managers, planning managers, operations managers and data managers, report directly to her. In Juliette’s opinion,“Defining a stable form of governance is intricately tied to accounting for the human factor, a fundamental constituent of any team. Positioning the right person in the right place benefits employees as individuals and contributes to our collective performance as a company. Determining the best way to harness each one’s qualities and skills while dealing with diverse personalities is one of the most interesting aspects of my job but one I have the least control over!”
With a strong work ethic and a taste for challenge, Juliette was destined to a promising career at Naval Group. “My career has been marked not only by evidence of my capacity to successfully see projects through but also by the people who have crossed my path.” She was in the second year of her masters in chemometrics* when she met a Quality Manager at Thales Airborne Systems and this encounter marked the beginning of her career. After completing her end-of-study internship with the company, she joined Naval Group and was assigned to the French projection and command ship program (BPC) as Quality Manager at just 24 years of age.
She was working on quality-related subjects for the combat system when, encouraged by her manager at the time, she decided to try her hand at managing an infrastructural refurbishment project at Île Longue, regarding the treatment station for propulsion effluents. She then took on the responsibility of a maintenance and operation work package. “I’ve been really encouraged by some of my superiors over time, that is something I keep in mind in my present role as manager, responsible for the development of my team members”. Passing these values on to her three children is also important to her. While she does not see being a woman as an issue, she is grateful, all the same, for the solid support she has at home. Juliette concludes,“I’ve made some bold choices throughout my career and I’ve never regretted any of them. I’d say, don’t be afraid to dare!”
*chemometrics: a discipline in analytical chemistry that relies on mathematical and statistical methods for optimal data analysis.
About Naval Group
As an international naval defence player, Naval Group (naval-group.com) is a partner for countries seeking to maintain control of their maritime sovereignty. Naval Group (naval-group.com) develops innovative solutions to meet its customers’ requirements. Present throughout the entire life cycle of vessels, it designs, produces, integrates, supports and upgrades submarines and surface ships, as well as their systems and equipment, up to and including dismantling. It also provides shipyard and naval base services. As a high-tech company, it draws on its outstanding expertise, unique design and production resources and ability to establish strategic partnerships, in particular within the framework of transfers of technology. Ever mindful of the issues of corporate social responsibility (CSR), Naval Group is a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact. With bases on five continents, the group generates revenue of 4,257 billion euros and has 16 325 employees (average annual full-time equivalent workforce - data as of December 31, 2023).
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