The career path of ... Marjon Engelbarts and Bas Holleman

In times of a tight labor market, there are many interesting career opportunities. But for a new challenge you certainly don't have to change employers. These are the words of Marjon Engelbarts and Bas Holleman, who are internally taking on another position within the Faculty of Science.

Marjon had already been ICT department head for ten years when she joined another department as interim head. Since February of this year, Marjon holds this position in the Housing & Occupational Health department on a permanent basis. Bas is her successor as head of the ICT department. He joined the faculty ten years ago as an information manager, became team leader of the management group and, after a replacement as acting head in February, permanent department head of ICT Beta.

I said 'yes' because a unique opportunity presented itself and I think I can become good at it.

Love at first sight in work

Marjon explains why she opted for a new role: "Actually, I thought that ICT was my favorite field forever and I assumed all along that I would go back to that department after the interim period. But working at Housing & Occupational Health gave me an incredible amount of energy from day one. Love at first sight does exist in work! Another factor was that in the meantime I could see that Bas was on fire. Knowing that 'my' department is in good hands with him helped enormously to let go of it."

And what are Bas' reasons for choosing his new role? "The new role chose me! The situation developed through temporary substitutions to a permanent position when there were shifts in the Management Team of the Faculty of Sciences. I said 'yes' because a unique opportunity presented itself and I think I can become good at it.

I try to listen and understand in order to represent the needs, wishes and demands in the faculty.

Providing job satisfaction

For both Marjon and Bas, the well-being of the people in their departments is key. They want people to work in a pleasant atmosphere; fun and energy then come naturally. Bas adds, "I want to move toward an agile department that can flexibly support the ICT challenges of teaching, research and other work." Marjon emphasises the importance of continuity and accessibility for employees and collaborative contacts.

Shifting gears in a large organization

At Housing and Occupational Health, the content of large housing projects, regular audits as well as sustainability and renovation projects take center stage. Marjon explains, "We mainly switch a lot between faculty needs and central services from the university housing company. I try to listen and understand in order to represent the needs, wishes and demands in the faculty. Unfortunately, the large organisation we are part of and the tasks at hand sometimes limit our possibilities and influence, but I will but I will always strive for what can be done."
Bas: "In the IT domain, we align a great deal with the central organisation (ITS), but in addition, it remains important to keep an eye on the uniqueness of the IT needs in our faculty and the exceptions that are needed."