Joost
From Systems Engineer to Environmental Manager
Joost is 24 and has been working at A.Hak since August 2023. His base is our head office in Tricht, but in reality, he works wherever our projects are running. He started as a Systems Engineer through a secondment agency, a role that matched well with his studies in Industrial Engineering and the work he did before.
However, it soon became clear that this was not quite the right position for him. “I found that my strength lay much more in social interaction. Environmental management is also part of the Engineering staff department, and I was keen to explore this pillar. Then I got the opportunity, due to the growing internal demand, to put the Environmental Management component on the map within A.Hak, and I got the new position of Environmental Manager. A super interesting position with a lot of diversity, and more and more people are performing this function within our organization.”
A role full of variety
Joost doesn’t have an average working day. He can and may freely organize his days. He usually works two to three days outside on projects and the rest of the time from the office or home. “Sometimes I’m in consultation all day because I’m doing multiple projects at the same time. On other days, I mainly walk around a project location, sometimes assist the men outside with small things, talk to landowners or authorities, and try to solve questions or bottlenecks directly. I often combine appointments cleverly, so that I travel efficiently through the country and can really dive into a project in this way.”
His work requires a lot of switching. Between organizations, but also between very different people. “One time you are consulting with a port authority that thinks everything is fine, the next time you are sitting with someone with a high position at customs and you have to come up with drawings and official decisions. And sometimes you are sitting with a farmer who gets a mast connection through his plot and is absolutely not waiting for that. Then it is up to me to conduct the conversation well, to express each other’s expectations well and to create understanding.”
More than just talking
What many people don’t know, according to Joost, is that there is also a significant technical side to his work. “People often think that an environmental manager only drinks coffee and talks. But there is a lot of content involved, such as dewatering, nitrogen or soil issues. You don’t have to be a specialist in it, but you have to understand enough to have good conversations. Sometimes I ask colleagues to give a mini-lecture, so that I am better prepared. That way I learn a lot and I can better fulfill my role. And vice versa, I sometimes give a mini-lecture.”
A project full of learning moments
His most educational project so far? A 150kv project in Rilland-Kruiningen. “There was so much environment involved that it was crucial that everything was well arranged. Otherwise, we would have mainly suffered losses: of time, money and image. Because I was forced to master the content there, I learned an awful lot. That project has really been a springboard for me.”
Joost is also active outside of work
He is active with the Amersfoort Lifeguard, where he is on the board, and with the Lifeguard on Schouwen-Duiveland, where he can be found on the beach. He also really enjoys going to concerts. “The best concert ever? The National in Dublin, about 2 years ago. That was really cool.” And his guilty pleasure? “B&B Vol Liefde. I’ve really been a fan since the summer,” he says, laughing.
