Maurice, junior project manager

21 May 2024

The first days at a new employer are always exciting. That’s why at Blink we make sure you feel at home right away. If you join us, we will pair you with one of our experienced buddies: a professional who knows Blink from front to back. That way, we get you off to a flying start. How does that work in practice? We spoke to Maurits Gefken (junior project manager) and his buddy Jan Willem Jansen (project manager) about their collaboration and experiences.

Room to learn

Maurits has been working at Blink as a junior project manager since March 2024. After completing his studies in planning, he wanted to focus on project development and sustainable energy use. Blink was therefore an obvious choice for him to engage with. And with success. For the next few months, Maurits will be working at Blink until September. Then his master’s degree will start.

“I get good insight into the projects Jan Willem is involved in. He takes me along to project meetings, which means I get a direct sense of his professionalism and enthusiasm. Moreover, I really get the space to express my own ideas or questions. Cool to experience that I can do whatever I came for.”

Particularly involved

After seven years, his buddy Jan Willem knows Blink like the back of his hand. As a project manager, he is involved in many fascinating projects. That makes his work challenging and diverse. Jan Willem: “One project may still be in its early stages, while with another you are already busy handing over the keys to the residents. I really am involved from start to finish, which is very special. By no means all project developers work that way, but this is a way that suits me very well.”

Jan Willem has a busy schedule. But to become Maurice’s buddy, he did not hesitate for a second. “You just make time for that. It’s not only great fun to work with Maurice. But I also see it as an investment that saves time.”

A valuable insight

Maurits fully agrees with Jan Willem. “We indeed enjoy working together. In recent weeks, I have benefited a lot from him. Jan Willem has introduced topics that I can easily work with myself. We always discuss work I have completed. With his feedback, I can develop further in this beautiful field in a targeted way.

It is incredibly valuable for me to get an insight into the vision of someone who has been in the profession longer.”

In turn, Jan Willem also learns a lot from Maurits. Jan Willem: “He is very curious and also points out opportunities to us. For example, he recently drew our attention to a co-pilot function that is very useful within our AI software. It really is an interaction. We learn from each other, within a field we enjoy.”

Organisation with guts

Both men are therefore fully in place at Blink. “It is an organisation with guts, which never stands still and goes for content. We show ambition in many areas and develop at our own risk,” says Jan Willem proudly. “In addition, the no-nonsense culture really appeals to me. Hard work, with a lot of freedom to undertake within the set frameworks.” Maurice is especially happy with the way he is challenged and the relaxed atmosphere in the workplace. “The content really appeals to me. And the fact that it doesn’t feel so corporate here is also very nice. There is a good atmosphere. Everyone talks to each other at lunch, there is little hierarchy here. And the fact that I can work flexibly is very important to me. In the end, it’s about what you deliver.”

Table football

Until Maurits starts his master’s in September, Maurits and Jan Willem will continue to enjoy working together and learning from each other; exactly what the buddy system is meant for. Maurits: “The knowledge I gain now and the feedback I get is enormously instructive. As far as I’m concerned, that won’t change in the coming months either.” Jan Willem, directly to his brand-new colleague: “Stay assertive and as curious as you are now. With that co-pilot role, you really surprised us. We are always open to new ideas here.”

Promptly, we get another ‘live’ demonstration of the dynamics and fun in their collaboration: a passionate game of table football. In that, too, these colleagues have found each other completely