I reach Konrad on his way to Leipzig. He’s on his way to a customer’s building site and we’re talking on the hands-free system.

Are you in the car a lot or is that deceptive?

It’s definitely not deceptive. I only recently took over the project manager position and the project in Leipzig. It’s particularly important to be on site very often and get to know the people involved. At the same time, the project is entering its final phase. That means a few kilometers on the freeway in an electric car.

For me as a newcomer in this field, this has enormous added value. I can communicate directly with the customer and experience the progress of the project up close. However, as it also gets tiring over time, I’m pleased when I’ve developed a certain routine and the journeys become less frequent.

Project manager sounds like a lot of responsibility.

As the name implies, my colleagues and I, as project managers, bear the main responsibility for the projects. Fortunately, a lot of the work is now also taken off our hands by internal departments such as Materials or Commercial Management, so that we know and coordinate the topics and tasks, but increasingly don’t have to carry them out.

As the name implies, my colleagues and I, as project managers, bear the main responsibility for the projects. Fortunately, a lot of the work is now also taken off our hands by internal departments such as Materials or Commercial Management, so we know and coordinate the topics and tasks, but increasingly don’t have to carry them out.

Regardless of this, it is of course a lot of planning work. When is which crane located where, how does it get there, does it fit in with other service providers and trades. Weekly meetings with the customer, in parallel with exchanges with the construction team. The aim is to reach the project milestones on time.

Have you always wanted to be a project manager? What has your career been like up to now?

My career path is not linear. A few years ago, I couldn’t have foreseen that I would now be a project manager.

I did an apprenticeship as a cutting machine operator. After two years working in this field, I qualified as a mechanical engineering technician. After six months at a commercial kitchen manufacturer, I was very frustrated because I had the feeling that the added value of my work was not really there. Today, I think you would say I wanted to do something with a real impact.

That doesn’t sound like an easy time. How did TRICERA come about and what does the desire for more impact have to do with it?

I got to know TRICERA during the phase when I was questioning a lot of things.The company is actively involved in the energy transition. It has always been clear to me that a successful energy transition requires a restructuring of the electricity grids and that electricity storage systems are hugely important for this.I am very happy to be working in a young team and doing my bit to combat the climate crisis.There is an honest focus on sustainability here, which I like.

At the beginning of my time at TRICERA, I was planned as a link between realization and construction and was able to get to know many areas of the company. The project in Leipzig was without a project manager after a former colleague left.Lars, one of the managing directors, trusted me with the task and then simply asked me. We already know my answer.

In your opinion, what skills do you need for this position, what should you bring to the table?

As a project manager, you should be able to react spontaneously to new situations and keep your nerve in them.Rarely does everything run smoothly in a project, so adaptation and prioritization are particularly important.You should also be good with people and be able to adapt to different characters.Given the size of the projects, there are many shareholders with different needs and sometimes difficult situations.
They all have their own issues and you need to do justice to as many of them as possible and find a solution.

Structured, organized work also helps in any case.
I still have some potential there, I think.

Finally: Who are you nominating for the next interview and why?

I nominate Sophia, the Head of Product Development. I always find her expertise remarkable.Maybe she can share some of it with everyone here.