Career of a Project Manager at Kosmos - Marine

• Hello Marine, can you tell us about your background?

During my 1st year of a Master's degree in the book trade, I did a 2-month internship at Kosmos in the documentation department. It was during this time that I discovered the training profession, and I liked it. Kosmos then offered me a Course alternation contract to study for a Master 2 in training engineering.

Once I'd graduated, I was hired on a fixed-term contract to run training courses for schools, enrich our Skolengo Academy content platform, and build tutorials and training materials for our Users. I then joined the marketing team on a permanent contract, still working on the same activities, while supporting them in the production of content for our product (videos, infographics) and the organization of trade shows.

After 2/3 years, I asked to be promoted to project manager. The change was gradual. For a few months, I was part of the technical support team dedicated to our Skolengo solution, before switching to the management side. The aim was for me to understand how support and the product work, so that I could identify the right internal contacts and act more effectively in my future role as project manager.

• What drew you to Educational counselling?

I observed the possible professions at Kosmos. I didn't want to stray too far from the product, while at the same time having long-term prospects for development. In the course of a conversation, I saw an opening for a project manager. I talked about it internally and was offered the chance to move up to this position and join the Lyon office.

• What's your day-to-day life like?

I'm in charge of 4 departmental projects, which represents 300/350 schools to monitor. Day-to-day operational project monitoring means making sure that the product works well on my projects, liaising between external and internal contacts, organizing meetings, managing emergencies, and answering questions from project owners. The subjects are vast, ranging from an order for upgrades, to an incident on the product, or a follow-up point with the customer...

It's operational, functional and relational all at the same time.

• What do you love about your job?

I learn a lot every day! There's such a wide range of subjects, from project management to product and technical aspects... Every time I manage to deal with a new situation on my own, it's gratifying. And today, I have a broader view of the company's strategies. My job allows me to see things from a broader perspective, because I have to deal with more and varied people. I like this job, where there's no routine.

• What qualities do you think you need for this job?

You need patience, because you're dealing with a lot of different people, and you can't solve everything yourself. Sometimes you'd like a subject to move along more quickly. But you have to take a step back and tell yourself that the subject will progress in due course. You also have to be diplomatic, because there are a lot of interactions and you have to know how to adapt to people in order to ensure that the project runs smoothly. And I'll end with rigor, because there's a wide variety of subjects to manage and it's important not to let yourself get overwhelmed.