Master’s degree in Civil Engineering and Infrastructure from the University of Cergy Pontoise obtained in 2008. I have been Design Manager within the Technical Department of CAI Promotion since May 2018. I mainly work with the land development and programme teams for the technical and financial management of real estate programmes.

How would you describe the position of “job title”?

I support land developers in selecting identified land for our future real estate operations. Depending on the project proposed, I give them a financial estimate and also a technical analysis of the feasibility of the operation (compliance with local urban planning, choice of construction techniques for the basement and floors, specific site constraints due to the presence of a train track, a watercourse, etc.).

Once the operation has been approved by the Management Committee, we start the building permit filing phase with the programme teams that will orchestrate the future site, the architects and the external design offices. During this phase, my role is to oversee the coordination of the various members of the project team to comply with the schedule, ensure the consistency of the reports from the design offices, and ensure compliance with the costs and construction techniques defined in advance by the Management Committee.

What are the peak periods of your job during the year?

Over a year on average, I handle around 30 feasibility analyses with land developers and around ten building permit applications (500 housing units on average). Ideally, we file most of our building permits in the first quarter of the year so that we can account for them in our goals for the year.

Can you describe your typical day?

Organising a typical day depends more on dealing with urgent matters defined in advance with my Manager during our weekly update on Monday. If I have to carry out a feasibility study on a piece of land, I always try to start with a site visit to plan the operation and above all to understand the environment better. Once back in the office, I shut myself in a meeting room to concentrate on the calculations and the technical document. If it is a building permit in progress, I organise, with the programme team, meetings with the architects and external service providers. At the end of the day, I go to the SILVAE gym with my colleagues. I try to go there at least once a week even if it is not easy to organise with family life, as I have two children aged three and five.

What career path is required to reach your position and what are the possibilities for development?

My background is rather unusual. I started my career in a technical control office for two years, where I acquired a lot of knowledge in different technical fields. Basically, I was not cut out for the job of technical manager, so I seized a job opportunity with the leader in real estate development, offered by my former mentor in technical control.
Over the years, I have strengthened my technical knowledge, but above all I have integrated the concept of cost into each choice of construction system, which is very important to ensure the financial balance of our operations. The career progression options are Director of Studies, Technical Director and also Programme Manager, etc.

What would you say to anyone thinking of working in a role similar to yours?

It is an exciting, fascinating job. There is a real sense of satisfaction in a concrete sense because once the project is built, as we have participated in the various stages of putting it together, and especially as the customers who have bought their homes are very happy, we are very proud to have contributed to it. People often ask me if I enjoy my work, especially being the only woman in the IDF technical department. I tell them that yes, I am very fulfilled in my work, and my colleagues and managers have never put the brakes on our professional relationship because I am a woman. On the contrary, we are a tight-knit team and the working atmosphere is very friendly.

Today, I think that male and female prejudices in certain professions have clearly diminished because women have proven their competence and capacity for integration. I am lucky enough to have parents who have always supported me in my choices. The advice I would give to anyone who wants to do this job is to be passionate, curious, listen to others because you learn a lot from others, follow your dreams and above all don’t give up.