Aline T
It is possible to evolve in the “masculine” world of IT production with a financial background and early career. After 10 years in management control, I was lucky to be able to move on to positions in customer relations and programme management and to discover the exciting job of IT production.
My atypical career path has shown that over and above technical expertise, customer focus, commitment, agility and solidarity are essential qualities needed to best carry out our tasks in a constantly changing world.
How would you describe the position of “job title”?
I manage the CA-GIP teams who operate electronic payment applications in collaboration with CAPS teams. The IT production profession has not historically been very popular with women because it requires a high level of availability (operations during non-working hours, on-call duty, etc.). My interpersonal skills and my commitment to meeting the customer’s expectations have enabled me to fit seamlessly into this new environment and to bring a different vision of the production profession.
My day-to-day tasks consist mainly in demystifying highly technical subjects by refocusing on the business need, finding the right balance between business expectations and the safety and quality requirements of production.
What are the peak periods of your job during the year?
IT production, especially in the field of electronic banking, is a real-time activity. Juggling everyday emergencies (incidents, project constraints, etc.) are part of our daily routine. Parallel to these “real time” actions, we must ensure the durability and security of our environments (obsolescence management, secure/automated operations) in a quest for constant efficiency. But over and above these tasks, one of my main priorities is to support my employees in their work and their professional development.
Can you describe your typical day?
Like many of us, my days are often marked by a very high number of meetings and over-solicitation of requests and information by email. But in my opinion, it is essential to keep human relations at the heart of our daily lives by keeping informal and relaxed moments around the coffee machine and during the visual daily management updates.
Solidarity is an indispensable value in IT production professions and coming to work in the morning with a smile is essential. We work in jobs that demand a commitment which often encroaches on our personal life (on-call duty, best effort interventions) so we might as well do it in a relaxed atmosphere. The new means of remote connection and managerial trust are today real facilitators in striking a good work-life balance.
What career path is required to reach your position and what are the possibilities for development?
My background is very atypical and I think that my success is essentially based on my curiosity (a permanent desire to learn), my ability to adapt and my interpersonal skills. However, this type of career path is obviously only possible with the trust and support of one’s manager and the human resources team.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of taking up a similar position?
You have to be daring and well supported. What is essential, in my opinion, is to focus on jobs that arouse real personal interest and for which there is strong motivation. It makes it easier to remove any barriers.
How do you see the company’s progress in terms of diversity?
CA-GIP shows a real commitment to promote diversity. Although the constraints of our jobs continue to limit us, the momentum is there and the contributions of gender diversity are increasingly recognised.