Jacob

Meet Jacob

Manufacturing, supply chain, finance and legal – Jacob’s ever-changing career has taken him all around the company and all around the world.

With an infectious personality, Jacob is an endless source of energy and enthusiasm. It’s what drives his success. His ever-changing career just sings out with some of the promises we make our new hires. Namely, in whatever career you choose with us you’ll not only have the opportunity to push the boundaries of what’s possible, you’ll also find yourself working on the world stage. These promises are borne out not only in his job variety, but also in his willingness to start afresh in multiple countries with different roles, and to reach out to even more through his current position in our Bogota hub.

From Manufacturing to Legal

Starting with Schlumberger in Cameron as an intern in Houston after graduating from Rice University, he began his career in manufacturing in Oklahoma, Brazil, and Italy. It was a series of challenging fast-paced roles. His offices often overlooked the production shop floor and he’d frequently take a walk on the production floors to allow himself to 'go to Gemba' or simply to clear his mind. After spending time back in Houston in a supply chain role he joined the Bogota Supply Hub supporting Procurement and Accounts Payable and most recently in as Legal Business Improvement Manager supporting all Legal Hubs around the world.

“In every role I find there is plenty of work and not enough working hours,” he jokes. Adding, “this constant challenge has allowed me to strive to work smarter and not harder through implementing continuous improvement practices”

Care and Support

In such a dynamic career progression he welcomes the care he’s received from his managers. More broadly, he’s also benefited from support given through the Schlumberger employee resource groups (ERGs). He’s become an active member of our LGBT+ Allies group as well as our Connect Women group. Both offer a psychologically safe space and community dialogue that provides a lot of holistic value beyond his daily work tasks which he finds very rewarding.

“I came out in my office 5 years ago in Houston. The response was outstanding; my team immediately and fully embraced me,” he recalls. “At that moment I was able to be my authentic self in the workplace, and a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.”

Like all busy professionals, managing his work-life balance has been a true journey, but after many years with us he confirms that, “being able to respect personal life boundaries has allowed me to indirectly improve my job performance”. Having ‘life boundaries’ means that when not managing supplier payments or improving work processes, you can find him traveling the world, improving his Italian and vegan culinary skills, mastering a new language, practicing yoga, and supporting his local LGBT+ communities.

Deep Humanity

Earlier in his transverse career, when working as a material manager in Italy he discovered that being adaptable, was the way to manage his workload and meet the constant need for problem-solving. Thanks to his Lean Six Sigma training he has the skills to drive continuous improvement in his own performance. His background in Cultural Anthropology and the depth of his global exposure through Schlumberger have enabled him to develop a deep understanding of human patterns of behavior and this has helped him develop a real satisfaction with the opportunities he’s had in his recent roles.

“I’ve had the honor of managing large, young teams where I have been a champion of their self-development and career progression,” he confirms. “The ability to shape a person’s path is very rewarding.”

When looking back on his career to date, he offers sound advice for others embarking on their career journeys. “Love yourself and be your authentic self,” he enthuses. “You will soon find a professional community that appreciates you for who you are and what you have to offer!”

Discover more on global workforce diversity.