Proving once again that you don’t necessarily need an engineering degree to get into IT, Héloïse Wauters, who graduated from the Sorbonne University in Paris, was hired by Sopra Steria Benelux last year. “As a PMO or Project Management Officer, I support our Project Managers in the supervision and execution of our client's projects,” she explains.
What does your job entail exactly?
“As a PMO you act to support the smooth running of projects by helping Project Managers and other colleagues in delivering quality work. This function is very much based on teamwork and the relationship you establish with your Project Managers usually becomes a real partnership.
In my day-to-day tasks, I provide administrative and legal support to our Project Managers. That usually entails a lot of document management: editing and preparing documents, reviewing and correcting them. In my case, because of my legal background, I mainly help with contract management: contracts with customers, of course, but also with subcontractors or with partners in the context of a cooperation agreement, for example. I do legal checks on these contracts and make sure that their content is correct and fits the project’s expectations. That is also why I was hired in the first place, I guess: because I have a legal mindset. For whether you want to actually work as a lawyer
What do you like most about your job? And what do you find challenging?
“What I like most about this job is the fact that I get to perform a varied range of tasks. My daily work in the Project Management Office evolves depending on the various projects that are assigned to me. So each working day is different.
Most challenging to me, since I don’t come from an IT background, is the speed with which I had to adapt and familiarise myself with the IT world, including its many acronyms and technical industry jargon. But I’ve always had a certain interest in topics and issues at the intersection of law and technology, such as intellectual property rights. I’m also interested in everything relating to data protection and privacy in the European Union. And we occasionally deal with these aspects of IT law when managing contracts or projects.”
Is that the domain you see yourself evolving towards IT law?
“The IT industry, which I wasn’t that familiar with before, really interests me now! And seeing how this sector is constantly evolving and growing makes me definitely want to discover more about it.
In the future, I would like to keep combining my legal knowledge with the new competencies I am now acquiring in this industry and focus on the legal and business aspects of IT. What is interesting is that both domains – law and IT – are continuously in movement. I find it really stimulating and that is precisely why I want to evolve in this sector.”
On top of her PMO role, Héloïse Wauters collaborates with and supports the EU consulting department monitoring EU regulations, as you can read here.
Interested in a career at Sopra Steria? Have a look at the Careers section on our website. Or better yet: check our current vacancies and apply immediately for the job that suits you!