Did you know you can step into a new role, join a different team, or take on exciting new challenges all without leaving Soucy? Thanks to internal mobility, we can ensure our employees enjoy myriad professional opportunities as they progress in their career.
Raphaël Dion is the perfect example of how internal mobility can transform a career — and someone’s day-to-day life!
Raphaël is originally from Richmond and holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. From day one, he focused on bolstering the in-depth technical skills that would serve him in his professional growth.
As someone who is ambitious and passionate about learning, Raphaël views technical problems not as obstacles but as opportunities for him and his team to grow. It is this quiet drive, combined with a constant desire for professional advancement, that set him apart from the get-go.
As part of his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Raphaël completed an internship at Soucy Belgen Drummondville in 2014. Thanks to the quality of his work, he was asked to stay on as Project and Equipment Manager. In other words, his internship kickstarted his career.
In 2019, senior management in his unit asked him to take on the position of Head of Maintenance and Equipment. This was a well-deserved career milestone for someone who has always excelled, both in his work and his strategic thinking. The new position allowed him to expand his skills in mechanical and civil engineering. As a result, Raphaël developed a multidisciplinary expertise.
However, as time went on, he felt he had reached a plateau in his career. Not for lack of passion, but because he was eager to start the next chapter.
What Raphaël really wanted was to become Director of Engineering. And he had his eyes set on Soucy Techno in Sherbrooke. Not only because it could provide him with the career advancement he was seeking, but because it would mean he would get to work closer to home. His commute between Sherbrooke and Drummondville were starting to affect his quality of life and impact his family.
That’s when Raphaël spoke to his manager. He was very clear about his expectations — he wanted to become the Director of Engineering at Soucy Techno in Sherbrooke.
The teams at Soucy always try to create the most optimal conditions to make career changes like this one a reality, both for the employee and the organization.
As such, the Soucy Belgen team and the HR department sprang into action to ensure Raphaël could attain his goal at Soucy Techno. It took nine months for everything to fall into place.
A retirement finally cleared the path for Raphaël and after months of waiting, his new position awaited.
But before being able to finalize the process, the team needed three months to ensure that the Soucy Belgen team was in good hands. Because a successful transition needs to be carefully mapped out.
Raphaël’s manager summed up the situation perfectly when announcing the move to the Soucy Belgen team :
“I have good news for Soucy, but bad news for Soucy Belgen!” he said, with a mixture of pride and sadness at the prospect of losing a great asset.”
Raphaël has been the Director of Engineering and Maintenance at Soucy Techno for more than a year and a half. We are happy to report he is thriving!
“My position includes more responsibilities. I’m managing a bigger team, but I’ve also got more resources at my disposal. In the end, it all balances out. I love saying that my decade at Soucy Belgen prepared me for the position I have today,”
he said with the hindsight of someone who has taken the time to fully appreciate their own journey.
He’s been working on projects similar to the ones he worked on in the past but in a completely different context: he’s in charge of progressively transforming the reactive maintenance strategy into a proactive one. A tailor-made role for someone like him. After all, he spent 10 years unknowingly preparing for this challenge.
It is safe to say that for Raphaël, internal mobility is a huge success. He’s able to tackle new stimulating challenges in an environment where he can excel. One where he has more responsibilities and resources.
And, most importantly, his quality of life has improved thanks to a quick 10-minute commute.
The cornerstone of successful internal mobility is the ability to have an honest conversation. After all, positions change over time.
“As a manager, I ask my teams if they enjoy what they do. Where do they see themselves in two, three, five years? Do they want to continue on this path? We have this freedom at Soucy. We don’t create positions for the sake of it but we want to provide employees with opportunities.”
Internal mobility involves a whole process of strategic planning and assessing possibilities. In Raphaël’s case, this change occurred progressively over time in order to ensure a smooth transition and foster sustainable growth, both for the employee and the organization.
Because we believe the best career journeys are built over time, we foster an environment where everyone can grow and realize their full potential.
What about you? Are you looking for a place where your growth matters just as much as what you bring to the team?