Minerva’s daughters have a plan

Jennifer Weber ensures that every building and every device is in its place

Our building management has become more female-driven. For nearly a year now, Jennifer Weber has been supporting the team as a planning administrator. From her corner office, she has an excellent view on the campus and construction work. A trained technical draftswoman, she lives in Bochum and joined the MPI to assist the institute with the campus planning, among other responsibilities. 

The 32-year-old feels completely at home in Team Konermann and shared insights into her daily work in our Minerva’s Daughters interview.

What brought you here? Tell us about your way to the Kohlenforschung!
Jennifer Weber: I wanted a professional change and was eager to work more as a draftswoman again. The position here as a technical employee in building management immediately appealed to me, as it combines both drafting and administrative tasks.

What are your responsibilities at the institute, and what does your daily work look like?
Jennifer: My daily work is very diverse. My tasks include ensuring data quality and maintaining records of buildings and devices in our facility management system, VertiGIS. This programme allows us to document and manage our rooms, floor plans, facilities, and equipment. We can also initiate processes directly from the system, such as scheduling maintenance for large devices. Additionally, I manage a variety of plans for the 11 buildings currently on campus, which amounts to a total of 54 floors (laughs). As well as that, I handle plans for individual projects and help the team with project planning and implementation, as well as general admin tasks.

You have chosen a professional field where many men work. What influenced your career choice?
Jennifer: I have always been interested in buildings, and after completing an internship at an architectural firm, my interest was confirmed.

What has been the most challenging step in your career so far?
Jennifer: A few years ago, during restructuring at the engineering office where I worked, I took the leap with my then-supervisor to establish a new office location. The decision to step out of a familiar environment into the unknown was difficult for me. It was a lot of work, but I was able to learn how to build a company from the ground up. Fortunately, everything worked out well in the end.

How do you find the working environment at the Kohlenforschung? Do you think there are still things that could be improved to make work easier for women?
Jennifer: 

I settled in very quickly here. Just a few weeks after starting the job, it already felt like I had been here for years. While I do not have close contact with the scientists, I feel that men and women work well together here as equals. At least, that is definitely the case in my department. And even in my personal life, I have never experienced different treatment based on gender. My sister recently completed her apprenticeship as a plant mechanic for sanitary, heating, and air-conditioning systems – not exactly a typical profession for women, but to me, that seems completely normal.

That is why I hope that everyone can pursue their career based on their interests and enjoyment of the work, regardless of whether it is a male- or female-dominated field. The most important thing is to feel comfortable in what you do.