"I saw my move to VDNDP as an experiment. I like larger, complex projects, but from a compact organization. I found that here. As well as versatility in the work and a steep learning curve. Exactly what I was looking for."
Jeffrey Truijens has worked at VDNDP as an information and process specialist since 2020. He made a remarkable move: from a major contractor to an architecture firm - the opposite of what is usual in the industry. Now he is one of the partners, and thus employer.
"I worked at a large contractor for eight years and noticed that my learning curve was starting to level off. I liked the projects where I was involved early in the process the most. I knew from VDNDP that they are involved early in projects anyway. I was very curious about that dynamic."
"I noticed around me that many people thought it was an unusual move. People more often go from an architectural firm to a contractor. For me, it was an experiment. We didn't know exactly what I was going to do. No label, no frameworks, no rigid job profile. The partners of VDNDP said, "Find your own role and place and flesh that out. That's quite unique, because many architecture firms live on billable hours. Here entrepreneurship - daring to invest - is strong. I was asked to look at our organization with an open mind. At the potential. In the people, the processes and the way of working."
"What gave me confidence was the openness. I was allowed to put all the doubts I had on the table. I even went to one of the partners' homes to meet all the partners. We discussed where everyone's expectations and doubts lay. I hadn't experienced that kind of transparency anywhere else."
"I deal with the question: how do we do it? The process is central. How do we handle information intelligently? Whether I'm working on communication, finance, project approach or standard operating procedures - for me, information and process are always a unit. That's why my role is now called information and process specialist."
"For people who are up against a limit, who want more freedom. If you want to experiment, VDNDP can be the right place. We dare to take that on with people. For example, we have a colleague who was a veterinarian but was looking for something different. Just the fact that she has such a different background we find interesting. We assume that if people want and show initiative, super much is possible."
"We are approachable. When you talk to us, you get an honest answer. We tell it like it is and are transparent about what we do. Our strength lies in that openness. By being open, we find support from each other. We have a sincere belief that we do better together."
"We always think with a customer request: how could we do this? We see if there is an opportunity to do something smarter, or to scale up. We respond to the customer request with an open, inquisitive attitude. That makes the work multifaceted. Because of our flexible attitude, many different projects come to us."
"With the contractor, I sometimes heard, 'You're not in charge of that.' I thought that was crazy - a good idea is a good idea, right? Here we try to make roles consciously versatile."
"For example, with our internal training program. We set that up to make our people better as a whole. To discover new sides of themselves. Suppose someone is very good at modeling but has never sketched by hand. Then sketching feels scary and unnatural, but you might discover that it is very valuable. You then have to be encouraged to do that. We challenge people in that. So they can grow in their versatility."
