"As a program manager, we often wear many hats and spend time working with every member of our team to ensure schedules are met and programs are successful."

 

 

 


An Inside Look at Shawn LaCourse

You joined our team in 2022. Why did you choose Optics 1?  

I had been at my prior employer for nearly 14 years and during that time I had worked with many of the people who now work here at Optics 1. For years I would consistently hear how great it was to work here and that O1  still had that small company feel. After a while, it was clear to me that it wasn’t just a situation of the grass appearing greener, it truly was and I wanted to see for myself. When I was finally ready to look for new employment, I honestly didn’t even consider other employers in my search because of all the great things people had to say about Optics 1, from the community culture, the employee appreciation, benefits, and even right down to how personable our CEO is. It’s a choice that I am still very happy with 6 months into my career here.

Can you provide an inside look into the day to day of a Program Manager here at Optics 1?

As a program manager, we often wear many hats and spend time working with every member of our team to ensure schedules are met and programs are successful. Program managers can be leading technical discussion with the engineering teams to negotiating contract requirements with our customers. We often come from technical backgrounds and help facilitate the design, contract, procurement and manufacturability of the product.

My background is more focused on manufacturing and I was brought on to help with transition efforts for a product that has already been designed and is getting ready for low rate production. I have been focused on working with the engineering, manufacturing and supply chain teams to ensure we are able to meet internal and customer expectations. 

You work closely with our leadership. How has your experience been?

Leadership is very active here and is a driving factor in what we do. I have found all of the senior leadership to be very approachable and happy to help in any way they can. They have been very supportive when new hires see an area for improvement and empower people to make changes as necessary, to benefit the company. During my first few months I was able to identify a process improvement that can provide long term benefits for the business and I was encouraged to lead a multi-disciplined team to implement a solution. 

What opportunities have been afforded to you since joining? 

Aside from being given the opportunity to lead a major process improvement initiative, I have also been entrusted with the responsibility of partnering to orchestrate a facility expansion. Next month we will be breaking ground on an building addition to support the program I am working. As part of this expansion, we will be replicating one of the production lines at our parent company in France. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to travel to France recently and view two of the Safran facilities. Getting to meet our French colleagues was a wonderful experience, which will allow us to develop a better relationship than what we had from conversing over email.