Today, we are proud to present you with a completely new series of blog posts called ‘Meet the Team’. Once every other month we will introduce you to one of our team members and try to get you closer to our daily operations and company setup.

In the first blog post of the series, we are talking to our new Operations Manager – Jelena Sekulic. Even though she is new in this role, she is no stranger to Field Scope International’s operations, given that she has been with the company for three years now. Let’s explore how Jelena came to Field Scope International, how she worked her way up, and what she thinks are the best traits of our company.

Name: Jelena Sekulic

Company Role: Operations Manager

Favourite quote:

Tell me about your career path and how you got to Field Scope International?

I studied management and obtained a master’s degree in marketing. Just like all the other kids, fresh out of college and full of “out of the box” ideas, thinking we can change the world, I took a special interest in advertising and brand management. My first career steps where a bit wobbly: working as an Account Executive in a brand design and Events Management agency, however realizing that I’m more drawn to numbers and research statistics. It just took one market research project for me to understand that I might be in the wrong industry. I saw an FSI job ad and jumped to the opportunity. The rest is history.

Your role at Field Scope International has covered a few different areas over the years. What are you working on now?

I worked my way up and am a living and breathing example that no hard work goes unnoticed – at least at FSI, I find this very true. I started as an admin, but climbed the ladder step by step, and eventually moved into the Operations Manager role. It is an entirely different set of challenges compared to my previous positions within the company, but very fulfilling. You are responsible of managing operations of entire teams that operate in completely different manners: marketing, IT, fieldwork, project management… It can be tricky to get all of them to see eye to eye and focus on the same goal, however we really have amazing people working in our company and it is very rewarding seeing them push the bar higher and higher in exceling in their work.

What does your typical day at Field Scope International look like?

I always come in early and work my way through any urgent emails and requests that came in overnight. It’s good to tick off as much as possible from the to-do list before team or clients start their work day, as then they can have your sole attention. Every day is pretty packed up with group and 1-1 meetings, where I follow up on all ongoing department projects, but also fresh ideas team is bringing to the table, as well as challenges they are facing. Your trying to be their support system and providing guidance and counselling on daily basis, but also closely monitoring progress and determining when to push in order to ensure targets are met within specified deadlines and quality.

How would you describe your job role to a child?

You have all your playmates trying to build the tallest and most beautiful tower, your job is just to help them use right materials and ensure they all play by the book 😊

What is the most important thing you’ve learnt since you started working at Field Scope International?

There is no mission impossible. Period.

What do you like about working here?

Company culture is something you don’t see every day. Each employee can really show off their individuality and can contribute to dynamic environment. This type of work also allows you to find your best way of operating, however the pace still needs to be very rapid.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?

I used to be a proper gym rat. Nowadays, I try to spend as much time as possible in nature. You find yourself humbled by the sight of it and any problems you may have become much smaller.

Fun fact about you?

I won first place in worldwide hip-hop championship for small groups.