Jeanette
Manager
Interiors and Global Standards
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Previous job: I owned by own interior design business and Medtronic was a client. In fact, my first job was to manage the interiors when Medtronic was constructing the new world headquarters in Fridley. I really enjoyed working with Medtronic; the people here are so smart and the work is fascinating. It’s much more interesting than some of the financial industry work I had done. As a designer, you need to be engaged in what the company does because you need the space to reflect that core essence. So I accepted an offer to become an employee.
Your role: I oversee two interior designers. When Medtronic is moving into a new space, we’re the liaison between the internal customer and the architect. We help the customer get what they want out of the space, while ensuring it reflects our brand and standards.
How your work impacts patients: Facility projects take a lot of time and coordination; we handle that for business leaders so they can focus on what they do well, which is develop products that help patients.
Growth opportunities: When I started, I was only doing Minneapolis-area work. Now my team is doing global work — in Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Helsinki, Moscow, the Baltics, Prague, Australia, Toronto, Latin America, and Mexico. So in addition to ensuring our brand is reflected in a space, I try to make it culturally relevant, as well.
What about your work is stimulating: Each day and project are different, with different spaces and different business units. For example, most of our spaces are used internally: sales offices, country offices, labs, manufacturing. But we also have physicians come to our facilities for training. We review the path physicians would take into the spaces, as well as the experience we want them to have — so when they leave they have a better understanding of Medtronic.
What you do for fun: Gardening, photography, and traveling. Two of my grandchildren were adopted from China, so we traveled there with the kids. The experience helped me feel connected to our employees in China when I started working on projects there.
How you give back to the community: I volunteer design guidance to nonprofit organizations. I also worked with the Medtronic Foundation to set up a program whereby we donate our old furniture to nonprofits. We buy good furniture that lasts, so it has many lives.
Education: University of Minnesota, bachelor’s degree in Interior Design
Post-graduate study in design and architecture in Europe
Professional affiliations: International Interior Design Association, Interior Design Advisory Board for University of Minnesota’s College of Design
Advice to Operations job candidates: To work in Operations, you need to be passionate, hard-working, and fast-paced. Otherwise, you’ll get run over by the rest of us.
Medtronic is committed to providing accessibility to employment opportunities for people with disabilities. If you need technical assistance with the on-line application process, please call Medtronic at (800) 328-2518 (toll free within the US) or (763) 514-4000 (worldwide).
Medtronic is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer committed to cultural diversity in the workforce.
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