Florence M. Ching, General Engineer/Project Manager, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Pacific, has been working for the Department of the Navy for seven years, and, in her own words gives us a picture of her career within the Department.

Q: What is your job?

A: As a project manager with NAVFAC Pacific, my job is to serve as the principal point of contact for project management actions and manage a project’s execution from the definition/development stage to final completion and turnover.

I assure timely completion of all phases of a project within available funds and authorized scope. My duties include the coordination and integration of efforts from government and contractor personnel engaged in various specialties such as facility planning, design, engineering, contract award and administration, and construction management and administration as well as serving as the focal point of information regarding the status of individual projects and the liaison between NAVFAC components and activities. Example of duties include rendering technical decisions relating to professional engineering, scheduling, funding, project coordination, and contract interpretation during design and construction.

Q: How do you see your job making a difference and contributing to the Department of the Navy's success?

A: Being able to manage a project from the development stage to final completion and turnover allows me to see firsthand how NAVFAC provides facility engineering support to the Navy, Marine Corps, as well as other DoD clients and Federal Agencies in order for them to accomplish their own missions.

Q: What do you love about your job?

A: When a facility is completed one usually just sees photos of those that participate in the ribbon cutting, but there are many individuals behind the scenes that have contributed to the construction of the facility especially since the initial planning and programming efforts begin many years before. One aspect that I love about my job is that I have the opportunity to meet and work with individuals from both the private and public sectors with diverse backgrounds and technical expertise that contribute to making a facility a reality.

Q: Any special moments/memories about your job you think a potential DON employee would like, or should read about?

A: A potential DON employee should know about the career development opportunities that are available as an employee with the DON. When I first started at NAVFAC Pacific in 2002, I was hired as an intern through the Professional Development Center (PDC) program. This is a two to three year management training program that combines on-the-job training with challenging work assignments; formal education and training; and diverse rotational assignments. The opportunity to rotate through NAVFAC’s various business and support lines gave me a broad organizational perspective, but most importantly allowed me to develop business relationships and networking connections that continue to benefit me today as a project manager.