“Being a consultant puts you on the specialist track early in your career" - Meet Selcuk Duvarci, Consultant in NIRAS Life Science Consulting
When Selcuk Duvarci was approached with the opportunity to work as a consultant for NIRAS Life Science Consulting, he initially declined the offer. He’d heard tales of how consultants constantly shuffle between workplaces, work all hours of the day, and don’t feel like they belong anywhere. Still, his background as a Production Engineer fit the job description well, and it sounded like a good learning opportunity, so he decided accept the challenge and make his own assessment.
A year and a half later, Selcuk is at his second customer site, working with qualification of a brand-new factory for Contura, a Danish company which develops and manufactures innovative medical products in orthopedics, soft tissue augmentation, and animal health, now looking to scale up production.
“This has been the most beneficial decision I've made for my career. My experience has completely debunked the myth of consultants working round the clock, uncertain about their next destination.
In my time working as a consultant for NIRAS, I've only been stationed at two different customer sites. I maintain a 37-hour workweek, just like my other colleagues, and I've found that there’s really no downsides to being a consultant, only benefits. My professional growth and the ability to have a flexible work life have opened my eyes to this way of working, and to me it’s really optimal because you’re not tied to a specific department or task”.
The specialist point of view
According to Selcuk, professional growth is the key selling point and most attractive feature when it comes to pursuing a career as a consultant. The ability to concentrate all his efforts on a single area of expertise has given him an advantage and allowed him to progress on the specialist track much faster than he otherwise could have done.
“I specialise in qualification and validation, which is an area that many consider demanding and challenging. However, I've come to appreciate the opportunity to fully immerse myself in a particular field because it allows you to get on the specialist track early in your career. If I need assistance, I can always rely on the knowledge and skills of my organisation and colleagues, so I’m never distant in terms of knowledge.
I work with other colleagues from NIRAS Life Science Consulting and from NIRAS Construction, and that’s great because we connect and support each other. There’s a sense of team spirit and we feel included and welcomed into the overall team at the site.”
“I specialise in qualification and validation, which is an area that many consider demanding and challenging. However, I've come to appreciate the opportunity to fully immerse myself in a particular field because it allows you to get on the specialist track early in your career. If I need assistance, I can always rely on the knowledge and skills of my organisation and colleagues, so I’m never distant in terms of knowledge."
The example of the carpenter and the staircase
While a standard employment contract typically entails overseeing a series of different tasks and ad-hoc tasks that arise, the role of a consultant is somewhat comparable to that of a carpenter. You hire a carpenter to build a staircase for you because you lack the time or expertise, and you pay them to stay on that specific task, not to suddenly begin painting the walls or cleaning the house.
“Consultants are hired to do a specific job that a company needs outside competencies to help them – and you’re paid to stay focused on that job. As a natural consequence of that, you become exceptionally proficient in your chosen field”.
For Selcuk, focusing on one area of expertise doesn't mean that there’s no diversity or variation. To stay in the carpenter metaphor: Once your task is finished and your staircase is built, your job is done and you move on to a new company that needs a new job done. So you continuously get to add a new specialty or aspect of an existing one to your professional range.
“Consultants are hired to do a specific job that a company needs outside competencies to help them – and you’re paid to stay focused on that job. As a natural consequence of that, you become exceptionally proficient in your chosen field”.
From the left: Michael Møller Svendsen, Project manager at Contura A/S, responsible for execution of Production Facility Expansion. Anker Buurgaard Lionett, Project Director at NIRAS, responsible for Production Facility Expansion. Selcuk Duvarci, Consultant at NIRAS, responsible for Qualification & Validation for Production Facility Expansion. Morten Vestergaard, VP Strategic Projects at Contura A/S, responsible for execution of Production Facility Expansion. Lucas Marcher Kaas Eberhardt, Project Manager, responsible for finance and logistics.
Flexibility, variation and learning
The Life Science sector is not only growing rapidly in Denmark but also on a global scale, which means that there’s very little uncertainty in terms of job availability. Most consultants working in the industry move directly from one job to another, and because of the development, it’s highly unlikely that the demand will decrease.
“This setup is perfect for my profile because I like both being able to work focused with something for a period of time, but still have the element of variation as my task will be replaced with a new one once completed. This allows me to meet new people and expand my professional network. Also, to a very large degree, I get to decide when I put my hours in, which allows for a lot of flexibility.”
The growth in the sector for Qualification and Validation is palpable – there’s so much work being done here that I don’t even think about the possibility of being in between jobs for the next 5-10 years at least.
There is no doubt that working as a consultant has significantly accelerated my career. When I go to work, I’m a valued resource and my work is meaningful and important to that company. I help the companies solve a task that is vital to the production of products that help people – and animals in the case of Contura”.
We’re excited to follow Selcuk’s professional journey – and if you’re interested in learning more about what it’s like working as a consultant for NIRAS Life Science Consulting, you can find more information about us here: https://www.niras.com/sectors/pharma-and-life-science/
