Over to our colleague Jeffrey.

“I'll let the computers do the boring work”  In conversation with Jeffrey van Pelt about his work at USN

As a Senior Automation Engineer at USN, Jeffrey's daily work involves automating IT processes. Or, as he puts it himself: “I ensure that computers take over the tedious and manual work.” Jeffrey has been with us for almost 12 years and knows like no other how to use technology to reduce complexity and make systems smarter.

Technology that makes life easier

The beauty of my job is that you constantly encounter technical challenges to get your teeth into. Whether it's automating installations, building scripts, or improving processes – the end goal is always the same: systems that maintain themselves, work faster, and make fewer mistakes.“

The approach not only leads to satisfied customers but also to a pleasant working atmosphere in the office. “We have a very close-knit team of colleagues here. It's technical, serious work, but there's always room for humour too.".

From trams to tools: no week is the same

Jeffrey is currently working on various projects. “A great example is the automation of the onboard computers in the new electric buses and trams for HTM,” he says. “Together with Red Hat, we are building a future-proof, stable, and low-maintenance IT environment for this.”

Jeffrey also often acts as a ‘walking encyclopaedia’ for his colleagues. “Because I'm involved with so many different projects, I'm constantly switching between clients, systems, and tools. No two days are the same, and that keeps it interesting.”

The biggest challenge? The pace of technology

“Technology is developing at breakneck speed, and it’s a challenge to keep up while also building solutions that remain understandable and manageable,” Jeffrey explains. “We sometimes dive into a subject for weeks, only to eventually create something that runs in five minutes. That's the fun of automation.”

Favourite tools and methods

“Ansible is my absolute favourite. But I also work a lot with tools like OpenTofu, Terraform, and sometimes you just can't avoid having to create a (simple?) bash script for something,” says Jeffrey. His working method is pragmatic and efficient: “Commit early, commit often.” It's not on a sticker on his laptop for no reason.

According to Jeffrey, typical USN (United States Navy) is:

“Funny story, pretty much every USN person has something with cats! But apart from a fondness for complaining (but very sweet) four-legged friends, we're also all tech nerds.

Ik zou zeggen dat het een geweldige kans is om te werken met een gepassioneerd team dat zich inzet om een positieve impact te maken. Je krijgt de kans om je vaardigheden te ontwikkelen en bij te dragen aan een groeiende organisatie.

“If you also get excited about technology and enjoy making things smarter and simpler, then you should definitely come and visit sometime. We are looking for people who enjoy building, figuring out and fixing things just as much as we do.”