Meet Søren
Lead electrician
Søren is a lead electrician in the electrical section of the Technical Department at our factory in Vinderup. He is a trained electrician and worked night shifts for three years before being offered the position of lead electrician.
What tasks do I have at ROSE POULTRY?
As lead electrician, I have technical responsibility for my 11 electrician colleagues. My day is filled with responsibility and coordination. I handle daily planning of tasks and staffing and act as the main contact for the production department regarding electrical issues.
My workday starts early, at 5:30 a.m., so I can meet the night shift team and go over any issues they encountered, and coordinate the day’s tasks with the production managers. I also participate in ongoing projects and improvements and carry out electrical tasks myself.
Troubleshooting machines to keep production running is a big part of what we do. There are also maintenance tasks, although these are limited due to our continuous production schedule.
Our Technical Department includes one electrical team and three mechanical teams. All electrical work is done in collaboration with the mechanical teams. Often, a mechanical issue causes an electrical fault or vice versa, so we work closely together to solve problems. That collaboration is worth gold.
What originally attracted me to ROSE POULTRY?
I started here as a regular electrician on the night shift about three years ago. What initially drew me to ROSE POULTRY was the working hours. Before this, I worked as an electrician and programmer for a machine builder. I had long workweeks and very little time for my family. With two kids in daycare, I was looking for a workplace that gave me more free time. The night shift here sounded appealing, and I quickly realized it suited my life well. As a night shift electrician, I worked three days a week, 11 hours each shift, and then had five days off — plenty of time for family and hobbies. It was perfect.
I stayed on the night shift until spring 2023, when I was offered the newly created role of lead electrician. That meant switching to day shifts so I could be at work during the same hours as the rest of the management. I now work five days a week instead of three. To keep my family time, I chose to start early — I arrive at 5:30 a.m. and leave around 2:00 p.m. That way, I can meet with the night shift in the morning and still pick up my kids in the afternoon.
What do I personally get out of the job?
My job at ROSE POULTRY gives me a lot of variety, which I really appreciate. There are few routine tasks here. We have to keep the production running and work with live animals, so no two days are the same. We use many different machines and technologies, which gives us the opportunity to build broad knowledge of production systems. As an electrician here, you can even specialize in certain machines or technologies if you want to dive deep into a specific area or become a super-user. That’s very satisfying professionally. The job also helps me grow both technically and personally.
As an electrician, you often do troubleshooting, and it can be intense to stand in front of a broken machine while production colleagues wait impatiently for you to fix it. You have to learn to handle that pressure. The good thing is that we work in shifts here at ROSE POULTRY. That means if you haven’t solved the problem by the end of your shift, you can hand it off to another capable colleague. That brings peace of mind.
Now that I’m a lead electrician, things are a bit different. I can still pass on electrical tasks at the end of my shift, but administrative responsibilities will still be there the next day.
What are the most important reasons I still work at ROSE POULTRY?
At first, it was the working hours, but today it's the collaboration and camaraderie with my colleagues and the chance to grow in a new direction that matter most. We have a strong technical team, and it’s incredibly rewarding to solve problems together and get the systems back up and running.
I didn’t apply for the lead role myself — I was encouraged by my manager — but I’ve found it both challenging and rewarding. I’ve recently completed modules in basic leadership to strengthen my skills in that area.
If I were to recommend a job in the Technical Department to someone I know, I’d definitely highlight the professional challenges you get here — and the working hours. Working three 12-hour shifts followed by five days off is really something special.
