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Superbe nouvelle! Nous migrons vers un nouveau site Web; au cours des prochains mois, vous pourriez voir un mélange de pages nouvelles et anciennes.

We are profiling employees from across Calian to build awareness and share the exciting work that our fantastic team does each and every day. Faces of Calian profiles will be posted on an ongoing basis—so stay tuned! And be sure to check out our social channels as we share these profiles with our growing online community.

Meet Roxanne Woolley. Roxie is Project Manager—Aerospace and Defence for Calian AT. She also co-chairs our “Women of Calian, and Supporters” Employee Resource Group (ERG).

Tell us about your background.

I have been married to my husband for 16 years and we have two very busy kids and a dog. I am originally from a small town in Southwestern Ontario, and later moved to London, Ontario where I lived for 17 years. We moved to Saskatchewan in the fall of last year.

After I graduated from high school with honours, I started my post-secondary education in the sciences, and then shifted gears and finished up with a General Business Diploma, and then a Bachelor of Management Degree.

My first job out of school was working for a quality control company where we audited material manufactured for the Big 3 (GM, Ford, Chrysler). It started as “just a job”, but ended up sparking a love for planning and management.

From there, I moved into more complex roles within that company and later took a position at a company that manufactured automotive parts. It was when I went to work for this company that I found my passion for supply chain. I started off as an administrative assistant and was soon recruited to become their raw material planner, then moving into production planning.

My biggest career change happened when I began to work for a defence manufacturer—General Dynamics Land Systems–Canada (GDLS-C). Over the course of 15 years, I had various roles and responsibilities that touched every area of the supply chain including planning, purchasing (consumables to complex vehicle systems), scheduling, project management, subcontract management and finally as a team leader.

I came to Calian in the fall of 2022, making the move across Canada with my family to pursue a career in Project Management. I had the opportunity to work with Calian previously as a subcontractor, and I always admired the way Calian put customers first. No matter who I worked with, I trusted the team at Calian and the collaboration was like working with another department. These qualities really resonated with me and was exactly what I was looking for in my next career move.

What is your role at Calian? Tell us about the type of work you do.

My current role is a Senior Project Manager in the Aerospace and Defence team with Calian Advanced Technologies. I am responsible for ensuring successful execution of projects that deliver products and services designed, developed and manufactured for customers in the aerospace and defence industry. I am the connection between our customers and the team at Calian. My job is to be the communication liaison and to understand the full picture of the work we are executing, removing any roadblocks and bringing everyone along for the journey.

What do you like most about working for Calian?

The best thing about working at Calian is the people. Surrounding myself with professionals who are passionate about what they do, experts in what they do and all while having a positive attitude. This makes me want to come to work every day.

Being nine-months new to Calian, everyone is willing to help, but also open to hearing new ideas. I see that we are valued at Calian and that makes it a great place to work.

Do you have a favourite story from your time at Calian?

I wouldn’t say I have any favourite stories, but rather some favourite experiences:

  • The Christmas Party was a fantastic experience for me. I have been to many corporate events, but the Calian Christmas party was the best I have attended. I was so pleased to hear Kevin Ford speak so openly and honestly—and he talked to everybody! This was a pivotal point that gave me further confidence in my career change and made me value working for Calian even more.
  • Ultimately, the day-to-day work and overcoming the challenges have been the best moments: seeing your colleagues work tirelessly to meet deadlines and customer demands, the celebrations when parts arrive early to complete orders, getting through that first or final build!
  • Finally, when you are connected to amazing individuals—for instance in Talent Programs—who are excited about your passion for starting a Women’s ERG!

These are all moments that fill your bucket (read the kids book ‘Have You Filled a Bucket Today’, if you haven’t), and truly make Calian a great place to work.

What keeps you busy outside of work?

Outside of work, having two kids, 11 and 7, is what keeps me busy. I have a son who is in hockey and a daughter in dance and tumbling. I am their activity director, chauffeur, manager, and cheerleader. We spend most of our time at a hockey arena, dance studio or gymnasium and in our very limited free time we are exploring our new home in Saskatchewan.

However, I am getting better at making some time for myself, whether it’s curling up with a tea to read a book and snuggle with my dog, having dinner and drinks with new friends, or doing Pilates and Zumba.

Roxie: I love how personal this is... I just want to remind you, though, that we are posting this online, so want to ensure you are comfortable with this being public. Maybe when you re-read it, do so with that in mind.