From blueprints to the deep blue sea
With a focus on learning as much as possible about mechanics, electronics, programming, and human behaviour, John Huzell now sees himself as a Swiss Army knife, excelling in many areas but not necessarily the best in one particular field. At Saab, he works at the interface between humans and technology, innovating next-generation submarines—a role where his holistic understanding comes in handy.
Diving into the future
For three years, John has been a member of the Saab team. With the responsibility to design the next-generation submarines, he spends his day diving deep into technology while collaborating with his colleagues to solve challenging problems.
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" If I were to summarize my everyday life at Saab, I would describe it as unpredictable. I often found myself solving other problems than I first planned when arriving at work. It's a very dynamic workplace, which is great! ", says John.
At the age of 18, he moved back to Sweden after living in both France and the USA. Due to his upbringing, John finds it easy to adapt to different environments and cultures, and his flexible approach has also shown to be valuable in his role at Saab.
" Our projects truly straddle the boundary between technology and people, which means we must work together as a team to solve problems. I might be knowledgeable in my area, but I need help building the whole. That is why Saab has a very social environment because we need to communicate and collaborate with close colleagues as well as people outside our department to succeed. "
" The number of super knowledgeable specialists we have here at Saab fascinates me. It's impressive that we have such a wide range of experts. "
Replacing the clouds with the ocean
Before John decided to study a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in mechatronics, he had other plans for his future. As a kid, he dreamed of becoming a combat pilot, but as fate would have it, the clouds were replaced with the ocean, and he is happy that he ended up at Saab.
" I appreciate that I got a big responsibility right from the start. It made me feel respected and trusted in my role. I also think it's great that it's ok to make mistakes and not have all the answers. What we do here is very complicated, which creates an understanding environment and culture where it's easy to admit one's mistakes and ask for help. "
" Avoiding missteps is more critical than maintaining prestige, which is reflected in the culture at Saab. We are all trying to push technology forward, and we do it through collaboration. "
3 questions to John Huzell
The best thing about your job?
The combination of people and technology. Doing what we do is complicated and challenging, and it wouldn't be possible to succeed If we didn't collaborate.
The most motivating?
I am a very curious person who loves to learn new things, so I appreciate Saab's variation and ever-changing environment. It's very motivating not to know what to expect when I come to work in the morning.
Your biggest strength?
My ability to stay focused under pressure and put my energy into what’s most important.