How did you first hear about Volz Servos, and what convinced you to take this position?
I first came across VOLZ Servos through a position I saw on LinkedIn, and I was immediately excited about the possibility of returning to the aerospace industry.
There is a common joke among people who work in aerospace that once you have worked in this industry, you catch the ‘virus’ “aerokokus” — this virus does not exists, but is a joke that it causes a kind of love for aerospace that never really goes away. And I have to say, I think there is some truth to it! There is something special about the passion and motivation you find in this industry. Once you have experienced it, it is difficult not to miss it.
I had previously moved into the plastic and automotive industry, but I realized that I was missing the excitement and sense of purpose that aerospace brings. So, when I saw the opportunity at VOLZ, it immediately caught my attention.
What convinced me even more was VOLZ itself. I had previously worked in a much larger organization, but sometimes felt that my individual contribution could get lost within the size of the company. For me personally, it is very important to feel that I can make a difference, and I believe that a smaller company offers a great opportunity to do exactly that.
I already had this feeling during the interview process at VOLZ. From the very beginning, I felt welcomed and could sense that there was a strong family atmosphere — that everyone has an important role, that people’s contributions are valued, and that their voices are heard. Even our pictures are on the wall!
That feeling made the decision quite easy for me. I felt that VOLZ was a place where I could contribute.
What are your responsibilities as an Aerospace Program Manager / BETA Project Manager?
My role is to bring structure and transparency to a very complex project. I coordinate the timing, ownership, evidence, dependencies and risks across the different activities, with the goal of supporting our expert teams and ensuring that we reach our certification milestones for the customer.
This is a big and challenging project for VOLZ. Having our product certified and integrated into such an important aircraft system is a significant achievement for the company and comes with a great deal of responsibility.
In innovation management we always classify the size of the innovation and its impact with the level of novelty, it can be new to the company, new to the complete industry and new to the world. I see this project affecting not only new to VOLZ or the customer, but to the complete industry because of the application on such an innovative aircraft, this means there are many unknowns and discoveries along the way. These can lead to changes on the way and the learnings have an impact on the project as it progresses. Managing these changes while keeping everyone aligned is one of the biggest challenges.
It is also a great learning opportunity for us. Everything we learn from this project — technically, organizationally and in terms of certification — will help us build the knowledge and experience needed for future certified projects.
One of my priorities since joining VOLZ has been to translate the customer's milestones and challenges into a clear plan for our teams, very important to mention that this was already a work in progress from previous colleagues, so what I am bringing is a different coordination. We need to understand not only when the customer needs something, but also when VOLZ can realistically be ready to deliver it. By making our activities, dependencies and risks transparent, we can communicate openly with the customer and work together towards a common approach.
And, of course, timing is only one part of the challenge. We also need to make sure that our activities are performed according to our plans and in compliance with the applicable aerospace certification standards. Our product is part of the aircraft's flight control system, which means that highest level of safety and compliance must be considered at every stage of development.
For me, that is what makes this project so challenging — but also so rewarding. We are not simply developing a product; we are building the processes, knowledge and confidence needed to successfully bring a safety-critical aerospace product through certification.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
In a nutshell: lots of planning, coordination, keeping things under control — and quite a lot of calls with the team! :D
My role requires me to have a good overview of many different tasks, deadlines, dependencies and risks, while constantly comparing our progress with the customer's plans and the agreements we have with them.
I have my own task-management system that I update throughout the day. I usually start by looking at the day ahead: What have I planned? Which meetings do I have? What do I need to prepare for them? Before finishing the day, I also like to look at the next day and make sure that everything I need is ready.
It might sound a little exaggerated, but I have been working in program and portfolio management for more than 15 years, and one thing I have definitely learned is the difference between going into a meeting prepared and going into a meeting unprepared! So, for me, preparation is a very important part of the job.
I try to be “ahead of time” rather than simply reacting to what is happening. If a meeting requires a specific timeline, for example, I prepare it in Redmine (our project management tool) beforehand so that during the meeting I can simply share my screen and focus on the discussion and decisions rather than creating the information on the spot.
There are many things that need to be continuously monitored and updated: our project plan, open actions, customer actions, the risk register, and actions resulting from previous audit and certification milestones. I constantly review these to understand what is most important at that moment.
This also helps me structure our weekly meetings with the VOLZ Team Leads and our customer meetings. I define the agenda based on the priorities, make sure the right people are involved, and share the topics in advance so everyone has the opportunity to prepare.
So, while a typical day can look very different from one day to the next, the principle is always the same: stay organized, look ahead, bring the right information to the table, and make sure that the team has what they need to move forward.
And to include as the ‘cherry of the pie’ is to ensure that the team talk to each other – communication between them is also important and I have to ensure as there are many dependencies between the teams.
Are you based at the Volz office, working remotely, traveling to visit customers, or attending trade shows?
I am based at the VOLZ office in Offenbach, and since I live only about 15 minutes away, it is very convenient for me to work mainly from the office.
Since I joined VOLZ, my focus has been on our certification milestones, which are largely taking place here at the company. In fact, one of the interesting aspects of this project is that we regularly have the customer and the FAA DER coming to our site to work with our teams and review the progress together.
So far, I have not had the need to travel to the customer or attend trade shows, but I really enjoy being on-site. For a project like this, being physically close to the expert teams makes communication and coordination much easier. There is a lot happening across different areas, and sometimes a quick conversation at someone's desk can solve something much faster than a long email or meeting!
As the project progresses, I am sure there will be opportunities for customer visits and other events, but for now, Offenbach is definitely where most of the action is happening for me, with an easy online communication with the AEE team.
What has surprised you so far about working with Volz? What makes the collaboration with BETA unique?
What has surprised me most is how collaborative everything is — first of all, internally between all the different team members at VOLZ.
It is a very friendly and supportive environment, and there is a real willingness to help each other. Since my start, the team has been incredibly patient with me, especially while I am still learning details on the product and the project and all the technical details. They are also very patient with all my non-engineer “dummy questions”! :D
But honestly, I think asking questions is an important part of my role. You should never be afraid to ask a question just because it might sound simple. Sometimes the simplest question can uncover something important — and if I don't understand something, I want to understand it properly.
The collaboration with BETA has also been a very positive surprise. Even when we are dealing with challenging topics, problems, audits or actions that require our attention, there is a very constructive and supportive relationship. We can discuss difficult topics openly and work together towards solutions.
I was actually lucky enough to be involved in an audit during my third week at VOLZ. It was an intense introduction to the project: I had the opportunity to see firsthand where we were in the certification process, what the expectations of the authorities were, and which areas required our attention.
For someone who had just joined the company, it was probably the best possible “speed training” I could have asked for! After that week, I had a much better understanding of the project and was able to ask more targeted questions and drive actions with the team.
So, if I had to summarize what makes the collaboration unique, I would say it is the combination of a very supportive internal team and an open, constructive relationship with the customer. That creates a great environment for tackling a challenging project together.
What do you see as the biggest challenge or opportunity in the near future (for Volz, for your work, or for customers)?
I think one of the biggest challenges — and at the same time one of the biggest opportunities — comes from the innovative nature of the projects we are working on.
When you are developing something new, particularly in a highly regulated industry like aerospace, it can be difficult to define every project detail, timing and milestone far in advance. There is always a certain level of uncertainty, and as we (and the customer) learn more during the development, requirements and priorities can evolve.
The challenge for us is finding the right balance between having a clear project plan and being flexible enough to adapt when things change. This applies not only to timelines and milestones, but also to resources and budgets. We need to plan ahead while understanding that the plan itself may need to evolve.
I believe this is a natural part of innovative and collaborative development. You cannot always predict everything at the beginning — sometimes you have to learn and adapt along the way.
But that is also where I see a great opportunity for VOLZ. Every challenge we face gives us experience that we can take into the next project. We can learn how to plan better, how to identify uncertainties earlier, how to define responsibilities and resources, and ultimately how to build more realistic and robust project plans.
For me, the goal is not to create a plan that never changes. The goal is to create a plan that gives us the right structure while allowing us to adapt intelligently when new information comes in.
That experience will be extremely valuable for VOLZ as we continue to take on innovative and certified aerospace projects in the future.
Which upcoming tasks or projects are you particularly looking forward to?
I love learning, and I am especially motivated by the unknown. Whenever there is something new to discover, understand or build, it immediately gets my attention.
That is one of the things I find so exciting about working at VOLZ. The possible applications of our actuators seem to open so many doors. We already see VOLZ products being used in very different and challenging environments — from submarines under the sea, to aircraft in the sky, and proven even for applications at the edge of space.
That makes me curious about what comes next. What other applications are possible? Where else can our technology take us? And what new challenges will we have to solve along the way?
So, rather than pointing to one specific upcoming project, I am looking forward to whatever comes next that challenges us to learn something new and pushes VOLZ into new areas.
And I have to quote one of my favorite series here: “To boldly go where no one has gone before.”
I think that is a pretty good description of what motivates me — and hopefully also of where VOLZ can continue to go in the future.
Do you have any personal involvement in aviation—for example, do you hold a pilot's license?
During my previous time leading the innovation program at Embraer, I had the opportunity to do some flight simulations.
But I quickly realized that I am probably much better suited to program management! :D
It is definitely safer for everyone that way…! :D
Regarding your background: How did your career path lead you from Brazil to Germany?
My career has always been built around project, product and portfolio management, with a strong focus on innovation.
Back in Brazil, I was responsible for implementing Embraer’s innovation incubator. The program supported the development of many novelty into the products and also new business opportunities for Embraer. It was a very exciting environment because I had the opportunity to work with different technologies, teams and ideas and help turn them into real opportunities.
After six years at Embraer, I had the opportunity to move to Germany. A family-owned company in the plastics industry was building its own innovation incubator and was looking for someone to lead it. They brought me to Germany.
I spent four years there before being approached by a supplier in the automotive industry, which is currently going through a major transformation. I joined the industry to support product portfolio turnaround and spent another four years working in that environment.
Then I saw the opportunity to return to aerospace with VOLZ — and it felt like the right time to come back to the industry I had always enjoyed so much.
Looking back, the path from Brazil to Germany and through different industries was not something I planned from the beginning. My father’s family is descended from German immigrants, and now I’ve made the journey back. Each step brought me new experiences and perspectives that I can now bring into my role at VOLZ.
And coming back to aerospace has definitely been a great decision. I am very happy to be here — and I hope VOLZ is happy with that decision too! :D
Are there any other topics that are important to you?
One topic that is very important to me is the people behind the projects.
Technology, products and milestones are important, but at the end of the day, it is people who make things happen. I really value working in an environment where people support each other, share their knowledge and feel that their contribution makes a difference. I am impressed how knowledgeable the team at VOLZ and AEE are, so I want to add a big THANK YOU for everyone during this start phase – is being wonderful to work here with all of you.
And perhaps most importantly, I like to enjoy what I do. We spend a large part of our lives at work, so for me it is important to have a sense of purpose, be challenged, and have a good laugh along the way. :D
