VSL

Join us for a challenging career

Welcome to VSL

VSL is a world leader in post-tensioning and related activities. We provide specialist solutions to the construction industry, including specialised construction technologies and services for bridges, buildings and containment structures. Other areas of expertise include ground engineering and the provision of repair, strengthening and preservation techniques for concrete structures.

We seek out people who are talented, dynamic and motivated, have a sense of entrepreneurship and are looking for challenges in an international organisation that provides training and career opportunities adapted to each person’s goals.
Does that sound like you ? If so, your experience is of interest to us and we are looking to work with you on a long-term basis to build your experience and success, which will also contribute to the development and strength of our company.

Our organisation and workforce

VSL operates in 36 countries worldwide on 5 continents. We have 4,500 employees, including more than 1,000 engineers. We favour local people at every level of our organisation, as they are the best at speaking to - and understanding - our clients. Our offices are supported by strong regional and group organisations providing technical, operational and financial back-up.

Diversity: our way of life

Because we are a truly international company, we promote and care about diversity in our organisation. The best person is the one that is the most suited to the task, regardless of his or her nationality, race, sex, religion or disability. We find creativity and strength in the diversity of our employees, which makes our offices and projects unique places

where many nationalities work together towards the same goal - the satisfaction of our clients.

Training and personal development

We are highly specialised in our fields. People working in our organisation acquire knowledge and skills that are not necessarily taught in schools or universities, and that are not widely available on the market. We therefore favour long-term relationships with our employees, as the skills and experience that they develop with us are our organisation’s best assets.

With this in mind, we regard training as a key priority in spreading know-how from our existing staff to our newcomers. Essential training takes place continuously through on-site training on our project sites, in our technical centres and in our offices. In addition to this informal information exchange between our experienced people and those who are still learning, we also organise customised formal training:

• The VSL Academy is a unique initiative in our industry, set up to train our production staff and to spread best practices throughout the company. Our most experienced staff provides training on post-tensioning and construction techniques for our production staff from site foremen to site engineers. Technical staff including design and method engineers also attends these training modules as we consider it of prime importance for them to have a feel for what is happening in the field.
• PMX: Project Manager Excellence is a module that was started in 2006. It usually consists of three sessions of three days each and is generally located in different countries in Asia. It is designed for project managers and provides training in topics such as project management, contract management and the development of personnel.
• GMX: General Manager Excellence is a new training module being launched in 2012. It is designed to provide training for general management staff. It consists of two one-week sessions within a year, with one taking place in France and the other abroad. The training modules include project management, administration, contract management and the development of personnel.
• Other training provided by VSL’s parent company Bouygues Construction Group is organized by the Bouygues Construction University. These are general training modules that have been developed by Bouygues and also provide benefits for VSL’s staff. The first of the three tiers of training is for younger staff. Experienced project managers and directors attend the second and the third is for general managers and directors. The training is organised as three or four sessions of one week each, in France and abroad, and involves staff from the entire Bouygues Construction organisation.

Mobility

As part of our international approach, we promote the exchange of experience and expertise, and encourage both geographic and job mobility. Our group organisation is made up of multiple regional offices and not all skills are necessarily locally available. However, such skills are always available elsewhere in the group and that is where mobility becomes essential.

Around the globe, there are about 200 people from different backgrounds and with various skills who move from one project to the next and from one country to another. They provide our organisation with the support required for our operations worldwide.
We can mobilise people virtually anywhere and at any time, whether as part of a ‘commando team’ for an individual project, or on a longer-term basis to strengthen a local office in development.
You can have a better idea of the experience with our employees’ testimonies:

“My name is Felix, I’m from Germany and I joined the Bouygues group in February 2003 for an internship in the purchasing department of Losinger Construction in Geneva.

After finishing my degree as Civil Engineer at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg I returned to Bouygues but this time to join VSL in Switzerland in the Purchasing department. I worked closely within the group’s purchasing network and with colleagues in Hong Kong and China and for projects all over the CEME region.

My first encounter with the group’s mobility was when I wanted to move into the operations side of VSL’s business and I got the chance to work for Special Projects for Central and East Europe and Middle East where I managed Stay Cable projects in Kazakhstan, Abu Dhabi, Norway and Poland for about 7 years.

During this time I have met people from all over the world and worked with and in many different cultures. Although that was an exciting time I felt it was time for a move again and VSL offered me a position in VSL Australia’s Sydney office from where I worked on a variety of projects spanning Heavy Lifting on the Toombul project, repair jobs and up to the giant LNG projects on Curtis Island.

After a 2-year stint as Plant and Equipment Manager I am back in Operations and have moved to VSL’s Melbourne office to work on Slab on ground projects.

The group’s mobility has given me the opportunity to acquire knowledge in many of VSL’s areas of expertise, to work in different countries and to learn about different cultures. One of the biggest advantages of being mobile I felt is that you know the right person within the VSL world to give a phone call when you have a question or a problem.”

“I am originally from Australia and was working there after University. I decided to move to Singapore after seeing how quickly my University friend had progressed in his career after just 3 years working overseas.

I had 3 years’ experience in Singapore before joining VSL Hong Kong (2003) as a Project Manager and later moved into the Regional Tendering Department. In 2012 I was given the opportunity to move to Vietnam to work as the HCM Branch Manager and also covering Business Development for Major Projects.

Being mobile has certainly allowed me to further my career in a shorter period of time since if you stay in the same place then you may have limited openings for promotion.

Mobility creates more opportunities for your career development since VSL is a global company which is always seeking to expand their business into new developing countries and will be awarded many interesting projects around the world.

I would definitely recommend mobility to anyone that has concerns.”

Packages and advantages

VSL’s remuneration policy is based to a considerable extent on individual performance. Annual assessments are based on formal performance indicators, clear objectives and a personal review. They are conducted throughout the company in the spirit of transparency and progress. We offer competitive packages with medical and life insurance, as well as pensions.

These packages include offshore allowances and compensation schemes when people are working away from their home base.