“Baptized by fire.”
That’s how Kim Sykes, director of Independent Performance Assurance, describes her first few years at Ingalls.
Starting in Central Planning, Sykes has worked in several roles since being hired by Ingalls in 2003. After working in sector planning and becoming familiar with the processes across all four of the shipyards owned by the company at the time, Sykes moved to shop loading. The job that perhaps taught her the most, though, was her time in the NSC 10 program office.
“It’s just this all-encompassing world,” she said. “You get to see everything in that job, and I fell in love with that.”
While she learned a lot in that position, she says her most memorable position at Ingalls was in Material.
“I learned how to track material through every step. I was really good at putting out fires and getting it where it needed to be and to the craft when they needed it. I was down on the waterfront delivery and test area where it’s just nonstop, and you’re 90 to nothing the entire day,” she recalled.
That experience led to Sykes’ recent promotion to her current role as director of Independent Performance Assurance.
“In my current role, my team and I get in front of some of the most critical elements of our business – compliance, readiness for third party assessments, risks that could affect our ability to perform on our contracts – in order to ensure we put our best foot forward,” she explained. “Our newest opportunity is to look ahead at the environmental, social and governance (ESG) expectations of companies moving forward. My team will work with everyone that has a piece of this and integrate it across the division.”
One of the unique things about Ingalls, emphasized Sykes, is the ability shipbuilders have to work in so many different capacities. From welders to accounting, lawyers to electricians, logistics to security, there is a broad scope of careers available all within Ingalls.
“It’s neat to think that a lot of the jobs you can do outside of this company can also be done for this company. Whether you want to write for IngallsConnect or be a firefighter, there’s a job at Ingalls for that,” said Sykes.
One of the key things an employee can do to grow their career is to network with other shipbuilders.
“The best thing you can do for yourself is meet people. Join the ERGs. Get involved. Ingalls is such a big place, so it’s all about connections and communication,” said Sykes. “The more people you meet, the more connections you gain, and that truly will help you when you go through your career and begin to move up whatever path you decide.”
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