Career Path Of A Vice President Of Operations At RWS Group
Darrin's career path deviated from their initial architecture and construction management studies, leading to a project management role in financial services; this unexpectedly became the foundation for a long career in a related industry. The experience with a financial printing company, through acquisitions and spin-offs, transitioned into language services operations leadership, culminating in Darrin's current VP of Operations role at RWS Group, where they lead the regulated industries division, working with "companies that have translation or translation technology needs in any industry that's heavily regulated by government."
Project Management, Operations Management, Leadership, Career Pivoting, Corporate Acquisitions
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Darrin Lee
VP Operations
RWS Group
Arizona State University
n/a
Humanities, Political Science, American Studies
Consulting & Related Professional Services, Technology
Operations and Project Management
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Darrin's career path highlights a successful transition from an initial career choice (architecture and construction management) to a fulfilling career in project management and operations management. This demonstrates the value of adaptability and pursuing opportunities that align with one's interests and strengths.
2. His experience in a financial printing company, involving IPO document preparation and printing, showcases the importance of experience in a specialized or niche industry. His journey within the same company's different iterations illustrates career progression and growth opportunities within evolving business structures.
3. His current role as VP of Operations at RWS Group, leading the regulated industries division, emphasizes the high demand for operational expertise in specialized sectors like legal, finance, and life sciences. This highlights the value of developing skills applicable to diverse regulated markets.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college and any internships or jobs you had before your current role as VP of Operations?
I didn't do any internships when I was in college. When I left college, I was just looking to get a job, and a friend of mine had an opening in his company.
I happened to apply for a project management position, which wasn't really aligned with anything I had done in college. I actually started off as an architecture major and then moved into construction management. Neither of those two things were something I wanted to pursue.
One of the downsides of declaring early in terms of what you want to do, I did two years of architecture. When I jumped into this new role, project management in a financial services company, I really enjoyed it and just dove into it, giving it my all.
I loved working with clients, lawyers, accountants, and businesses. We worked with companies that were going public. My company would file their IPO documents, and then do the printing of those documents as well. It was a financial printing company, and there are not many of them that do that anymore.
I've actually been with a company connected to that job ever since. My companies have been acquired or spun off a number of different times, and I've moved from that role as a project manager into management.
I then moved from that financial print services company into my current space, which is language services. I've been involved in that area since 2007. I moved into that role to take over the operations for the global division of that business.
That company was spun off and sold a couple of different times. I've stayed in operations leadership ever since. I'm now with RWS Group as VP of Operations.
I currently lead the regulated industries division of my organization. This involves working with companies that have translation or translation technology needs in any industry that's heavily regulated by government. This includes legal, financial, or life sciences, such as medical, pharma, and clinical trials.