Our People
Pedro DeJesus leverages his extensive knowledge of telecommunication design and construction management to mentor budding talent and support United States’ national security and defense clients.
Senior Electrical and Communications Engineer Pedro DeJesus always knew he wanted to use his talents to support national security and defense. While active in the U.S. Army Reserve service, Pedro began his civilian career in construction with the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic division. Curious about design and inspired by the dot-com boom, he pivoted to the private telecommunications sector, developing designs for commercial data centers.
Driven by his passion for federal work, Pedro joined Jacobs to serve global Department of Defense (DoD) and military clients. With him he brought a deep and holistic understanding of telecommunication applications. During his 30 years of experience, he has been the Engineer of Record for DoD installations worldwide, specializing in data centers, microelectronic facilities and campus-wide installations. Earning high praise and recognition, Pedro is hailed as an expert of his craft among teammates, partners and clients.
Pedro’s background made him an invaluable asset to the Worldwide Strategic Facilities Plan for the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Wing. He developed criteria and early communication concepts for new global facilities supporting live operations and ground troops. This project required imagination and specialized experience to steer the project through uncertain systems requirements and multiple shifts in operations driven by advancing technology. This is the sort of challenge that Pedro is uniquely qualified for. His exceptional work and dedication to client collaboration was recognized by the client, U.S. Air Force, making it a point of pride in his career so far.
Get to know Pedro
What excites you most about the large military projects you’re currently engaged on?
A lot of projects are very straightforward, you can just go by technical standards, but that’s not the case with operations projects driven by uncertain systems under development. The program I’m on is special because it’s the first of its kind, so we’re not sure what it's going to look like. That’s why you must be flexible while walking the client through their options. You’re helping make their vision come to life while remaining conscious of requirements, budgets and resources. I’m most excited when I get to “rattle the cage” and make sure flaws are identified early so the project begins on a solid foundation. This allows the rest of the project to move smoother and efficiently.
How did your background set you up for success on these projects?
I served in the U.S. Army Reserve, and because of that I’m passionate about doing military work and I feel called to serve throughout my civilian career. Although I fulfill a technical role on these larger projects, I come to my work with a high-level view of the overall picture. My entire career has really prepared me for successful delivery on large military programs. From my early days working for NAVFAC to where I am today, I’ve worked in almost every type of role. I’ve seen the technical side, the construction and the project management. I bridge these areas and bring a holistic mindset to my work.
You are balancing multiple concurrent projects within this program, all with the same team. What is the most rewarding part of being on that team?
This program has been an ideal scenario to mentor talent. Due to the timing and number of projects, I am currently mentoring three people who will transition to lead projects as I move on to a program-level leadership and a quality control role. It’s been a great opportunity to pass on my unique experience to excellent up-and-coming staff. I find mentoring very rewarding.
How do you approach managing so many projects at once?
As of right now my process is bringing a task to ~ 35% and then passing it onto someone I’m mentoring. That way I create the foundation and continue as a guide while maintaining continuity until the end of each project. These individual projects stagger nicely so I’m able to efficiently leap-frog from project to project, rather than trying to focus on it all at once.
What do you enjoy most about being part of #OurJacobs?
I enjoy the autonomy within my role. It’s not so much that you’re on your own, but that there’s room to build relationships and push yourself forward. There’s a lot of people willing to support and help you out. We have a great set up where you can reach out to diverse teams for information and opinions. It’s an extremely collaborative environment, not a top-down sort of situation. You have a lot of control over where you want to take your career.