LIFE IN BALANCE F JEFFREY M. SHTOGRIN
COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support, Joint Program Office for Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, Product Lead for Ground Mobility Vehicles
TITLE: Engineering branch chief
YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 11
DAWIA CERTIFICATIONS: Level III in engineering and techni- cal management, Level I in test and evaluation, Level I in produc- tion, quality and manufacturing
EDUCATION: MBA, Lawrence Technological University; M.S. in mechanical engineering, Oakland University; B.S. in mechanical engineer- ing, Lawrence Technological University
AWARDS: Army Civilian Service Commendation Medal, 2018 and 2020; Army Civilian Service Achievement Medal, 2014
or Jeffrey Shtogrin, life is all about balance. Early in his career as a young engineer, he worked a demanding job in the automotive industry, where he felt he had to work 60 hours a week in order to contribute and grow in his profession. On top of that, he also felt that his work wasn’t partic-
ularly important. “At one point, when I was at Hyundai, I was working on cup holders,” he said. “It just lacked meaning.” A colleague suggested that he consider working as an Army civilian, both for a better work-life balance and for a more significant mission. “I felt like the opportunity to work for the government, to work for the Army and for Soldiers, would provide more meaning.” And he had heard great things about the Army’s more flexible work schedule and support- ive team environment.
He applied and was hired as a system integration engineer in Warren, Michigan, at what was then the Program Executive Office for Integration (now referred to as the System of Systems Engineering and Integration Directorate). Te transi- tion was challenging. Troughout his first six months as an Army civilian, he wasn’t sure he would stay. “It was a difficult time because I didn’t really know anybody,” he said. “Te unit was going through a major transition, so there were a lot of people coming and going. I learned a lot about the Army organization, and about working with Soldiers.” He can laugh about it now, but it took him some time to learn the “language” of Army acquisition. “Starting out, I didn’t know what a bumper number was, what a motor pool was, or what a property book owner was,” he chuckled.
But throughout the last five years, he has finally found his groove. When he was able to use his experience in the automotive industry and his understanding of acquisition, everything started to make sense. “I felt like I was learning to be a competent acquisition professional, and I understood how to contribute,” he said. “I’m learning, I’m growing, I’m developing, in addition to giving back to the office and supporting Soldiers. It’s the whole idea of balance—I’m giving to the office the most that I can, but I’m also getting something out of it in terms of learning and experience.”
When it comes to work-life balance, Shtogrin said some people just don’t get it. “People could say, ‘Well, you just don’t want to work hard,’ but that’s not the case. Life is all about balance, and maintaining that balance is very difficult to do. It sounds like a very easy thing, but it’s easy to say and not so easy to do. And balance doesn’t mean you’re always right on the center. Tere will be times when you have to dedicate more to work, and times when you have to dedicate more to family, but on average, trying to stay centered is key—at least for me.”
Today, Shtogrin is the engineering branch chief for Ground Mobility Vehicles at the Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support, where he leads and supervises a team of platform-system engineers who work with
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Army AL&T Magazine
Spring 2022
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