EXPERIENCE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF Live and learn. Cliché as that may sound, all too often it’s reality.
Staff Sgt. Christopher J. Jungnick can attest to this. He may be fairly new to the Army Acquisition Workforce, but as a noncommissioned officer (NCO) for 13 years, he’s traveled abroad, acquired useful new skills and learned valuable interpersonal communi- cation methods that he did not anticipate, which have been of benefit for each assignment he’s held thus far.
STAFF SGT. CHRISTOPHER J. JUNGNICK
COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Theater Contracting Center, 409th Contracting Sup- port Brigade
TITLE: Contract specialist ACQUISITION CAREER FIELD: 51C YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 2 YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE: 13
ACQUISITION CERTIFICATIONS: Certification pending, contracting profes- sional
EDUCATION: Associate degree in general studies, Barton County Community College
“My career has taught me many valuable lessons, but my top one would be that there is a difference between talking to someone, compared to talking at them,” he said. “I often use this to help drive conversations and help others feel included to provide input, instead of listening and executing.” He said this became apparent during his time at Mihail Kogălniceanu (MK) Airbase in Romania, during team discussions pertaining to emerging requirements that allowed for a better decision-making process, which in turn made it easier to complete the contract action.
He has found that verbal exchanges are far more effective when there is transactional communication, rather than a mechanical presentation of ideas, along with some flex- ibility, empathy and acceptance—to further inspire a dynamic exchange of ideas. “I have learned that problem-solving and decision-making aren’t necessarily the same thing every time,” he said. “Tey do go hand in hand quite often, but certain situations need one to be resolved first before moving on.”
Jungnick joined the Army Acquisition Workforce two years ago as a contract specialist within the Facilities Maintenance Division at the Teater Contracting Center (TCC), 409th Contracting Support Brigade (CSB), where he was responsible for contract actions ranging from minor construction to preventative maintenance on Garrison equipment. He has since been reassigned to 901st Contracting Battalion, 418th CSB at Fort Hood, Texas. He said that aside from supporting Soldiers, his biggest satisfaction is to “see real progress on building renovations and other construction projects [road, roof, storm sewer system repairs] as time goes on.”
According to Jungnick, there are many opportunities in Army acquisition to become more proficient in your area of expertise. Te one he chose to apply for was the mili- tary occupational specialty 51C program, a critical career field that provides significant career and educational opportunities for both active and reserve NCOs interested in training to be contracting professionals.
“It seemed like a unique opportunity to work with a diverse group of people and skill sets,” he said. “Te thought of coming into this field and learning a new skill set to overcome challenges was something I looked forward to. Ten it was a waiting game to receive information for the next steps and formally start my time as a contract specialist.”
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Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2023
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