Careers

Total is an international oil and gas Group, with a presence in 130 different countries, with nearly 100,000 staff using their
expertise in over 500 industrial, commercial and support functions along the whole length of the oil production chain: exploration
and production of oil and natural gas, development of new energies, refining, distribution and trading. Total is also a major player
in the chemicals industry.
To promote its development, each year the Group recruits almost 10,000 new personnel worldwide, both men and women,
whether experienced or new starts, at all levels of qualification. While they are all different, they all share the dynamism, open-
mindedness, versatility and team spirit that make our Group the success it is.

IT Engineer m/f
The Group's very wide range of activities and geographical locations means that it has to have complex IT systems
that are continuously evolving.

The main tasks of an IT Engineer are as much involved with networks, projects, production and support as with
new technologies. Each of these fields generates exciting projects that a number of engineers take part in, from
new starts to the most experienced professionals.

> First steps

The first duties of an IT Engineer who has newly joined will relate to two objectives: improving technical knowledge
on the job and at the same time discovering what is really involved in the Group's business. In conjunction with
other team members, the first assignments will be designed so as to put him or her in touch with a wide spectrum
of "internal customers".

> Career options

In addition to the "classic" moves of changing technical field, or moving to management, IT Engineers can gain
more responsibility on expatriate status. They can also opt to leave the IT sector - temporarily or otherwise - to
look for other career opportunities.

> Profile required

• Engineer College training - IT, telecoms or generalist, or honours degree level.
• Analytical and correlation skills, conscientiousness, good written and verbal communication, networking, self-
reliance, open-mindedness, versatility, commitment.
• Fluent English.

Iris C.
Nationality Angolan – Age 31
Project manager – Based in Paris (France)
on expatriate status for 2 years
Degree in Industrial IT Engineering from Lisbon
Within the IT systems Department, my dual task is: providing support to
the oil business IT systems and to take on the role of project manager for
the roll-out of new applications.
Management and maintenance of IT applications
Each IT Software Manager manages a certain number of applications
that are allocated to him.
For my part, I am in charge of the logistics and exploration applications,
and more generally operations management. For each of the applications
allocated to me, I am in charge of all dealings with service providers.
In this connection, I take part in the definition of the specifications of new
applications, in selecting on the basis of the specifications, and then in
the call for tenders. I have a legal contact for TMA (third party
maintenance application) contracts or development contracts. I monitor
the integration of new applications into the Group's IT environment and I
manage the roll-out of these applications at head office and in the
subsidiaries, for which I arrange external support and maintenance.
Management of logistics projects, a strategic issue
As project manager, I ascertain a department's needs and I am in charge
of delivering the IT solution for them.
The head of the logistics department of the Exploration & Production
division wanted to have better information available on Exploration &
Production's logistical resources. Currently, there is no database that
gathers together information on the logistical resources, their number,
their quantity, or their location. For instance, a ship chartered by the
Group for a specific voyage may find itself stuck in a port waiting for a
late shipment. Instead of being immobilised and costing the Group, it
could be diverted to another cargo nearby and be given another mission.
That is why we need to know about these movements.
To meet this need, I started by examining what was available on the
market. As I did not find anything that met our requirements, we went for
a custom build for which I prepared the specifications and chose a
service provider.
The development is in progress, and is shortly expected to be rolled out
in all subsidiaries with information and training support. The objective of
the application is to provide better information on costs and on sources
of savings. Being aware of all the information in existence on each ship
will also make it easier to negotiate with each ship-owner.
This is an operational example of the contribution that IT systems can
make to the development and optimisation of Group management.
Recruitment, Careers & Diversity Division
2, place Jean Millier – La Défense 6 – 92400 Courbevoie – France
www.careers.total.com
Experiences
Arlindo B.
Nationality French and Portuguese – Age 33
IT project manager – Pau (France)
Masters degree in Industrial IT Engineering, Paris
I am IT and information systems project manager within the Group which
covers telecoms and other technical matters as well as IT systems.
After spending five years in Total's Chinese subsidiary, I returned to
France, based in Pau, as head of the “NOMAD” IT project. This project
is intended to provide the Group's Exploration & Production division with
a secure communication link and with access to Group IT resources for
every member of staff wherever they are in the world. Put like that, it
seems simple, but when you realise that the users have a real need for
distance working, that the data transmitted must remain confidential, that
the project must meet all the requirements of all jobs, and that moreover
the communication technologies available are not the same from one
country to another and therefore from one subsidiary to another, then the
project takes on another dimension. This is therefore a sensitive project
for the Group.
Making remote communications secure
The project NOMAD can be broken down into 3 additional headings.
The first heading is the Nomad Kit. This involves allowing each member
of staff to log on with their Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) badge at any
Group terminal and access their workspace: it is a secure remote office.
The Nomad Kit makes it possible to connect using any method of
communication available on the market.
Staff mobility is further enhanced by the second heading of the project
which allows everyone to connect to the network resources from any IT
terminal situated anywhere in the world. The final heading of the project
is a communicating PDA using GPRS that allows for synchronisation of
e-mail and their business diary on a terminal not much thicker than a
mobile phone. This represents a real benefit for travelling staff who need
to move about frequently.
IT systems are constantly changing
On this project, I have worked with service provider companies (SSII) that I
selected according to the requirements in the specifications. I have also had
the support of an assistant who works on recurring problems. This actual
example demonstrates the Group's dynamism in the IT field which requires
the development of synergies and the deployment of staff and
organisations. I am also in touch with contacts in each subsidiary (over 30
spread throughout the world) to deal with problems, constraints and many
different cultures.
You have to adapt continuously, keep yourself up-to-date and be creative to
meet the requirements of the business lines in the subsidiaries. This is one
of the key points of interest in my job.
Photo credits: Dufour Marco and Total/Communication Department.
R.C. PARIS 492 058 714