Crane Aerospace & Electronics HR Business Partner, Janaye Holberton, used to track and surveil submarines from the back of United States Navy P-3 Orion aircraft. Now the former Naval aircrewman is one of many Crane A&E veterans who support the U.S. military and its allies in a different way – by providing Crane A&E cutting-edge technology and highly engineered components to defense platforms across the globe.

"Last year I sat in over 200 interviews, and one of the most common questions asked is, ‘Why do you work for Crane? Why are you still here?'"

Holberton served the U.S. military for six years. She was stationed at the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor, Washington, and completed deployments to Qatar, Bahrain and Japan.

“We’d locate and track submarines from the air for patrol and reconnaissance purposes,” Holberton explained. “I was an instructor, so I was teaching up the new people coming up behind me, which is essentially succession planning, which is a big part of what I do now at Crane.”

Like many who’ve transitioned from the military to civilian work, Crane A&E proved to be a great fit for Holberton as her first civilian job. Holberton left the military in 2014 before earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in human resources. She was hired as a Crane A&E training specialist in 2017 before being elevated to HR business partner.

“Something we have in common with the military is a lot structure, and we are very highly regulated,” said Holberton, comparing her work in the military with her work at Crane A&E. “There is a set of parameters we have to operate within, and I think that is an environment that veterans can relate to and work well within.”

Holberton is tasked with making sure Crane A&E has the correct intellectual capital needed for productive and innovative business operations. She works collaboratively across teams and partners with leadership to ensure talent and succession plans are in place all while addressing employee concerns and promoting a safe and positive working culture.

While Holberton’s duties certainly differ from her work as an aircrewman, there’s plenty she learned from the military that has helped her thrive at Crane A&E.

“The thing that helps me the most is the ability to be flexible and adaptable,” Holberton said. “Any given day in the military, you can be facing a different challenge, and you have to be able to work with other people from all different strokes of life toward an end goal. That is something, as an HR business partner, you need to be able to communicate effectively to help the company achieve its goals.”

Holberton also enjoys the culture at Crane A&E. Working in HR and sitting in on countless job interviews, she’s privileged to gain a unique perspective on employee opinion.

“Last year I sat in over 200 interviews, and one of the most common questions asked is, ‘Why do you work for Crane? Why are you still here?’” Holberton said. “Almost every response that I’ve heard in those interviews is ‘the people.’ We have a very collaborative culture here. Everyone is willing to help everyone else, and it really breeds a lot of opportunity for growth and development for the individuals that come here to work at Crane.”

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