14 years of career development at Staticus: Edgaras Pangonis reflects on journey from graduate to Head of Technical Design
In 14 years, Staticus has transformed as a company, and Edgaras Pangonis’ career has followed a similar trajectory over this period. From a Design Engineer fresh out of university to his new role as Head of Technical Design, he has gained experience across every key design stage.
He now looks forward to using this experience to support and mentor members of the Technical Design team. He took time out from his busy schedule to share the story of his one company career, and explain why he is excited to be at the intersection of business, engineering, and people in his new position.
Tell us a bit about your latest career advancement at Staticus, and your plans for this position?
I am taking on the role of Head of Technical Design. Previously, I served as Lead of Technical Design for Major projects, working together with Marius Nevecka who led the Lean and Core project teams. Now he is serving as Head of the Design Division, and I am moving into the leadership position for Technical Design, which is a significant and exciting challenge for me.
I have many plans for this position, but overall my goal is to unite the team as a cohesive unit, and I am very excited to see what we can achieve when this happens. Then further aims for this role include enabling collaboration within the team and with other divisions cross-functionally, streamlining processes, promoting a culture where best practices are applied naturally, and raising the overall competence levels.
Regarding the latter point, my philosophy is that, like a chain, a team is only as strong as its weakest link. So I intend to strengthen the team, which means strengthening each individual. My aim is for each team member to become an expert in what they are doing, and I believe I have a lot of technical knowledge to share to support this process. Of course, I am always learning as a professional as well, and will use this as an opportunity to learn from my team as well.
Please could you provide a brief overview of your career at Staticus.
My whole career has been with one company – and that company is completely different to when I first started. I joined Staticus in 2011 as a Design Engineer. It was a sudden and unexpected step, as I had only graduated 3 days earlier. My thesis supervisor was also a Project Development Manager at Staticus, and after my thesis he offered me a job on the spot. This was the Friday, and on the Monday I was there in Staticus’ office. It was quite a difficult decision, as I had pictured myself working on large-scale steel structures, designing primary columns and beams, and long-span trusses and other structurally demanding elements. But I decided to give it a try, and I don’t regret that decision at all.
After 4 years, I was promoted to Senior Design Engineer, then in 2024 I became one of two Design Engineer Experts. During this journey, I gained experience across all of the key areas of the design process: Technical Design (system development and design for approval), Workshop Design (production and installation drawings, including material optimisation and ordering), and Structural Design. And I was able to do this on projects in Lithuania, Scandinavia and the UK. Some of the projects that stand out are Quadrum, where I was leading engineer, The Lexington, my first project in the UK, and One Exchange Square, which was a very technically challenging project. On this last project I served as Design Engineer Expert, and was proud to present this project together with the Design Manager Tomas Stankevičius, at the BCIA awards last year.
This was also my final project before taking on the role of Lead of Technical Design, a position I held together with Marius Nevecka. And that brings us up to the present, with the design teams being united and taking on the position of Head of Technical Design. Overall, I would say it has been a very natural progression with my career. I have been able to gain deep experience in all the most important parts of the design process, and I look forward to leveraging this experience in my new role.
What factors have helped you to progress your career at Staticus?
There have been many, but I would highlight two factors – the team and the company.
I am very grateful to the entire team and everyone I have worked with. They have helped me to grow professionally, and as a person. Without their trust and cooperation, I would not now be in a leadership position.
Then there is the company, which is a really unique place to work. Because it has been evolving continuously, there were opportunities for me to move forward in my career, and I have always embraced these. And the culture at Staticus nurtures development. We are encouraged to have an analytical mindset, but also to embrace change and improve, to take the initiative and act independently. This means you can create opportunities as well as being ready for them when they come.
I think the fact that I have stayed here for 14 years, and developed a lot over that period, shows that it is a good place to work. And there are still opportunities to improve and change.
What excites you the most about your role as Head of the Technical Design team?
From a technical point of view, what motivates me is establishing strong design principles and improving consistency across a project. This is essential, and so is ensuring that the complex solutions we create are both buildable and commercially viable. With any project, you have to be wary of the risk of overdesign, and with the market in a somewhat challenging condition at the moment, it is important to “squeeze” the design to ensure it is commercially viable.
I particularly enjoy resolving multidisciplinary challenges early on. This is the moment in a project where the right decisions can significantly reduce risk, and I look forward to being more involved in the design process at the concept stage.
Equally important for me is developing the team through mentoring and support. I want to nurture an environment where each engineer feels accountable, supported and confident to tackle problems. My overall aspiration for this role is to build a really strong and reliable technical design team that delivers consistent, high quality of work and is trusted by the wider business. I want to improve how we make technical decisions early in the design process and ensure the team has clear standards, good tools and the confidence to handle complex projects.
What personal aspirations do you have for this role? How do you hope to evolve as a professional?
I am really excited to be able to work at the intersection between business, engineering and people. Overall, it will allow me to contribute to aligning technical design with wider business strategy in order to support innovation, improve efficiency, and strengthen Staticus’ reputation with clients and partners.
It is part of my ongoing growth from a hands-on technical leader into more of a strategic one. This means developing a better understanding of commercial priorities and stakeholder management. It is also about considering broader impact beyond individual projects.
I will still be a hands-on technical leader. I enjoy this, and I definitely don’t want to be a leader who can’t answer questions that come from the team. I have acquired a lot of technical knowledge and I want to share this. And, as I have already mentioned, I want to be someone who can support each individual and help team members solve problems and make the right decisions. However, I see the main area for me to improve and develop is at the strategic level.
What opportunities do you foresee in the market for Staticus, especially in relation to design?
I see several clear opportunities in the current and future market where Staticus can strengthen its position and grow. In particular, innovation and technical design are key areas, especially when these converge with sustainability priorities.
I believe our strong technical competence, combined with a never-settle mindset, allows us to fully leverage advanced digital design tools. This gives us a specific advantage on complex projects, while our modular approach continues to be highly valued by clients.
More generally, the simple fact that our technical experience is at a high level will continue to bring opportunities. I regularly receive feedback from clients that our technical level is very competitive, so that should give us confidence. Of course, there is always room for improvement.
How do you help bring Staticus’ culture to life within your team, and how does this culture show up in your everyday work?
At Staticus, we have 4 well-defined organisational behaviours. They are there out of recognition that the way we act every day shapes our culture. What I appreciate is that these behaviours are not just statements on a poster, but genuine attitudes that guide how we make decisions, how we solve problems, and how we collaborate.
A recent survey we took clearly showed that employees in the Technical Design team recognise the importance of these behaviours, and that they represent a common approach we all strive for. I will be responsible for promoting this culture and embedding it deeply within our team. I am also confident that these behaviours are meaningful and valuable for our clients and project partners as well.
I think in my day to day work, the behaviour of “never settle” is especially prominent. I strongly believe having this attitude benefits individuals and the company as a whole, helping us to grow.
Tell us a bit about your life outside Staticus?
I am a very family-oriented person and value spending time with my wife and our two young sons. To keep my evenings dedicated to family time, I start my days early. I wake up at 4.20 to work out in my home gym, which helps me clear my head and prepare both mentally and physically for the day ahead.
We are a family that enjoys spending time together, both outdoors and at home. In the warmer months, I like to take walks and go fishing whenever there is an opportunity, and I enjoy showing my kids how amazing the world is and encouraging them to explore it. In the colder months, we especially enjoy cosy evenings at home, baking cookies, watching movies, and simply spending time together.
I love to travel. I find that trips are a great way to relax and recharge. I also enjoy audiobooks, as they are a great way to relax and learn. I recently enjoyed the following ones: Journey of Souls by Michael Newton, Einstein in Time and Space by Samuel Graydon, and Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking.